Thread: Cooling Issues
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Old May 17th, 2013, 04:43 PM   #29
FvnnyL3tt3r1ng
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Name: Justin
Location: Florida
Join Date: Aug 2012

Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 2001

Posts: A lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by n4mwd View Post
Hi Justin,

Just a few points to put out there.

1. There are two coolant switches. One is stuck to the radiator and controls the fan. It is a switch, not a resistor. The second is a thermistor and controls the gauge and is located in the thermostat assembly. Its very possible for one to fail and not the other.

2. To check your water pump and thermostat:
a) Remove the radiator cap when cold.
b) start engine and wait for engine to get warm.
c) When its warm, you'll see coolant movement in the filler neck.

3. The water pump is direct drive from the crankshaft via some gears and the oil pump. If you have oil pressure, then the water pump is spinning. If you have been using antifreeze, then the pump impeller should be fine, but if you have been using straight water, then it could have rotted away.

Try the open cap test #2 above. More than likely, your fan thermoswitch is bad. Its actually quite common to fail.

Its also quite normal for the bike to go nearly to the 'H' while sitting in traffic. If you are going to be a while (drawbridge, etc.) just turn off the engine with the key (not the red switch or you'll run your battery down). About a month ago I had to turn around to avoid a traffic jam and take the long way around just to get some air through my radiator. These bikes flat out do not like to idle or move slow. They will actually run cooler at 50mph.
Ok I'll try removing the radiator cap and checking for coolant flow. I never had overheating issues before but I am still getting hot even while my fan is running (jumped it). If there is coolant flow i'll just go ahead and replace the cap and coolant and go from there.
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