Why is my Triumph getting so bloody hot?
Discussion
Thanks.
Might be the placebo effect but it feels much better overall.
In addition to not getting hot any more, it's also noticeably quieter and a bit smoother, presumably because the cooling system is full of coolant once more, as opposed to a load of cavitation-induced bubbles and froth.
Might be the placebo effect but it feels much better overall.
In addition to not getting hot any more, it's also noticeably quieter and a bit smoother, presumably because the cooling system is full of coolant once more, as opposed to a load of cavitation-induced bubbles and froth.
Is that a thinly veiled "I told you so"?
Our ideas on value clearly differ somewhat.
A quick sniff on Autotrader, the only newer/fresher bike that fits your £2500 criteria is an ex-plod Beemer with double the mileage. Everything else is nearly twice the age of my bike.
That cannot be a step forward in anyone's book and I think mine's worth a bit more digging.
If nothing else, I'm now genuinely intrigued although I'm beginning to doubt the validity of the coolant test my local indy did.
Our ideas on value clearly differ somewhat.
A quick sniff on Autotrader, the only newer/fresher bike that fits your £2500 criteria is an ex-plod Beemer with double the mileage. Everything else is nearly twice the age of my bike.
That cannot be a step forward in anyone's book and I think mine's worth a bit more digging.
If nothing else, I'm now genuinely intrigued although I'm beginning to doubt the validity of the coolant test my local indy did.
cmaguire said:
Crossflow Kid said:
There is a temp sender but that's not the issue really. It's the physical symptoms that add up to some kind of head thing going on.
And I don't want a Bandit.
Did you ever change the thermostat?And I don't want a Bandit.
With your current situation, I might be inclined to run it without the thermostat as a test for a few days.
Edited by cmaguire on Saturday 22 July 13:20
It's fine.
An update, four months on.....
Bike still getting too hot.
No fluids mixing anywhere, no leaks or losses.
Rad cap is good, thermostat is good, water pump is pumping, radiator isn't blocked (it's a new one).
In the end I handed it over to Solent Triumph who spent an entire afternoon going over it.
After much discussion they suspect there's a blockage of some description in the block or head somewhere. Flushing hasn't shifted it suggesting it's solidified deposits in the coolant, and the only way to investigate further is to strip the engine.
On a 110k bike the cost is prohibitive and it'll slide in to being a whole new engine rebuild anyway, regardless of the cooling issue.
For now, the thermostat is out to allow greater flow of coolant, and that seems to have reigned in the temperature a bit. The bike now sits at 4/10 on a sustained motorway run, the rises to 6/10 in town, 7/10 if stationary at which point the fan comes on line and brings it down to 6/10 again. The underlying fault is still there though but at the moment, as a means of getting to and from work, it ain't broke, so I'm not fixing it.
Bike still getting too hot.
No fluids mixing anywhere, no leaks or losses.
Rad cap is good, thermostat is good, water pump is pumping, radiator isn't blocked (it's a new one).
In the end I handed it over to Solent Triumph who spent an entire afternoon going over it.
After much discussion they suspect there's a blockage of some description in the block or head somewhere. Flushing hasn't shifted it suggesting it's solidified deposits in the coolant, and the only way to investigate further is to strip the engine.
On a 110k bike the cost is prohibitive and it'll slide in to being a whole new engine rebuild anyway, regardless of the cooling issue.
For now, the thermostat is out to allow greater flow of coolant, and that seems to have reigned in the temperature a bit. The bike now sits at 4/10 on a sustained motorway run, the rises to 6/10 in town, 7/10 if stationary at which point the fan comes on line and brings it down to 6/10 again. The underlying fault is still there though but at the moment, as a means of getting to and from work, it ain't broke, so I'm not fixing it.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 1st October 10:22
Yup, I've flushed it myself a couple of times and there's no restriction at all but then there are multiple routes for the fluid to take. That's part of the problem - the back pressure caused by the blockage is acting back through the system instead of forcing the blockage clear.
And no gunk comes out either.
Water pump rotor is solid on its drive shaft.
I'm not from Larbet.
And no gunk comes out either.
Water pump rotor is solid on its drive shaft.
I'm not from Larbet.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 1st October 12:28
cmaguire said:
And what tells you it is running hot?
Your leg, the temperature gauge or what?
The temperature sensor is unlikely to be affected by a blockage in one of the passageways in the head as it is located in the general flow.
The temperature gauge is showing high, the fan cuts in, the heat pours off the bike when stationary and if I really give it beans the coolant boils.Your leg, the temperature gauge or what?
The temperature sensor is unlikely to be affected by a blockage in one of the passageways in the head as it is located in the general flow.
The coolant flow isn't being totally blocked, but it's flowing at a reduced rate and thus heating up more itself in taking heat away from the block.
Have already tried a citric acid flush....nothing came out.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 1st October 14:02
Hmmm, Interesting. Those symptoms sound eerily familiar.
I would like to get to the bottom of it for a number of reasons:
Sheer curiousity.
Can't afford a new bike right now and also feel a strange resistance to going down that route...it's just the thought of the mileage-induced depreciation.
The bike ticks every box: steady on the motorway yet nimble round town, all day comfy, forgiving in its handling, cheap to insure and run, reliable...until now (only other failures in 100k miles have been a clutch cable and the gen stator) and finally....it's British.
Can't think of anything else that fits the bill. Even the newer Tiger Sport has got all bloated and heavy which makes it less than ideal in London.
I would like to get to the bottom of it for a number of reasons:
Sheer curiousity.
Can't afford a new bike right now and also feel a strange resistance to going down that route...it's just the thought of the mileage-induced depreciation.
The bike ticks every box: steady on the motorway yet nimble round town, all day comfy, forgiving in its handling, cheap to insure and run, reliable...until now (only other failures in 100k miles have been a clutch cable and the gen stator) and finally....it's British.
Can't think of anything else that fits the bill. Even the newer Tiger Sport has got all bloated and heavy which makes it less than ideal in London.
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