hi, i just noticed something very weird last night, i was riding the bike, and when it was getting a bit more dark, i've put the lights on, and suddenly the temp gauge, rised a bit like 2mm, so i started turning my lights on and off, and the temp gauge was going up and down.....what could be the problem ?
The temperature gauge is actually an amps gauge. It shows the current flowing through the temperature sensor, which is a resistor that changes resistance at a known rate with temperature. If you increase the voltage to the gauge (by turning the headlights off), you increase the amps, and the needle goes up.
i appreciate your answer "Dontz125", however im not sure i understand, the needle goes up when the headlights are on, and goes down, when the headlights are off... isn't the thermostatic wire supposed to be the only one going to the temperature gauge ???? why would it be related to the lights ?! i'm having over heating issues also, where is the needle supposed to be usually ? 1/2, 3/4 or more ? mine reachs 2mm before red mark.. someone told me might be better to take off my thermostat, so i did !! and it's my second day riding this bike since i did a top end rebuild, and im still focusing on heat issues so far ! i've changed my oil yesterday and the guy told me it was clean (no water in it)... so im really wondering what could be the cause.
Sorry, misread your post. The underlying cause is the same, though - turning on/off the lights changes the voltage applied to the temperature gauge. These bikes tend to run a little hot, towards the top of the range. If you aren't actually hitting the red zone, don't worry about it. If you are actually overheating, start doing your troubleshooting. Are you running distilled water, 60/40 coolant, swamp water? When was the last time your cooling system was flushed? Are the fins on your rad open, or mashed like a set of Venetian blinds? Removing the thermostat is rarely a good idea - test it, and if it fails, replace it. Test your rad cap - a 'weak' cap won't build up the pressure in the cooling system, leading to local boiling and overheating.
i run a 50/50 mix with distilled water....i flushed it yesterday, 2, 3 times, but i noticed, i always put more water, than it comes out when i flush, i can't undo the screw under the chassis, cause the head broke (it was too rusty i think), so i just unplug the hose going from the radiator to the chassis, and turn the bike on, so the pump get more water out...and i just went and had a look at my reserve tank, yesterday i put it at the max level line, and today it was a bit higher, wish made me think maybe there's something with the rad cap....cause it's supposed to suck the water back in the radiator , no ? p.s: can you explain theorically how can a weak cap, make thing heats up, so i can have a better understanding of what's going on ? thanks for you help
There may be a couple of possible causes for the coolant to go high 1) A leaking head gasket can push air into water jackets and cause coolant to be forced into the reserve bottle. 2) coolant expands and contracts as the engine heats and cools and excess comes and goes to the reserve bottle accordingly.
