| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
Need some help here guys. Until recently, my cooling fan worked like a champ with the loudness that we are all accustomed to hearing. Now, it still spins, but it is virtually silent. I don't believe it is spinning with the same speed as before, although I have no proof other than it isn't making the racket it used to. 1) Any idea what the problem may be? 2) If I run it, is it safe for the engine? Thanks,. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
im assuming no warnings in the cluster? what temp is it were your at? if it is hot were your at i'd say that you could have a temp sensor going out, or possibly a bad wire connection, not allowing full amps to your fans. but im a newbie for buells, lets wait and see what some of the old timers say ? | ||
| Punkid8888 |
is it still doing 2 speeds when you shut off the bike? when you shut off the bike HOT (375F) it should be on the high speed for about 15 seconds, then the low speed until the rear head temp hits 325F (I think thats the number) and then it will shut off. I think when the engine is running, the temp the fan comes on is 425F, and it shuts off at 375F Ya know I forget where the heck these numbers are coming from, but I thought I read them somewhere. Some one will correct me. | ||
| Davo |
On the Uly it is 428 and 356 with the engine on and 338 and 302 with it off. Fresnobuell, Remove your seat and you will be able to feel if the fan is pulling air across the heads. While you have the seat off check your battery connections. | ||
| Ebuella_virus |
+1 Davo | ||
| Jkhawaii |
my fan went out at around 10,000 miles. knuging the fan blade with my key would some times get the fan going but not always. are you able to do any testing or repairs on you own? | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Thanks for the help, everyone. I will check some of the things mentioned in this thread. I am not sure if it is changing from hi fan to low fan as the whole thing is silent at this point. It SEEMS to shut off in a reasonable amount of time, which is odd since it is moving so much less heat, one would think it would run for a much longer time. I have not had any overheating warning lights yet. JKHawaii--Seems like you may have had the same problem--just to confirm it was the fan itself correct? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
There are low cost, ($25 or so) infra red digital thermometers on the market that will allow you to measure cylinder temperature fairly easily, and that might help you understand your problem. A popular one is the Duratrax Flashpoint.  They are available at hobby shops and on eBay, | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Now the darn thing isn't moving--but when I take a key to spin it, it goes slowly and silently. thing that sucks is that the HD dealership can only take it in next Friday, then they will diagnose it, then they will have to order parts as they don't stock much Buell. I could be a month before this gets fixed and with the heat of central California--not good. thanks for everyone's input. The reason I am trying to diagnose this myself--I want to "special" order the parts from the dealership so they will be there for my "appointment" in the near future. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
You need a new fan. No biggie. You, or any semi competent mechanic, could install it in an hour or two, if you have the tools and the shop manual. Only problem I remember is needing a long allen key to remove the top of the shock. The bolt is seated in a deep recess on one side, and threaded into aluminum on the other, often requiring a little Liquid Wrench, and maybe some heat to loosen it. Use Loctite blue on the reinstall. Any real Buell dealer, like Andy at Appleton, Stone Mt., Tilley's, Liberty or other of our sponsors should have a fan in stock, or be able to locate one in stock somewhere else, that you could have in a couple of days at most. I got one on eBay just in case. Change dealers if yours won't do this. Don't let this keep you off the road for a month. Couple of days is more like it. Now let's see, while you have the shock disconnected you could upgrade to a ............ oh never mind........  | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Jon- Yeah, the problem is its a warranty item and I would like to get the dealer to cover the cost. And I was pretty disgusted when they didn't have a cooling fan in stock. Needless to say that, my dealer is not a model Buell dealer and if there was one closer than a several hour drive, I would be using someone else. I am getting more proficient at working on the Buell, which is neat for me. I also have a good buddy who is a mechanic. Yesterday, he managed to get the rear spark plug out in less than 5 minutes (its amazing when you have the right tools!) Oh, and i am riding with or without the fan. I will keep mostly on the freeway and out of stop and go traffic. I hope it will be okay. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I have done more than one warranty item at my own expense. The nearest competent Buell dealer, Liberty, is 125 miles away, so if the repair is less than a hundred bucks in parts, it's very often cheaper, and saves a lot of time if I just buy the part and stick it in. Buell dealers usually don't make as much money on warranty work as regular service work, so they are rarely in any hurry to get to it. Sounds like your mechanic friend is good, real good, like my buddy Gerry. Just work with him, pretty soon you'll be able to do most stuff yourself. Riding on the freeways will probably be ok unless it gets over 90. One of the main things the fan does is keep the oil from "cooking" once the bike has stopped. After you get past this thing, you might "practice" you oil changing technique, because the oil may have overheated and lost some of its protective properties. Can't hurt. Bet your buddy can do it in about 15 minutes. | ||
| Glitch |
Warranty is $50, new fan is $60. Do the work yourself and keep your mouth shut.  Easy Peasy | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I simply couldn't have put it better myself.  | ||
| Ebuella_virus |
Fresno, I live just up the road from you in the Merced area. I know your dealership and I too would and do do all the stuff myself. I would not ride that thing without the fan working correctly in this heat. I've been commuting 25 miles from Turlock to Atwater and back this week and the heat is a killer on the motor. (mornings are nice 75 degrees or so) Like Gentleman said, one of the purposes of the fan is to cool the oil after you've run it. Have you ever cooked chocolate syrup in a microwave. Leave it in for too long and it will carmelize to a solid. I have heard that the effect is similar. I'm up the road in Turlock if I can be any help for this or anything. TPS, tools, and, BTW, I have switched out my fan and whatever else. PM me if you want. | ||
| Jkhawaii |
yes the fan was the problem. It was still under warranty so had the dealer replace it, but I did remove it myself once before to test it. the fan was getting power and ground but would not spin most of the time. while I was waiting for the fan to come in (took 2 months) I was riding the bike but I could not ride very far at all. in trafic once I found out what cly kill feels like!! its not fun at all! talk about no power. I had to pull into a near by shopping center asap and let it cool down for 1/2 hour | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Thanks, again guys. I didn't realize that warranty work would cost $50...definitely makes a difference in possible approach. HD/Buell dealer ordered fan from Buell--7 to 10 days until it gets in. Apparently, there are several units in California, but according to dealer, I would have to make arrangements myself to get the unit shipped to the dealer. Sounds pretty lazy and/or retarded to me.... I will definitely change oil when this mess gets cleared up. Ebuella, I might just be talking to you soon. Thanks for the offer. | ||
| Teeps |
Fresnobuell, Contact Al at American Sport Bike and get a fan from him. Install it your self. Then call Buell C.R. and inquire about reimbursement for the price of the part. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Teeps, I will try this avenue. Thanks. |
