Hi guys (and gals),
'just bought myself a Firestorm.
On the first test ride; I noticed that the thermometer moved a lot. Dependent of speed and load, it used all positions from the first fat line (the one closest to C) up to the fat line in the middle.
Is this a normal behavior for a 'storm, or is my thermostat stuck open?
I apologize for spelling/chose of words. English is only my fourth language.
ice wrote:Hi guys (and gals),
'just bought myself a Firestorm.
On the first test ride; I noticed that the thermometer moved a lot. Dependent of speed and load, it used all positions from the first fat line (the one closest to C) up to the fat line in the middle.
Is this a normal behavior for a 'storm, or is my thermostat stuck open?
Fine for normal use about half way... will get hot in traffic on a hot day but fan should kick in...if it dosent then you have an issue.
Last edited by MacV2 on Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Making up since 2007, sometimes it's true...Honest...
To check your thermostat without disassembly, start the bike from cold and keep your hand on a radiator as the bike warms up. If the tstat is working well, coolant will stay in the engine block until it gets to around 80C (about the 1/4 mark on the gauge). The tstat will then start to open and allow hot coolant to reach the radiator. So if the radiator stays cold for a few minutes, then quickly gets too hot to touch, the tstat is working. If the radiator slowly and steadily heats, the tstat is stuck open.
The 1/2 way mark on the gauge is about 100C and that is when the fan should start up.
If you reach 3/4 that is about 120C, the maximum that Honda recommend for the engine health.
Looks about normal. Only really in high summer through town (stop starting) will it get hot enough to kick the fan on.
If your worried about it run the troubleshooting diagnostic tests for the cooling system listed in the downloadable Service Manual, in the workshop knowledgebase section of the forum.
It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
I followed Cadbury's advice and compared the temperature measured on the temperature sensor with that measured on the (left) radiator.
The temperature difference was ~ 2°C all the way from ~ 20°C to when the fan kicked in.
What surprised me though, was that the temperature on the radiator, was actually ~ 2°C HIGHER than that on the temperature sensor.
I apologize for spelling/chose of words. English is only my fourth language.
Don't worry. 2C difference is nothing when comparing sensors. There can be quite a difference just depending how you touch the thermocouple and where.
A truer test would be to ride down the highway with a thermocoupler securely stuck to one of the radiators. If your stat is stuck open then your temp will be showing too low
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