| Author | Message | ||
     Thefleshrocket |
Now that winter is approaching (eff you, winter), it's been getting chilly outside. Ambient temp has been in the 35-50F range. My commute is only 5 miles, with only a couple of stoplights and average speeds of 55-70mph. My 1125R's coolant gauge usually hovers right around 160-163, and may creep up as high as 170 at a stoplight. (It has a Barker exhaust and a Barker-specific EB Aargh ECM. I'm running motorcycle specific Amsoil 10W40.) The oil temp in my wife's Chrysler 300C usually sits at around 205F under average driving conditions, which is really close to the engine coolant temp. I'm assuming that under average driving conditions, most vehicles' oil temp is pretty close to the coolant temp. Unlike the 300C, the 1125R has an oil cooler, so I'm guessing that its oil temp is probably a good bit cooler than the coolant temp when I'm rolling down the road at 65-70mph with 40F air blowing through the cooler. How much cooler? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the oil was only around 140F or so. Considering that the oil needs to get up to 200F or more periodically to cause contaminants to evaporate and be expelled, and considering that the oil cooler is probably doing a really good job of keeping the oil cooled, I'm worried that the oil isn't getting warm enough. I'm thinking about unplugging the cooling fans (so that the coolant gets warmer than 170F when at stoplights) and blocking off the oil cooler itself (not quite sure how--maybe zip-tie a piece of wood in front of it). I might even block off the intake on one of the pods to help increase coolant temp while moving. Do you guys think the oil temp is a valid concern, and that my ideas will help? (Message edited by thefleshrocket on November 17, 2011) | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Wood? Why not some duct tape, at least to use for a test. Also, if you need to remove it quickly because of too hot, it's far easier to crumple up and put in your pocket. | ||
| Geforce |
I think you need to take an extended route home once a week and not worry about it. Seriously, set aside a day to just go ride 25-30 miles at higher RPMs (I.E. Highway Speeds) and don't worry about it. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
ironic how that works isn't it. mine does same thing below about 70deg 38mi each way to work and i just don't sweat it | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Geforce, I'm worried that a longer ride won't necessarily help. If my coolant temp runs at 160-165F and the oil cooler has 40F air rushing through it, I can't imagine the oil getting very warm no matter how long I ride. 99buellx1, yeah, wood might not be the best idea. Probably I'd use a piece of cardboard for testing. No duct tape though--that stuff will deposit adhesive on the oil cooler and be a pain to clean. Boogiman, at 65-70F I'd be less inclined to worry, mostly because the air going through the oil cooler (and radiators) isn't quite so chilly and the oil and coolant should run at least a little warmer. My 1125R usually runs in the 170-175F range when it's 60+ outside. And when it's warmer, I am more likely to really open it up--blasting through the gears a few times ought to add a good 20-30F to the oil temp as long as the oil cooler isn't doing too good of a job! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Thermostat starts to open around 160 and is fully open at 182 dF. Fans come on at 170. Loretta always warms up to at least 160 dF and it gets pretty chilly here in Colorado. If you're really worried, stuff a rag in one of the pods... I do that on my XB, not on Loretta... Zack | ||
| Bextreme04 |
In my f350 diesel the coolant temps sit around 184* all the time, it has an oil cooler that uses engine coolant and keeps the engine oil within 10* of the coolant temp. They have a problem with clogging and blowing the motor so people have started eliminating it and running an external air cooled oil cooler, they usually keep the oil temps at around 209*. One of the issues is that when it is cold outside it takes a long time for the oil to get up to temp so some people have added thermostats to keep the oil from circulating until it hits 200*, course it holds 15 quarts of oil so it is going to take a little while no matter what. That being said I can't imagine it takes long for three quarts of oil to get hot in a 130hp high compression motor, especially with that stator pumping out all that heat  I would really like to get a temp gauge in that oil and see what the temps really are though! | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
why don't you just rev up the motor? The oil pump speed is proportional to the engine RPMs. HAHAHA | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
