Idle problem/getting hot fast- Thermowax or ???

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rsm688

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Overheating??

EDIT: Thermowax issue hopefully solved, now need help with overheating. Check last post below for info.




Okay guys well my FZ was not wanting to start very easy when cold, it would take a tiny bit of throttle to start up and idle would stay around 1200 then it would be fine except it would start getting hot REAL quick. Like up to 215 with the fan on within 30 seconds to a minute of idling. Also, the idle adjustment screw did not really change idle any.

I was told it was probably the thermowax. I pulled it, cleaned the plunger, put some grease on it, and reassembled. The bike now starts up pretty easy but it is still getting hot quick and the idle adjustment screw does nothing. It just stays sitting around 1500 RPM.

For anyone who has disassembled the thermowax before, in regards to the little pin in the top part of the housing with the notch in it at one end, does the notched end go up or down? I thought mine came out with it up but I couldn't be certain. Pictures below:





Also, what's the standard range of normal operating temp on the FZ1 (I know riding style and environment will change it but just a general guesstimate).


Any ideas or suggestions on what might be causing my issues?


Thanks,
Spencer
 
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Okay well today it seems as if the idle issue is gone. I think the thermowax cleaning fixed that.

HOWEVER, my bike is still getting hot. It hit 241 today in 70 degree weather at a twenty five second red light. The bike cools off in not time when I am moving. The fans seem to have zero effect on the temperature. They kick on but the temperature does not drop any. Now I am really stumped as to what the problem could be.

The thermostat is obviously working as the radiator is hot to touch and so are all the lines to it. The bike only has 4k miles on it. It was laid over prior to me picking it up but I did not have any overheating issues early on with the bike.
 
To be quite honest I'm not sure of what coolant is in it, probably what came from factory since the bike has 4000 miles on it. The fluid was a little bit low at one point because there was a little hole in the overflow hose line and I topped it off with Water Wetter.



Maybe I will pull the bottom hose off my radiator, drain it and refill it using the PINK antifreeze (correct)? and distilled water with some Water Wetter/Ice/other cooling addititve.


What's the best method to burp the system and make sure there is not an air pocket. Let it get hot, top it off, pull the radiator cap, shake bike left and right, squeeze coolant hoses, and repeat?


How much pressure is in the radiator when it's hot? Maybe I can use a glove/shield/glasses and remove the cap when it's hot and stick a thermometer down in there to check the actual temps.



I'm thinking my thermowax problem is solved (hopefully), so now hopefully I can get this taken care of.


Could the radiator cap cause the bike to run hot? There are a few scuffs on the radiator cap/right side of the radiator where the bike was laid over by the previous owner.


Also, is there some kind of clutch in the fans? I know they are coming on I can see and feel them but I wonder if maybe something inside them is damaged so that they are not moving air like they should be.
 
Well low and behold I removed the radiator cap and the coolant is LOW, I can't see anything for the first 3-4" (it's dark and was using iphone flashlight)



So.... now my question is why is it so low. The small overflow hose that runs off by the radiator cap had a little hole in it from where it rubbed when the bike was laid over, I noticed this because I saw some coolant dripping from it. I cut half an inch off of it (part with the hole) and slid it back on, removed the radiator cap, topped it off with water wetter (took maybe 6-8oz to fill it to the neck). That was probably 200 miles ago.

I did not check it again yet as I have not ridden the bike much since then and since I had topped it off not too long ago I did not think it would be low. In my overflow reservoir under the subframe there is maybe an inch of coolant in the bottom, it's definitely below the FILL line. To be quite honest I never checked the overflow reservoir when I topped it off (I know I know, should have done that).

Could it maybe have just been that low and had an air pocket or something and has been readjusting itself between the coolant reservoir and the radiator? Or am I probably losing it somewhere (doubt it's head gasket, bike has 4k miles on it and oil level isn't rising and doesn't look like fluid in it).


I guess I should just fill everything up right and ride it for a while and see if my levels drop down? 50/50 mixture of the green DEX antifreeze and distilled water right?


Thanks,
Spencer
 
If you have a hole in the overflow pipe it will only such air back in the motor and loss coolant through it when hot, now you have fixed it, check it all again after a run, I find I leave the water half way between the add & full marks when cold otherwise it will just blow the extra out over a few days. After you fixed the problem I would be looking at replacing the coolant ,how old is the bike
 
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When my bike fell over from a when the side stand wasn't fully extended it spilled coolant on the ground. Perhaps when your bike was laid down some coolant spilled out and the previous owner never topped it off.
 
