| Author |
Message |
    
Trevd
| | Posted on Sunday, July 05, 2009 - 09:08 pm: | 
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OK, now I'm getting concerned.
I haven't ridden the bike a lot since I got the last service done (intake seals replaced, ECM re-updated with the latest download). Today I did though, and I'm concerned that there's a problem with the fan.
Like I posted in another thread, the fan doesn't seem to come on anymore like it used to when the bike is running. The bike got nice and hot, with heat pouring out on both sides, but the fan didn't turn on. It did when I would stop the bike but never while the bike was running.
Up to now, the fan has run on and off while the bike runs depending on how hot it was getting.
Should I be concerned? |
Natexlh1000
| | Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 - 09:04 am: |
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No.
Mine seldom comes on while it's running now that it's broken in.
I have to be stuck in stationary traffic for a LONG time for it to come on now.
The 2008 bikes seem to run cooler than previous years. |
Od_cleaver
| | Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 - 09:18 am: |
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Trevd,
Stop wasting time with the forum and call your service manager. Explain your concerns to him. The tech can connect his computer to the bike. With the bike idling he can watch the temperature rise and confirm that the fan turns on at the correct point.
Confidence in your bike is worth the effort. |
Trevd
| | Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 - 09:50 am: |
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Od_cleaver,
That's what I've done this morning. I'm going to take it in today and they'll take a look at it.
But hey, I like wasting time with this forum!  |
Trevd
| | Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 - 08:06 pm: |
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OK, so I took the bike to the dealer, where they plugged it into their computer, and we idled it. We were able to see the temp rising, but figured it would take forever for the temperature to get up to fan operation temp (455F), so I went and took it for a spin at high rpm to get the heat up.
While on my ride, the fan came on! Not as loud as it used to be, but definitely on - I even pulled over to listen carefully to make sure that the noise was in fact the fan. So I went back, and we figured things out.
After speaking with a couple of other techs there, I learned that if the temp sensor gets broken, the bike will run like crap. It's the computer that tells the fan when to turn on, not the temp sensor like on the older Buells. The computer uses the sensor for all kinds of things, including mixture control.
The tech who's been there for a long time I think figured that the most recent download (which I just got), makes the fan go on less often. I suspect that it also goes on at a slower speed than before, because it seems quieter when it does go on - less whiny. He said that Buell had gotten complaints about the fan going on at highway speeds, when it didn't even really do any good. He thinks that maybe there's something in there now that takes the speed of the bike into account now, and the fan is less likely to turn on now at faster speeds.
I still wondered why I didn't hear it go on yesterday in the hotter weather, and realized that I was wearing a brand new helmet yesterday and because it's quite a bit quieter than my 7 year old helmet, plus the fact that the fan seems to be turning "less loudly" than it was before, I wasn't able to hear the fan turn on!! D'OH!  Today I had a really old, open face helmet on...
So it turns out that my panicking was all for naught. I tested it out once i got home today - let it idle in the driveway for a good 5-7 minutes until the fan came on, which it did! So now I can rest easy that my bike won't melt on my trip to Tennessee in a couple of weeks.
I'm guessing that the new download richens up the mixture a bit too, helping to keep it cool, thereby needing the fan less. In fact, while I was watching the computer screen that my bike was hooked up to, I noticed a line showing the mixture. At idle, it went from rich to lean about every second or so. I don't know if it's always done that, or if that's common, but I thought that was neat - at a steady rpm it was changing the mixture.
So my surging is gone, my fan works, the bike still handles awesomely! Eastern Tennessee, here I come!!  |
Zrjoe
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 07, 2009 - 05:56 pm: |
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So... My 08 Starts coughing and running bad at idle saturday. I needed to stay on throttle to keep it going.
I get it home, do a TPS reset. Next day it was better. But to be safe I book her in as I am leaving on a 2200 mile trip tomorrow.
The dealer checks her out and says it was a STUCK exhaust actuator.
How about it guys. Does this make sense???
I know I can jury rig on the road if I have to. But I need some assurance.
Thanks |
Froggy
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 07, 2009 - 06:11 pm: |
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That doesn't make sense. All the actuator would do is cause a check engine light and not give full power throughout the entire range, depending on if its stuck closed or open. It should still idle and ride fine. |
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