It takes much longer for oil to heat up than coolant, and oil's operating temp is 100C/212F. Make sure you let the engine heat the oil before riding. | ||
| Sprintst |
I trust the factory engineers, so I don't worry about it. If they wanted it to run warmer, they would have put different thermostat in it | ||
| Xnoahx |
A lot of probablys in your post. Do some testing with a thermometer and get back to us with some real numbers. | ||
| Cycledoc59 |
Your 1125 temp is operating exactly as it should. Not to worry. The 'stat opens/closes as necessary to keep engine temps at proper levels. It's normal for the gauge to indicate a bit lower numbers is cold weather. It's a very simple system and is not always entirely accurate. Having a gauge in your face induces needless worry; change it to fuel consumption or whatever.... | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Cycledoc, the argument that a vehicle's configuration is optimal from the factory is a weak one--practically every vehicle can be improved upon somehow, and factory configurations are almost always some sort of compromise. The 1125's cooling capabilities are designed to be able to withstand racetrack use in the summer so it stands to reason that the same cooling system may be overkill on the street in the winter. | ||
| Jdugger |
At cool temps, the 1125r does not circulate coolant. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Well duh, of course it doesn't. That's the purpose of the thermostat! Now if the oil cooler was thermostatically controlled, that would resolve the problem. | ||
| Cycledoc59 |
Thefleshrocket; What problem..? No posts yet indicate evidence of any problem. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Due to my weather, I run 10W-40 Red Line. I've ridden Loretta as cold as 17dF for 20-25 minutes. She ran at 160-162 the whole way. Z | ||
| Sprintst |
What "problem" are we trying to fix here??? | ||
| Geforce |
"What "problem" are we trying to fix here???" I'm find myself asking the same question. Seems like a whole lot of worry over nothing awfully critical... Your experiences, may vary. I'd be more concerned about my tires heating up to grip the road properly. | ||
| Sprintst |
Take the long way to work and let it heat up more! Enjoy the ride | ||
| Battyone |
If any of you have the electrical diagnostics manual you will see that the fan on temp is 90deg C,yet in the ecm's it's set to 77c ????? strange. I've data logged my bike on the road in 8c weather and the engine temp just manages to hit 83c once in 20minutes and that was wot blast accelerating as fast as poss. The fans need turning up,why would they need to come on before the thermostat is fully open??? I'll be trying this soon and will let you know the results. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Geforce, the problem is that if the oil doesn't get hot enough (figure 200f+), it won't burn off contaminants. That means potentially more wear on the engine and the oil being "worn out" sooner. Battyone, I have an eb r ECM and the fans kick on at a lower temp than stock. I'd have preferred them to come on a closer to stock temp, but the eb r guys seemed to get irritated about people asking for all sorts of custom settings so the only change I requested with mine was the stock engine braking. | ||
| Zecca |
yesterday I had the same problem! but in the Brazilian summer! 80ºF in the morning! after a long straight 160mp/ha the bike started to fail in about 10000rpm I look to temperature's bike!! OMG! COLD COLD COLD COLD!!! I just change the spark plugs and clean the injectors! in back , I noticed that the bike maintains a temperature of 155 ~ 158ºF **NOTE - Yesterday I let the bike fall in the garage!  to the left side.. | ||
| Syonyk |
You had cold showing on an 80F day? o.O Was it pouring rain? I'd suspect a bad coolant sensor at that point. If it's 80F out, no matter what I do, I'm seeing 180-190F temps. I see 166F on the highway in the winter (below about 35F), with slight rises when I slow down to surface street speeds. | ||
| Zecca |
have some sensor near the left radiator? | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I had a floppy magnetic vent cover (the kind of thing you put over HVAC vents to help seal them when they are closed) and cut it to fit over the front of the oil cooler. The magnetic part doesn't help since the cooler is aluminum, but it slots in there nicely and stays put, at least during my ride to work. And since it's flexible, I can remove it quickly and store it easily. I looked at the fans and apparently they are not easily disconnectable so I haven't tinkered with them, but I took Zac's suggestion of stuffing a rag into one of the pods. That didn't seem to have any effect on coolant temp during the 15 minutes or so that I've ridden today, though. |
