250 degrees...

Discussion in '5th Generation 1998-2001' started by motd, Apr 3, 2021.

  1. motd

    motd New Member

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    Yep. So today it was 93 degrees and I hit 250 degrees running. Bike is running fine... but after 45 min or so in heavy traffic it hit 250. The fan is kicking on just fine... I need to check the coolant situation. Never seen any leaking, filled it like 5 months ago... I have never worked on a radiator before... so I guess maybe change the thermostat? If anyone has procedural tips for what they would do in my situation or questions, I would greatly appreciate it.

    PS it has always ran pretty warm, usually around 225-230 in heavy traffic, slow and go. But this is the first time I reached such temp. Day ago it was 240, but it was a little cooler out.

    Thank you

    [​IMG]
     
  2. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    try flushing cooling system and refilling with fresh new coolant. you might also try replacing the radiator cap, as they don't last forever and will cause overheating if they fail to hold pressure.

    check that coolant level is up to the filler neck under the rad cap on a cool engine. any coolant refill needs to be rechecked after about 50 miles of riding and topped up as necessary.
     
  3. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    Has the coolant system ever been flushed? Has the coolant ever been replaced?

    When I purchased mine, it was slow to warm up to operating temp while the ambient temps were cool. The original thermostat was stuck partially open and needed to be replaced.

    If neither of them have been renewed, doing so will help make the cooling system much more effective.
     
  4. motd

    motd New Member

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    I have had the bike for around 6 months, I think. I have only topped off the fluid once. I will do a full flush and a refill soon. We're working on renovating the house for a move and are quite busy, so unfortunately it may not be for a few days. But I will give that a go... and after that I will try replacing the thermostat and radiator cap if nothing changes. It has always ran warm, even after the top off... 220 has been where it always ultimately ended up, even in cooler weather. As its been warming up its been crawling up.. and I could not believe it hit 250 today. I was spooked as all hell. I just got rid of my spare engine and spare parts lol can't go blowing her up now...

    Thanks guys
     
  5. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    Yep, make sure it is all topped off , no air and reservoir filled to max line. Might help to top it off while on the side stand. New rad cap wouldn't hurt.
    The thermostat replacement requires deeper surgery.....
     
  6. motd

    motd New Member

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    Lots and lots of bubbles... it is very possible that I did a piss poor job and left tons of air in the system before. I drained it, filled, and have tons of air bubbles coming out. I have always just filled it up and thought nothing of it. It got up to 200 degrees and I turned the bike off, will continue burping. The system was totally full when I checked it, but it probably was full of air. Also, I have pipe wraps on that are burning anyway that will be coming off. Will update you once I get it back on the road to test its temps...

    Edit: Lots of coolant on my flo0r. Ran out of coolant, but was getting bubbles much less often. Filled it up, put the cap on, (already warmed up) and ran it for 15 additional min idling at 92 degrees out. Hottest it got to was 235 two times, but then it dropped down to 220. Hopefully this is all my problem.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2021
  7. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    Yes, 250 is turn engine off time...
    Looks like you have solved the issue.
     
  8. motd

    motd New Member

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    It does look like it. I have only been doing mechanical work for a year or so. I put in a new cam, pump, lifters into a suburban, rebuilt a vstar engine and changed out transmission gears, and did some work on the VFR. I am not totally clueless but I am entirely amateur hour so I always like to put feelers out to a community that knows much better in case there is something I am not seeing. For instance, I never would have thought of the radiator cap. Looking at the manual now, I see I should have. But anyway. I think there still might be a bit more air in there, the bubbles were getting much less frequent, but I took it out for a good 20 min, and it actually dropped to 194 cruising at 63mph-ish. It only got to like 230 before dropping in temp. I let it idle still when I got home, and it did the same, got up to around 228 but dropped down to 220-222 and hovered. Yesterday it was like 248 riding and 252 sitting. Bad stuff.

    After taking off the wraps, I was delighted to find out however that they marked up/stained/burned markings into my nice new delkevic high mount pipe. They aren't terribly noticeable unless up close, but that I did find out to be a bummer. But I am just happy that I can keep on riding, I love this bike. Thanks all.
     
