2009 VFR overheating problem

Hi All,

I bought a VFR in July 2009. I live in the Philippines and could not get one locally but a dealer in Canada helped me shipping one.

I have a problem, whenever I get stuck in traffic (quite often), the temperature of the engine goes up to 240 Fahrenheit/115 Celcius and my coolant flows out very quickly. I need to stop and wait until the engine cools down before I can continue.

When I do not get stuck in traffic the temperature stays stable around 218F/103C which seems not to cause problems.

The fan kicks in so that is not the problem. I had a mechanic (no official Honda dealer for big bikes over here) check it out but no luck. If anyone has suggestions I would be really grateful.

Regards,

Piet

 

I need to know your climate temp.

 

Thanks for replying so quick and sorry for not being complete. The air temperature goes up to 92 Fahrenheit/33 Celcius (pretty hot)

 

How's the humidity? That can affect your temps a good amount.

At that temps in slow traffic, my 5th gen will sometimes go up to 225F. I've never seen it go any higher. I believe the temp gauge will start blinking at 275F.

If you're going to be in a lot of slow traffic, then you can swap the rad fan with a vtr fan. It changes the flow and the people that have done it says it helps a lot.



Maybe have the rad cap pressure tested. When the engine is cold, have the bike on the side stand and pop the rad cap off. Start the bike and run for awhile to bleed any air in the system.

 

Thanks again. Humidity varies a lot, goes from 80+% early morning to 40% around noon. 50% might be the best indicator for the temperatures I mentioned. The mechanic did change the radiator cap and we did have it on the stand with the cap off for a while. I never heard of the difference between a rad fan and a vtr fan ... we'll check it out !!

 

Yup. Humidity is a killer when you're going slow. Also side mounted rads dont help. You got little air flow and rads right next to the engine. These bikes can get hot.

 

I found this thread on another site (I noticed you posted there as well). I thought it might help others ... see Tired Of Having A Hot Vfr? - VFR Discussion

If anyone has additional ideas to get the temperature down, please share your thoughts

 

And then there is this one on this site: http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/23778-160-thermostat.html

 

Mabuti naman Jason ... thanks for replying !

I am not sure but I believe my fan starts earlier, around 95 celsius, 205 fahrenheit.

There is no air in the coolant system, what the mechanic did was remove the nut, fill the system ... let it run until it became hot and coolant started coming out before placing the cap. He believes that is a safer way then heating it up first and then slowly removing the nut.

Because of the feedback you guys have given, I have been able to gather some information from different sites. Here is the input I have gathered:
1. Change the temperature fan switch to one that switches the fan on earlier. Recommended model: Nissan with part number 21595-01A00 from a 83 Nissan Pulsar
2. Replace the fan of VFR with a fan of a VTR1000. Recommended part number: 19020-MBB-003
3. Use better coolant. Recommended brand: Engine Ice coolant
4. Improve impact of coolant. Recommended solution: Water wetter

And then some people recommend better oil filters and programmable fan controllers, but I believe it makes sense trying the above 4 first.

If anyone believes I am going to attempt something really stupid here, or if anyone has additional ideas. All input is very very welcome !

 

I wouldnt make your fan come on any earlier. It's just going to continuously run and put stress on the electrical system.

It's kinda hard to diagnose a stuck open t-stat when the climate is hot. How long does it take your bike temp gauge to start reading? Shouldn't take but a couple of minutes. If it takes longer that than then the t-stat could be stuck open. When mine was stuck open, it ran almost to 245F a few times in slow traffic. I'm thinking the coolant was moving too fast to cool down.

 

Guys, I can ride the bike for hours without overheating (specially when I ride early morning, meaning it's cooler outside and there is NO traffic. The maximum temperature I have noticed in that situation is 104 celcius/219 fahrenheit.

I get the problem once I get stuck in traffic in between busses and only drive around 10 miles per hour. Stop go, stop go and drive slowly ... that's when it shoots up to 115 celcius / 240 fahrenheit. This happens within 15 minutes once I 'hit' traffic and a lot faster if it happens between 11AM and 2PM (meaning HOT). I am sorry for not including this info in my first explanation.

Jason, I might be wrong about the temperature when the fan starts. Give me a day to revert back. Salamat !

