VFR over heating

I have a 1998 VFR and it's over heating. I thought it was the fan motor, because the fan was not coming on, but fan motor checked out ok. The radiators do not feel hot to touch, but water pump housing and hose leading into it are hot to touch. any suggestions would be helpful.I did bleed the system for air. Thanks
Barry

 

Failure of the thermostatic switch that turns the fan on is very common and will cause overheating when riding under certain conditions, like stop-and-go traffic.

if this is your problem, either spend about $45 for replacement part........or $3 to install manual switch, as many do.

 

I don't think any coolant is flowing into the radiators. The radiators and hose coming out of the water pump are cold. Water pump housing and hose into it are hot. I'm thinking t-stat.

 

Rads warm but not HOT=stuck T-stat.

 

T-stat stat

 

what they said........new part costs about $40

 

fan fuse

It could also be something as simple as a burnt out fuse if the fan is not coming on when it's suppose to. I had the same problem and it was the fuse.
2000 vfr

 

Don't forget to check the rad cap. It can cause the water to not circulate.

 

Eddie, how does a bad cap cause the water to not circulate? I know a bad cap will cause it to overheat because the system cannot pressurize (raising the boiling point). I've left the cap off to burp the system and the water seemed to be circulating. Thanks.

Action

 

If the cap doesn't hold pressure, when the coolant heats up, it will flow into the overflow tank prematurely, causing the water level to be low the next time it cools off. Insted of pulling the water back from the overflow tank, it will pull in air from around the non-sealing cap. This can cause air pockets all over the place. You can see water flowing by the opening for the cap when it's off usually only for a short time until it spits coolant out everywhere. Besides, the cap is cheap and easy to replace as compaired to the thermostat. And it's always a good idea to replace the cap when replacing the thermostat. I'd just do the cap first, then if the problem is still there, go for the thermostat. I've seen a few people go through a lot of parts and even more headache because of a bad rad cap.

 

Got ya, thanks. I misread your reply, thinking you meant the bad cap would not allow the water to flow through the system.

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