  9. boOZZIE

    boOZZIE New Member

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    Give a squeeze of the radiator hoses to check condition and to move any bubbles.
    Also cleaning the radiators, oil radiator aswell, to remove any dirt and grime, I used a hand held steam cleaner.
     
  10. pi-on

    pi-on New Member

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    Just have to ask, when you filled it up the last time, did you remove the air bleed screw situated in the front middle of the engine while filling up with coolant (and install it after the coolant was full) ?

    I should add that I ran into the same issue (but not as high) when I bought mine last year (2K VFR). I used Honda coolant with Royal Purple Engine Ice and that seemed to REALLY HELP engine temps. (Went from 193F to 163F for normal cruising temps.)
     
  11. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    I can't remember seeing a bleed screw on mine.... there is an air bleed hose leading directly to the rad cap area. Fill slowly so air doesn't get trapped, can squeeze lower hoses if desired, maybe leave it for a while, when I went back I had to add a bit just from sitting. Next I ran it through a cooling cycle and it sucked a bit back from the reservoir to replace air. Put it on side stand (rad cap now highest point), and I did need a tad more to top it off. All good after that.
     
  12. motd

    motd New Member

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    I did not. That would have been very handy! I just filled it up, let it run and spill, and press on the pipes. We'll see in the next few weeks if I have to do everything again but if I do I will definitely look for that. It got up to 250 in the 90s... here in Arizona we're going to see 115f. Its going to be my last summer here though, thankfully for my bike. Everything seems good nnnnow but I do worry about the coming months. But I am definitely going to look for the royal purple engine ice for next time. I have been wondering if there is a superior mixture that can go into the system. Even if it helps by just 5 degrees. It matters when 235 is OK but undesirable and 250 is stop time.
     
  13. pi-on

    pi-on New Member

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    Ah, I thought I was crazy for a moment. If you have a PDF of the shop manual, it is on page 6-5 (Cooling system chapter) , the cylinder drain bolt. Per the manual, it is used to drain coolant out of the engine. Also per the manual, it is supposed to be reinserted with a new washer before adding coolant to the system. I figured I should leave it off to minimize air in the engine coolant passages. I reinserted the drain bolt (and washer-didn't replace that) after a slight trickle of coolant coming out. Loaded some Engine Ice after that and filled to capacity. Haven't experienced any problems since.
     
  14. pi-on

    pi-on New Member

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    I should clarify something I wrote earlier-I used the Royal Purple 'Purple ICE' coolant additive with Honda coolant. I didn't use the Engine ICE (I did buy it but didn't use it for this application). Purple ICE is a coolant additive, that is, it is added to your coolant whereas Engine ICE is a coolant replacement. I plan on replacing the coolant I have on the bike with Engine ICE when it comes due. Hope this helps!
     
  15. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    I did have a bike with an air bleed screw, which is at the topmost point.... those are drain plugs at the lowest point.......
     
  16. chris.neale

    chris.neale New Member

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    So quick follow on question, what do we consider a standard max operating temp over which you’d start looking for a potential problem


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  17. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    normal running 78-85c
    I think the fans should turn on normally at 106c
    upto about 110c zero issue - IN TRAFFIC
    Over 120c bike is being turned off
     
  18. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    The bike is a hot runner.... Its just the way it is. BUT pay attention to it. Mine runs perfectly (6th gen) and have seen 113c in a lot of traffic..
     
  19. jethro

    jethro New Member

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    For more effective cooling you can use less antifreeze in the mix as it does not do as good a job at cooling as plain water, but you need it for corrosion and freezing protection. You can also add a water wetter type product along with more water in the mix. I have heard good things about engine ice for hot running vehicles. My son used it in his Ducati and was pleased with the cooler running.

    I just did a good cleaning of the radiator on my 3rd gen and you wouldn't believe the amount of rocks and bug stuff that came out. I don't think that would be as bad on the side mount radiators, but it's worth checking.
     
  20. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    I run 50/50 water antifreeze but the U.K. doesn’t get that hot very often
     
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