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2004 R1150 GS running hot

dick

Pondering Life
Howdy folks:

I just got back from a 2,300 mile journey across some pretty empty space. It was a great trip but I noticed that my GS was running hot under riding conditions that it had not in the past.

In particular, as I ascended Monarch pass in cool temperatures and running about 4K on the tach I noticed that the RID showed six bars for an oil temp. I was running around 50 MPH so I would think the engine would be getting plenty of cool air.

The bike:

2004 R1150GS
70,000 miles on the clock
regular service to maintain valve clearances and other preventative maintenance

So my questions for the list:

1.) How do I check the oil cooler for plugged fins?

2.) Are there other things that I should be on the lookout for given the age and miles on the bike.

Thanks,

Rich
 
I haven't a clue about a GS, but an RT, same thing.

I'm certain you will get some good information on this string.

I can tell you that the thermostat stuck CLOSED on my RT about a month ago. The RID bars were way up and stayed there. I think it was just a bit of airflow that kept the bars from pinging the top.

I took the thermostat out, had a look at just the thermostat, tested, fine, put it all together, BOOOOOM, RID straight to the top. Freaking thing took about an hour and three beers to cool down enough to attempt a ride home.

This time, looked closely at the housing, little, very little ridge in the housing. I used the boring bar on my mill and took the ridge out and then made a sleeve to press in. Worked like a charm.

It took me about 8 hours of time to save $200.00. Sometimes when I think I'm so damn smart, I ponder something like this and realize I'm smart like a hammer.

I hope other folks way in for you.
 
Yoda -

Thanks for the data point.

It appears the thermostat on the bike is working. The oil lines to and from the cooler are warm once the engine reaches 3 or 4 bars on the RID.

Does anyone know of a method to test the thermostat to see if it is fully operational?

Rich
 
What causes excess engine temperature on an essentially air cooled engine.

First - clean the oil cooler. Be gentle. Get a spray bottle, fill it with drugstore hydrogen peroxide, and repeadedly spray the cooler, then wash with a hose. No pressure washer - it can puncture the cooler. Bug guts and grime can "insulate" the cooler even though it doesn't look clogged. So a thorough cleaning might help.

Second, retarded timing will increase engine temps. Verify, or have a good dealer verify that the timing is correct.

Third, a lean combustion mixture will cause an engine to run hot. So check the fuel filter, pressure test the system if needed, and make sure the injectors are clean. Try a dose of Techron in the tank. Or pull the injectors and have them professionally cleaned, back flowed, and tested.
 
beer budget

Hi Diesel,
Can't help but wonder what it costs you per month to swill that over-taxed Canadian brew you are forever consuming? Have you thought about becoming a home brewer?:D
 
Hi Diesel,
Can't help but wonder what it costs you per month to swill that over-taxed Canadian brew you are forever consuming? Have you thought about becoming a home brewer?:D

OK that's pretty funny. :D But a good idea! I used to home brew years ago but due to a well calibrated alcohol sensing friend of mine each batch was consumed rather quickly negating any possible savings. His nose for beer was legendary... those prairie boys, I tell ya!

Diesel wrote "Freaking thing took about an hour and three beers to cool down enough to attempt a ride home."

I can only hope he is exaggerating because 3 beers in one hour will cost a heck of a lot more than booze tax if you get nabbed out on the road. Unless you were pouring beer on your RT to cool it down of course! :rofl
 
OK, You started it, here it comes.

Time is relative. I heard that some famous science guy said that.

A Beer, is a unit of measurement.

Beering is a perspective. Too much beering and driving is bad. Too much beering when you play hockey makes you sick. The right amount of beering is awesome.

Beer O'Clock is good all day long. Beer O'clock is always just a few minutes away.

Lite beer allows more beering.

I would do home brew but I grew up in BC and if I can't grow it or smoke it, I'm lost.

We Canadians are the most fair people on the planet and don't mind paying extra taxes so the 1% of our population knows they are getting a Biere and not a cold glass of Pomme De Terre.

I can afford beering, It's all I have left, she has the rest. It was a very amicable divorce. If I didn't have beering, then she would have both testicles.

Beer works better than anything. Wash your bike after beering with a half dozen buddies, It's always awesomely clean afterwards.

In the morning and you want some Red River Cereal and don't have milk, beer works, and better than milk. You usually don't give a damn what kind of day you expect it to be.

If you live on the prairies and don't drink beer, you aren't supporting the local economy.

If you live in Winnipeg, if you don't drink beer, you spend a lot of time questioning, "why did I buy season tickets to see this kind of football?" A beer makes the embarrassment go away long enough for you to get another beer.

When you drink beer, every fall day is fantastic and another chance to ride. If you don't drink beer, you might get motivated enough to fix your snowblower.

Ride safe. I certainly do.
 
Oh God, oh God... Diesel, what are we to do with you??

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God wants us all to be happy".

This what I get having lived not 10 miles from the Canadian boarder, see what its done to me!:bottle
 
The Friars at a monastary in Kansas said, "because everything seems to go better with beer".

Enough of that. Beer in the oil cooler won't help.
 
The Friars at a monastary in Kansas said, "because everything seems to go better with beer".

Enough of that. Beer in the oil cooler won't help.

Can I drink the H2O2?

Never mind.

I will start by cleaning the oil cooler and then I will check timing.

If I don't see a change I will buck up to have the injectors cleaned. Thanks for the input.
 
The Friars at a monastery in Kansas said, "because everything seems to go better with beer".

I was raised a good Catholic boy. Yep, make jokes about that. I also heard that "God invented beer to lubricate the brain."

For sure, the forums are here to help us work through problems that seem obvious to some and not others.

I, personally think there isn't a problem adding as much humor as possible to any circumstance in life.

If the giggles in the background are complemented with thoughts about any given problem, laugh and share until you explode. Nobody has any right to take that away.
 
Another way to run lean and hot is to get a tank that's half ethanol from the some badly managed fill station where separation is happening. You need to be unlucky enough to get a sample from just the wrong spot...
 
Another way to run lean and hot is to get a tank that's half ethanol from the some badly managed fill station where separation is happening. You need to be unlucky enough to get a sample from just the wrong spot...

Funny you should mention that. I ran 10 tanks of ethanol free fuel through the bike to see if that was the culprit but I did not notice a change in engine temperature but my mileage was better. Maybe I wanted to see some change from the E-0 fuel so I was a bit more judcious with the throttle. :dunno
 
I was raised a good Catholic boy. Yep, make jokes about that. I also heard that "God invented beer to lubricate the brain."

For sure, the forums are here to help us work through problems that seem obvious to some and not others.

I, personally think there isn't a problem adding as much humor as possible to any circumstance in life.

If the giggles in the background are complemented with thoughts about any given problem, laugh and share until you explode. Nobody has any right to take that away.

Amen brother.

(it's the POINTING and laughing that I mind...)
 
Yep. Top right side of engine.

pic3.jpg

Removing and installing oil thermostat
?Remove screws securing oil cooler line to fairing
bracket.
?Disconnect the oil cooler line fitting from the engine casing.
?Remove support plate (1), control element (2)
and spring (3).
?Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure.
 
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