fan chatter

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by Sweetpflueg, Oct 4, 2011.

  1. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    So my fan is making a "ticking" noise when I turn the key on; seems to be some sort of misalignment, it happens sporadically, not all the time, but I don't want to make anything worse. Is this an indicator of a bearing going out, or possibly a missing a bolt or something? When the key is off, i can reach in underneath the front cowl and shift it a little bit on the shaft. I'm just not sure what I need to look for, or if any of you possibly have experienced this before and could give me some suggestions before I start tearing the thing apart.

    Thanks,

    Sweetpflueg
     
  2. JSzczesniak

    JSzczesniak New Member

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    Why dont you.....no, I don't want to say it
    Don't say it John
    just say something else
    No - gotta say it....but it's been said so many times in the past few weeks.......
    Have you checked your VOLTAGE???
    Mine did the same to me last week when I ran hot and was running a low charge on the battery. Once I charged it up and had ample voltage it was fine but I'm assuming it was maybe drawing a weak current? I don't know since I'm certainly no electric guru, far from it, but with all the electrical fun I've had I'm learning!
    Just a thought but maybe completely unrelated to the problem.
     
  3. Pliskin

    Pliskin New Member

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    OK, I'll risk sounding naive: You say your fan is making a ticking noise, but I thought the fan didn't come on until the temp reaches 220? You sure its the fan?
     
  4. Spike

    Spike New Member

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    I had this issue a few years back, it was due to the fan blade hitting something as it turned, I can't remember what. My fix was to just slightly change the fan mounting, so the blade was OK, really small change, like less than 1/4".

     
  5. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    Thanks everyone for your replies. The tick is definitely a "physical" tick; i would highly doubt it is due to voltage or temp. It begins right at startup, and then my best guess is either the fan planes out or the centrifugal force moves it away from whatever obstruction it's bumping against. I just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced the same thing, perhaps saving me some time, head scratching, and elbow grease.

    Cheers,

    Sweetpflueg
     
  6. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    ...and I'm on a battery tender whenever not running. Apologies for my ignorance, newbie here, but I'm a bit lost by your comment about voltage JSzczesniak.
     
  7. VFRGeek

    VFRGeek New Member

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    Something does not add up here

    The fan should NOT be running when you start the bike. Even on a hot day it takes several minutes for the engine to warm enough to require the fan. Start the bike, then get up under there and put an old stick or something up where the fan is to validate that it is actually spinning. If it is and your water temp is below 210 degrees then that in and of itself is a problem. I suspect this is really another noise that just sounds like the fan, maybe CCT's ??? :confused:

    -VFRGeek
     
  8. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    No, its the fan, left side, kicks on immediately when i turn the key. put my gloved hand under there the other day, blades chattered against my fingertips.
     
  9. VFRGeek

    VFRGeek New Member

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    Okay, it may be time for a mechanic, no way is this normal. The ECU is supposed to turn on the fan when the engine gets too hot, I'm not sure what kind of failure could cause this. Anybody got any ideas ?

    -VFRGeek
     
  10. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    VFRGeek, you sure the ECU is involved? In the older gens it's a simple thermostat (the 'fanstat') that closes a circuit to turn the fan on - and if the fanstat was shorted for some reason, the fan would come on as soon as there was power. That isn't a normal failure for the fanstat; but it could happen I guess.
     
  11. VFRGeek

    VFRGeek New Member

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    Wow, you are right there, I checked the manual. So maybe the switch has failed closed, or has a short. It occurs to me that if the fan has been running all the time for a while the bearings may be wearing out - the fan is not meant to have a 100% duty cycle. The worn bearing could be the source of his noise. It looks like the fan motor switch is mounted on the left radiator.

    -VFRGeek
     
  12. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    It's a fairly popular modification to replace the fanstat with a manual switch. I've never needed to do that; but a lot of acquaintances have done it. Pretty simple really.
     
  13. Metallican525

    Metallican525 New Member

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    Mine did that to me a couple weeks back, out of NOWHERE. I dunno, maybe something got kicked up in the fairing and boogered my fan up. In anycase, mine was crooked on the fan shaft causing the blade to contact the radiator fins ever so slightly and make a ticking as it went round. Took the fan assembly off the radiator and took the fan off the motor to check things. Nut was tight, fan not wobbling, but crooked on the shaft....:confused: So I bolted it back onto the fan motor and re-checked it, true as can be...............:confused::mad::confused::rant: Spaced it out from the radiator with a washer at each mounting point between the fan shroud/fan mounting tabs and the radiator, gave me an extra little bit of clearance so hopefully it won't happen again on a long trip and shred my radiator without me knowing.
     
  14. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    Thanks everyone!
     
  15. Sweetpflueg

    Sweetpflueg New Member

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    Found it! a little 2" piece of electrical tape dangling down hitting the blades. Now the question "why was that there?" I guess it's time for the panels to come off....might as well check the relay while I'm in there to see why the fan kicks on at ignition.

    Again, thanks everyone for your input.
     
  16. dogman

    dogman New Member

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    just wondering if a previous owner has wired your fan to on all the time. As said it shouldnt come on until the engine is 104degC (whatever that is in F).
    Another possibility is they have wired in an overide swith and it is on. this is a fairly popular mod and is quite handy.
    Otherwise your thermo switch needs replacing, its on the left radiator.
    The fan circuit is very simple, the thermoswitch just switches the fan, which has power all the time, to earth.
    A simple override circuit just manually provides an alternative path to earth.
     
  17. Metallican525

    Metallican525 New Member

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    220F is when the fan should kick in. The tape is probably from the harness running to the fan or one close to it. Also, check your fan connection and the temp sensor connection for anything in there (like water) that could be causing contact between the terminals (a short). More likely in the temp sensor connector as it just completes the connection once it reaches the proper temp.
     
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