Triumphrat

UJMrider · 07-17-2005

Just a question about what I should do when the dreaded temp light comes on? I was on a long ride today, many mountain passes and hot weather, and while climbing and trying to pass some d!ck with a trailer, the bike seemed to lose power at high RPMs and at the same time the temp light came on. I passed, then moved back into my lane and upshifted, dropping RPMs back to around 4k, and the light went off. When I got to the top of the pass, I stopped and shut the bike off for about 15 minutes to let it cool down.

Was this the right thing to do? Obviously it's not getting any cool air flowing when stopped, but also the engine isn't firing, so I would hope that the engine could cool down. Also, I've noticed that sometimes on really hot days, the fan will keep running even after the ignition is shut off, but it didn't this time. I had no other problems today, but I also didn't do much passing after this because I had left most of the traffic behind.

But, again, what is the proper procedure when overheating? Stop? Or reduce engine speed and cruise slowly?

Finally, I've seen HDs and other bikes with oil temp gauges that fit into the oil filler slot. Does anybody know if such a gauge is made that will fit the Tbird?

legend21 · 07-17-2005

Some tracks

Is your cool fan working properly ???? easy test , remove the contact below the tank; and close the cicuit with a small wire, the fan should start even if ignitier on "off" position.. If fan does not blow check the fuse.. if fans works but does not engage early enough when your engine get hot the setting of the thermocontact maybe wrong.. common failure on T 3 classics.. easy to change..

Is your radiator getting hot?? if not the cause is certainly failure in the thermostat which does not open the coolant circuit

Is your coolant level ok, and clear ?? less than 2 years ??

Is your radiator clean ???

Carburation setting ??? too poor ???

The best solution for me if overheating, would be driving above 120 Km/h ( 75 m/h) in last gear, to allow the water pump to work properly, and have sufficient relative wind to cool your radiator

[ This message was edited by: legend21 on 2005-07-17 15:13 ]

parrycm · 07-18-2005

Yes, IIRC, there is a German company that makes a oil temperature gauge that replaces the oil filler on a Hinkley Classic. Trouble is I can't find/remember the link or a reference to it in this forum - which I think is where I first heard of it. You could try a few keyword searches?

legend21 · 07-18-2005

OELTEMP.DIREKTANZEIGER

Louis.de

vonbonds · 07-18-2005

Here is a link to the page itself...

Clickity Click

carlivar · 07-18-2005

Which one fits the Thunderbird? Anywhere in the U.S. that sells these?

parrycm · 07-18-2005

Well, not the one with the long stem! If you open the filler you will see that the clutch basket completely fills the space.

Although several Triumph models are listed further down the page, none are Classics. I don't know enough to know if any are compatible.

UJMrider · 07-19-2005

Okay, next dumb question: Where the hell do I check the coolant level? The manual I have says to check coolant level daily, and says the coolant should be between the "min" and "max" lines. Unfortunately, it doesn't say by description or picture where the damned thing is located! Do I have to remove the tank to do this check?

BTW, I'm still having overheating problems. During a very routine city drive today, the heat light came on again, fortunately, I was parking anyway, and after I shut the bike off and came back to start it again about 10 minutes later, it didn't come on again. Still, it was disturbing to me. I thought water cooled bikes were supposed to be better in hot weather than air cooled bikes?

Slinky · 07-19-2005

The coolant tank is under the fuel tank, right side front. You do not need to remove the fuel tank to check it, but a torch may help.

My experience is that the max/min marks are misleading. Mine always settles about 1" below the MIN mark, but it never looses any coolant.

You may want to make sure there is no air in the system by opening the bleed screw. Unfortunately you do need to remove the tank to do this, as the screw is on top of the thermostat housing, right under the fuel tank.

This is a sealed, pressurized system and any air in it can screw things up.

UJMrider · 07-19-2005

Hmmm....well, the coolant level seems to be OK, so that's not the problem.

It still seems to be having a problem with the heat, though. Here are the symptoms:

When riding in traffic, typically when I am stopped at a left turn and waiting for the light/arrow, turn signal on, the temp light starts "flashing" very briefly, like a strobe, every time the turn signal indicator goes on (but doesn't stay on as long as the indicator, just a brief "flash.") After a minute or two, the temp light starts staying on for exactly the same time as the indicator, flashing in time with the indicator. Finally, after another 30 seconds or so, the temp light comes on and stays on steady, even after the turn signal is turned off. Stays this way for another 30 seconds or so as I am accelerating away into traffic, and then finally the temp light goes off.

So does this sound like the grounding problem that some Tbirds have, or is this a genuine heat issue? What strikes me as odd is that even though the temp light is on, the fan usually is not running (although the fan does run, just not in these particular circumstances.)

Is the fan turned on by a thermostat, and if so, is it the same thermostat that opens up to send water into the radiator? And what is the relationship between the temp light and the fan? If the temp light indicates that the bike is "hot", shouldn't that kick on the fan?

I would like to think that maybe I just have a "chicken little" temp light that is coming on when the bike isn't really overheated, but without a temp gauge, it's hard to know.

Has anyone been able to mount an actual engine/coolant temperature gauge (not just an oil temp gauge) on their Hinckley Classic? :???: An actual, honest-to-God gauge would put my mind at ease about the actual condition of the engine.