is my BB running too hot

[foz]

i finally got myself an 03 blackbird just before chrimbo, ive had it out for a few short blasts and i feel its running too hot, the odd time ive spoke to other BB owners they say its only 3 or 4 degrees hotter than average so im getting to gripps with that however on a couple of occasions it appears to have dumped its header/ expansion tank of its coolant, i would be greatfull if someone in the know would let me know why this is, thanks foz.

 

[Jaws]

Welcome to the forum Foz..

The digi dash models run VERY hot indeed.. they are supposed to..
That gauge is a best guess it is not particularly accurate so a couple of c out either way is certainly nowt to worry about.

Does the fan cut in ok ?

And are you SURE you are not over filling the expansion bottle ? The HIGH mark is actually pretty low !

If it is about right and is dumping the water the first thing I would do is invest in a new radiator cap.
If it is not holding pressure than the boiling point lowers and it will dump the water.

 

[foz]

Welcome to the forum Foz..

The digi dash models run VERY hot indeed.. they are supposed to..
That gauge is a best guess it is not particularly accurate so a couple of c out either way is certainly nowt to worry about.

Does the fan cut in ok ?

And are you SURE you are not over filling the expansion bottle ? The HIGH mark is actually pretty low !

If it is about right and is dumping the water the first thing I would do is invest in a new radiator cap.
If it is not holding pressure than the boiling point lowers and it will dump the water.

thanks , yes the fan cuts in about 102 degrees the temp will rise to 105 then goes down to about 96 however i went to oulton park at the weekend and at the end we were stuck in traffic and it stayed at 104-102, when i got on motorway it didnt get down to its usual 81-83 it stayed at around 94 for about an hour of travel, it was only when the sun went down and the air temp dropped the engine cooled to "normal" and i only noticed this morning the expantion tank empty, ive just spoke to the mechanic at 2wheel solutions Darlington and he said he has replaced the rad cap when I took it in during its warranty period

 

[Jaws]

Rule 1, NEVER believe a mechanic at a stealer... sorry dealer

Rule 2, LOOK at the cap/whatever your self, make sure it is the correct one


I spend more time fixing stuff that 'mechanics' have said they have done than almost anything else..
And of course one must ask the question WHY did he replace it if he did ?

And if you think that is hot wait until you really get stuck in traffic on a hot day.. Expect to see up to 120c on the dial !!

As a last, under EU trading regulations do not believe the bike only has a three month warranty.

Any major component has a full year though you will have to argue the point and threaten legal action before they will admit it..

You may find some of the info in a document we keep on the BIRD server..

en rights.pdf

 

[foz]

excellent help and advice thanks jaws

 

[andyBeaker]

w4lc0m3to provide further assurance, what you are seeing is probably a tad lower than I regularly see on my 03, around 50k miles and a daily 26 mile commute each way into central London.

The problem can come when you are stuck in traffic and the fan is running flat out as this starts draining the battery big time - the tempatation is to switch off when the temperature gets really high - sadly I have done this a couple of times and needed a bump start after as the battery was flat!! Although counter intuitive, revving the engine should reduce the temperature as it pushes the coolant round the system quicker while also kicking the battery charging system into life (around 2000rpm normally, although mine starts charging at around 1500rpm,)
In the absence of anything better to do (NOT!!) I took the rad out at the weekend for an inspection - and it was fine, not clogged at all. What was noticable is that without the fairings on the Bird the fan was cutting in and out with the temperature indicated swinging between low 90s and about 104c, put the fairing on and the fan was running non stop with temperature cycling up to about 115c. Keep that up for long and it will either overheat or the battery will die.

 

[foz]

" the tempatation is to switch off when the temperature gets really high - sadly I have done this a couple of times and needed a bump start after as the battery was flat!" EXACTLY what i did Andy with previous, and your comments i am now quite happy with my BB, there was always a worry that the hot running engine would cause damage, thanks again lads

 

[Newbird]

Did you buy the bird from Steven billau's in Darlo if so was it the red one ?

 

[Scatman Dave]

Sounds like the situaution i had when i first got My '03..... I met up with a friend and we went to chester on the bikes, got stuck in traffic on the way back and my temperature guage read 120?c. Aware the the cooling fan was running constantly and not bringing the temperature down i figured i would turn it off and let it cool while going nowhere in traffic. It wouldn't restart so i bumped it and kept the engine revs up at 2000 rpm to circulate the coolant more rapidly and keep a charge going into the battery. The temperature didn't come down (but fortunately didn't go up either) and i made it home, the bike cooled down once i got moving. The following day i gave the bike a once-over and found that the coolant level in the radiator was low. So i checked the expansion bottle and that was low too. I checked for any leaks, there were none so i drained what coolant there was and filled the system and expansion bottle with fresh coolant. I've never had a problem since...... The cooling fan kicks in at 103? and brings the temperature down to about 95? before clicking off again.

 

[foz]

hi newbird, yep it was

 

[foz]

Hi Newbird do you have any info about my bb

 

[kicker]

Mine seems hot too.

I have noted an average temperature of 100 degrees celsius in mine even after a few minutes, it got up to 106c the other day and so researched the haynes, 80c to 120 c is the desired range and after topping up my coolant reservoir with a lot of anti-freeze it is not surging so high and was starting to shut the engine off at traffic lights.I am going to drain the system and follow the guidelines and wondered whether "distilled" water was important or can I get away with tap water?
Judging by the limescale in my kettle their is lime in the water and other such impurities.Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[CBRDEAN0]

I have noted an average temperature of 100 degrees celsius in mine even after a few minutes, it got up to 106c the other day and so researched the haynes, 80c to 120 c is the desired range and after topping up my coolant reservoir with a lot of anti-freeze it is not surging so high and was starting to shut the engine off at traffic lights.I am going to drain the system and follow the guidelines and wondered whether "distilled" water was important or can I get away with tap water?
Judging by the limescale in my kettle their is lime in the water and other such impurities.Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I am using pre-mixed silkolene procool silicate free coolant.

Not the cheapest option but it works well and the cooling system seems to stay cleaner with it.

 

[silverfox.xx]

Check fins for clogging, think andybird mentioned that.

Check coolant strength.

Test thermostat

Make sure there's no airlocks.

Only seep Ive ever found is a drip on the large rh pipe where it connects to thermostat..

For info, drains are on LH side front of cylinder block, and water pump, LH side by your front chain cover.

Buy a voltage monitor , for about 8 quid... That'll notify you of charge or not.

 

[derek kelly]

Stuck in traffic? :dunno:

 

[sidewayscarl]

I recently fitted a new radiator, I drained and flushed the whole system and used Evans Coolant, my bike now runs a lot cooler whether this is due to the new Rad or the Coolant I wouldn't like to say..
In my opinion many people overfill the Expansion Tank which gives the expanded coolant nowhere to go and the tank ends up siphoning most of the coolant onto the ground.

 

[kicker]

I am using pre-mixed silkolene procool silicate free coolant.

Not the cheapest option but it works well and the cooling system seems to stay cleaner with it.

Thanks cbrdeano, I will check that out.

 

[kicker]

Stuck in traffic? :dunno:

yEAH,,
Oh by the way I tried out some ear plugs as I have em on tap at work and mine still sounds like angry bear with hemmorhoids weilding a chainsaw? What to do......

 

[twed44]

Hi,

That does sound a little high for the temp, especially since it happens at speed with a cool breeze & circulation... Mine's an older carb model but mine hardly ever creeps past halfway on the gauge. Do the injection models have a massively different cooling system or operating temp?

Cheers
David