OK ... I have not seen Engine Ice coolant here, we do have water wetter. Since you say we should not do it together we'll start with water wetter, here is the approach I am planning to take:

Step 1: Water wetter
Step 2: Ensure there is no air in the system as decribed above
Step 3: Change fan for VTR1000 model

- Observe -

Step 4: Replace fan switch (only if the previous steps were not sufficient)
Step 5: Order Engine Ice in the US and try that

Are we in agreement about the approach and order ? ... I will let you know in a few weeks (I do not drive that often) how steps 1-3 worked out.

PS. Will confirm in 24 hours what temperature the fan kicks

 

Thats just how it goes in stop & go traffic. These bikes do run more on the lean side because of emissions.

 

Jason, I was wrong about the fan. I let it run stationary and observed. The fan kicks in at 105C or 221 Fahrenheit ... it turns off at 95 C or 203 F. It takes 2.5 minutes before the temperature is down and the fan to switch off. It takes 30 seconds for the temperature to reach 105C/221F again and the fan to kick in

 

You do know everytime you boil coolant out the system must be refilled...at the rad cap after cooling down? Generally, if you're getting hot enough to boiil coolant out it indicates a problem. Make sure your coolant's boiling point is up to spec and it's mixed properly.

I'd say replace the thermostat. It may not be the problem, but you have to eliminate the possibility. Sounds like your cooling fan is working OK. Just make sure it runs consistently...I've seen thermoswitches act weird. Sometimes on when they're supposed to be, next time no.

There was a big issue on GL8000's back in 01 to 03 (similar side mount rads). The temp gauge would 'peg' under certain riding conditions. I found from my own experimentation usually very consistent riding around 16 - 20MPH would do it nicely. Turns out the fans (deliberately by Honda) wouldn't run above 15MPH. Honda mounted a large product improvement campaign on this model. The main part of the fix was to replace the ECM (suppose different mapping but Honda didn't get real specific). To me, it made sense to allow the fans to run at a higher speed...say 30MPH before shutting off, but that didn't happen. After installing the different ECM it was still possible to get the GL's to overheat, but it did take about twice as long. Even under the worst conditions, I rarely saw the coolant hot enough to boil out.

I don't know if the VFR fan system is designed to quit running at a specific speed, like the GL's. And I don't think the VFR was really designed for slow city traffic. But if all else fails, you might consider a PC3, or similar programmable alternative and try 'tweaking' the mapping for a bit 'richer' slow running.

 

I live in New Orleans, where the temp and the humidity are both high. My 2004 VFR heats up in traffic, but no where near the temps you have. I had a stuck thermostat and the temps shot way up. The easy way to check that problem, is to feel the radiators. One will be real hot, the other won't be hot at all. After I replaced the thermostat, I added a switch to the cooling fan.
Just tap into the ground wire, run the wire thru a switch and ground the other end. I put the switch on the inside of the fairing. When I see I will be stuck in traffic, I just reach down and flip the switch on and I can tell you it works. When the outside temp is 95 F and the humidity is 90,,,my engine temp stays around 185 F with the fan running all the time I am in slow traffic.
Get a water proof marine toggle switch, just in case it gets wet.
Hope this helps.

 

Thanks All,

I have ordered part and over the coming month or so, I will do the following:

Step 1: Change fan for VTR1000 model (part number: 19020-MBB-003)
Step 2: Replace fan switch (part number 21595-01A00 from a 83 Nissan Pulsar)

I'll ensure there is no air in the system and will then test it for a couple of weeks. After that I'll post the results for owners who might run into similar problems.

Thanks all, for contributing !

 

I also live in Louisiana (Baton Rouge). I have an 04 and the fan kicks on at 221F and turns off at 212F or so. Even while sitting in traffic I have never seen the temp get above 225F. As rocket stated earlier, its gets to 100F easy during the summertime and there may be 2-3 months out of the year where we dip below 90% humidity. You basically have to grow gills to breath down here during summer. While cruising around the temps stay between 190-200.

Why wouldn't you just try changing the thermostat first before replacing the fans or simply remove it and let the bike run before buying another to see if that is the problem. I work on Honda cars alot and the thermostat is usually the culprit for the problem you are describing. Its either that, not enough coolant in the system, or you may have a faulty waterpump.

Also may want to remove your fairings and make sure there is no trash in the radiator fins and air can flow through them freely but since the bike doesnt overheat while cruising that is most likely not the problem.