Why is my Triumph getting so bloody hot?
Discussion
Had a call from a mate last week, he was reporting the same symptoms from his car so I borrowed a sniff tester and gave it a go.
After half an hour ticking over the engine was good and warm but no indication of any combustion gases in the fluid, no overheating, loss of coolant or anything to suggest HGF.
Decided to give it a few more revs and immediately the fluid changed colour and soon after, the coolant started boiling out.
I reckon we could have left it all day on tickover without the fluid changing colour but as soon as the cylinder pressures were increased it was obviously HGF.
Sorry to keep on at this but did the workshop do the sniff test thoroughly?
After half an hour ticking over the engine was good and warm but no indication of any combustion gases in the fluid, no overheating, loss of coolant or anything to suggest HGF.
Decided to give it a few more revs and immediately the fluid changed colour and soon after, the coolant started boiling out.
I reckon we could have left it all day on tickover without the fluid changing colour but as soon as the cylinder pressures were increased it was obviously HGF.
Sorry to keep on at this but did the workshop do the sniff test thoroughly?
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
Try some mild citric acid in the system and leave it for a few days, after circulating.
You can buy it for peanuts at an Asia food store. It will eventually corrode aluminium, so don't leave it for weeks.
I would probably give that a go, then get the pressure washer out and flush. Nothing to loose really.
You can buy it for peanuts at an Asia food store. It will eventually corrode aluminium, so don't leave it for weeks.
I would probably give that a go, then get the pressure washer out and flush. Nothing to loose really.
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
Crossflow Kid said:
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.
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.
Have you tried using compressed air both ways through the block?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 Crossflow Kid on Sunday 1st October 14:02
Crossflow Kid said:
I haven't, but why would not very dense air succeed where dense water hasnt?
Speed and shock. It might help if you put Evans Waterless coolant in, although not directly addressing the cause.
And it has been mentioned already but could it be the engine is getting too hot due to another issue and the cooling system can't cope? Did you check the plugs for mixture?
Just to check here, the bikes done 110,000 miles ?
My R1 needed the injectors cleaning, due to lack of use after a job change.
It showed itself as a rising temperature in a 30 and 40 limit, it would come down on nsl roads, but took ages.
After the injectors were done it was happy even in the 30 limits.
It's how much you want to try things on a bike with that mileage, that might not fix it.
My R1 needed the injectors cleaning, due to lack of use after a job change.
It showed itself as a rising temperature in a 30 and 40 limit, it would come down on nsl roads, but took ages.
After the injectors were done it was happy even in the 30 limits.
It's how much you want to try things on a bike with that mileage, that might not fix it.
Edited by Shadow R1 on Monday 2nd October 16:50
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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