Small list of issues with a new '06, seeking input

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by SVRGN_T, Jul 14, 2019.

  1. SVRGN_T

    SVRGN_T New Member

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    Hey, just got myself an '06 yesterday. I zipped it to work (mechanic) and gave it a look over, and was very pleased to find out it's been taken care of really well. Chain is new and tension is perfect, suspension is great, oil was clean and full, and everything OEM seemed to work. I went off on a ride, and was fine most of the day until I got to some stop n' go traffic. I've done some digging and research, so I have an idea which direction to go. Overall, still very happy with the bike. So, the issues:

    1) It has a Power Commander V. It's hooked to battery positive and I can see it's plugged into the OEM harness. With the ignition on, the Power and Status lights on the PCV don't light up. My question: if the PCV isn't getting power/powering up, the bike would not run, correct? since the bike is running fine with it plugged in, I can assume the little lights just went out, and it's working fine otherwise?

    2) It overheats. It was fine for most of the day, until I hit a single lane of stop-n-go traffic. That was the first time I noticed it getting to 230+, and I started paying close attention to it. I wasn't sure what "normal" temp for a VFR was, so I was hoping the bike would tell me when it was too hot. It hit 250F, a light turned on, and I pulled over to the shade to let it sit for a while. I nursed it around 200-230 after that, until traffic let up and it was fine to ride home (went back to 187-ish ont he freeway.) I did some quick research, discovered my fan was never coming on, and that a VTR1000 fan blade is a seriously needed upgrade. Still, I need to figure out why it won't come on. The control for the fan is in the left (from rider position) radiator, correct? It's a single wire thermatic switch that grounds the fan circuit? If so, I'll ground it out and do some testing, just want to verify all that.

    3) Seriously stumbles and shakes under 4k RPM. I'll be doing snorkel removal, PAIR disable and unplug, and intake flapper disable tomorrow... but I'd be really surprised if the amount of stumble I'm seeing was "normal" and approved by Honda Engineers... Anything else to check?

    Lastly, any other known issues or recommendations I missed are very welcome!
     
  2. jstehman

    jstehman New Member

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    I've seen 220+ in heavy traffic.. the v4s run hot.

    If you're seeing above that you've got issues - either a bubble in the cooling system or your fanstat switch is faulty.

    Can you tell when/if the radiator fan comes on?

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
     
  3. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    My fan turns on at 106 C - 222 F. It never is above that & the fan brings it down.
    Don't let it get above 116 C - 240 F - It starts to get unhappy..
    Bike normally runs at 78 C - 173 F.

    As is said above, keep good condition of the rads & fitting a manual switch - to earth the thermo switch is very useful if you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic.
     
  4. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Ambient temp and static operation causes the most problems, it's the nature of the beast with the rear cylinders basically fully enclosed. Side mounted radiators are always an abortion.
     
  5. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    You again...;) testing the fan switch is easy, could be as simple as a loose or broken connection. As for your stumble, that sounds like the PCV might not be loaded with a map or not functioning as the lights seem to indicate. The main reason most put the PCV is to cure that stumble.
     
  6. SVRGN_T

    SVRGN_T New Member

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    Haha hey again. I'm eager to dig into these problems and get an idea, just gotta finish up work tonight.

    Just taught myself there's a kickstand switch on these guys... Goooood to know LOL
     
  7. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    LOL, yeah good ole kick stand switch got me once or twice too!
     
  8. SVRGN_T

    SVRGN_T New Member

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    Alright, I got my digging done and I have results.

    1) PCV was hooked to the wrong battery terminal... now it lights up and does stuff, I guess.

    2) The fan motor is fried. I got to the backside of the radiator enough to see the switch and fan motor. I grounded the fan switch, and nothing. I moved the fan by hand, and after a few spins, it started to move and work at about 50% power. However, if I let it stop and ground the switch again, it won't start on it's own and needs a nudge to spin. So I guess I'll order a new motor and the VTR1000F fan blade for that.

    3) Took out the snorkel, plugged up the flapper vacuum line, and blocked off the PAIR intake pipe and unplugged the valve. The bike idle a lot better now, and just the few quick throttle snaps I did were night and day different. I'm sure this ride home will be like a whole different bike.
     
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  9. SVRGN_T

    SVRGN_T New Member

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    Last little update:

    Funny enough, the fan started 'kinda-working' while I waited for it's replacement to show up. Previous owner said the bike sat a year, so I figure the motor must have had some light corrosion in it. Me forcing it to run must have scraped a bit of it off the motor internals, as it would run at a weak speed once it got hot.

    Anyway, the new motor showed up, then the VTR fan showed up, so I combined the two, swapped it onto the bike, changed out all the coolant, burped it good, and it's been working fantastically ever since. I haven't seen temp get above 222, and it's been HOT here in Cali this week.

    +1 for approval and happiness on the VTR upgrade.

    Also +1 for making daaaamn sure you burp the system good. It'll be stubborn, and that thermostat will surprise you. Be ready to dump in coolant when it opens and do it at least 3x.
     
    skimad4x4 likes this.
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