OldBiker said:
When my bike fell over from a when the side stand wasn't fully extended it spilled coolant on the ground. Perhaps when your bike was laid down some coolant spilled out and the previous owner never topped it off.
Click to expand...

Oldbiker, now that you say that. My bike was blown over in a storm in the driveway a few weeks ago. It didn't do any damage as it had a cover on and just fell into my grass but maybe it leaked coolant out then as it was probably laying on its side for a few hours before I went outside and saw it laying over. Never even thought about that!

Spencer
 
Ha, I stopped using a cover for that very reason, the wind blew it hard enough to pivot the bike on the centerstand. Without the cover it survived all the harshest storms unscathed.
 
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c314/rsm688/FullSizeRender 2_zpscdqly9ee.jpg

Howdy All, I have the same issue where my bike idles high, had to set the idle screw to its lowest setting, and it still idles at around 1400rpm. Sometimes a bit lower.
I removed my Thermowax, but honestly not sure what to clean, the shafts are all clean, springs look good etc. Also no evidence of a wax leak.
When I pulled off the water pipes, the bit of water that came out was brown, with a bit of sediment in it, so I flushed the whole cooling system. The water that came out was like muddy river water.
I didn't have enough antifreeze (not that I need it here in South Africa, except as an anti corrosive), so I'll drain the radiator and fill it with antifreeze later this week.

Back to the thermowax. I suspect the water channel is blocked. I can barely blow through it, not even with an airhose/compressor.
My question is: Should this channel be occluded when cold, and if not, is there any advice on cleaning it?

Bike is a 2008 FZ1 which I bought 2nd hand. (doubt the previous owner knew what antifreeze is) :banghead:
 
Howdy

Have the same issue on my 08 FZ1. Removed it to clean it, but I think the water channel is blocked, can barely get any flow through it with a syringe, or an air hose.
Brown water with sediment came out of it when I shook it, so I flushed my entire cooling system. All the water looked like dirty brown river water. Doubt the previous owner
even had antifreeze in the system...

Is there any way to clean the internal water channel? I've ordered a new one, but they aren't cheap for such a small component.:banghead:

Thanks
 
Wow, I wonder how it can be that such a new bike could have such nasty stuff in the cooling system. Any idea what was in there? Oil? Dirt?
 
20160110_124841[1].jpg

I was disgusted when I drained it, and very surprised that the bike didn't run hot at all. Ever.
I doubt that there was enough antifreeze in the system and that decent water was used.
New thermowax should be here in 2 weeks, I may flush the system again, depending on the colour of the
radiator fluid. I'll drain that and fill with antifreeze in any case.
 
I flushed for at least 45min. the water was crystal clear by the time I was done. Drained then put in distilled water and a bit of antifreeze.
Like I said, I'll reassess when I drain the radiator.
 
I flushed for at least 45min. the water was crystal clear by the time I was done. Drained then put in distilled water and a bit of antifreeze.
Like I said, I'll reassess when I drain the radiator.
 
Stu said:
View attachment 22998

I was disgusted when I drained it, and very surprised that the bike didn't run hot at all. Ever.
I doubt that there was enough antifreeze in the system and that decent water was used.
New thermowax should be here in 2 weeks, I may flush the system again, depending on the colour of the
radiator fluid. I'll drain that and fill with antifreeze in any case.
Click to expand...
I run some Watterwetter in my 06..I`m in Fl., and the summer time heat really takes its toll...
 
rsm688 said:
Okay well today it seems as if the idle issue is gone. I think the thermowax cleaning fixed that.

HOWEVER, my bike is still getting hot. It hit 241 today in 70 degree weather at a twenty five second red light. The bike cools off in not time when I am moving. The fans seem to have zero effect on the temperature. They kick on but the temperature does not drop any. Now I am really stumped as to what the problem could be.

The thermostat is obviously working as the radiator is hot to touch and so are all the lines to it. The bike only has 4k miles on it. It was laid over prior to me picking it up but I did not have any overheating issues early on with the bike.
Click to expand...
 
Hi all,
I'm having similar problems with the thermowax unit and I have seen mixed reviews. With the image that was taken of the strip down thermowax, can some one let me know what the bottom large pin is,is this the pin that sticks.i have taken the top part off with the two hose connections and sprayed wd 40 to try to free it up but all there is is the small pin with a notch and a white plastic part that goes on to it and the spring.When I look inside the part attached to the engine the big pin looks stuck at the bottom and the two screws that remove the unit seem like the heads on the screws are a bit messed up to use a phillips screwdriver to undo it to check.Any help would be great please. 20220320_130621.jpg
 
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