| Author | Message | ||
     Sasquatch |
I just bought my Uly this past weekend and I'm not familiar enough with the bikes to know what to expect from them. When I turn the bike off after a ride, the red oil light comes on. Is that normal? It also smells "hot" not a full out oil burn smell but sort of. The oil level looks fine. Also, I've been waiting to hear that loud fan running but to this point I haven't heard it kick on. Granted I have been riding in 60-72 degree temperatures. Should the fan be kicking in? Maybe it is and I'm just not recognizing the sound. I would think that I would. Thanks for enduring my novice questions. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Don, Your profile reads that you own a 2007 ULY. The red oil pressure light is only a problem if it stays on or comes on while the engine is running. No worries when engine cutoff switch is used to stop the engine and then the red oil pressure light comes on (pressure is understandably going to go to zero when engine is not turning over). The person that sold it to you probably cleaned it up real good using solvents of some sort so maybe that is what you are smelling when the engine is hot. If you go for a 1/2 hour or more ride at 60+ miles per hour and that fan fails to come on a shutdown then I would suspect that your fan is not working or the rear head temp sensor is malfunctioning. I have a oil temp dipstick and when it reaches about 150 F or hotter then that fan always comes on at shutdown. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/disc us.cgi?pg=next&topic=142838&page=462457 If your bike has the comfort kit installed which means you have the Right Side Air scoop then that might be keeping the fan from coming on but any long ride will still bring that oil up to a high enough temperature to get that fan running at shut down. Go for a good ride and then when you get home, shove a meat thermometer probe in the swingarm oil reservoir and if it registers 150 degrees or higher and your fan isn't on then you probably have a problem. (Message edited by electraglider_1997 on September 22, 2011) | ||
| Sasquatch |
Thanks! I have a 108 mile ride home today. I will insert said thermometer and see what it reads. I know the fan has not been coming on after a ride when I turn the engine off and I do not have the comfort kit. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
After 108 miles that oil will be at least 185 to 200 F so if that fan isn't on then you have a problem that needs further looking into. Let us know what happens. | ||
| Sasquatch |
Just went out and looked it over a bit. There appears to be a good amount of oil, dirt and gunk blown back onto the fan. This is a post by someone about a year ago I just read. "I've made the mistake of topping up my oil level to get it into the upper range. The result was not only getting oil sucked into the intake but also leaking back down the rear cylinder and into the cooling fan. The cooling fan eventually got fouled with dirt and oil and started blowing fuses. After figuring out what was going on, a little Gunk Engine Bright to clean things up and correcting the oil level cured everything. When they say 2 1/2 quarts of oil, they mean it." I think the previous owner put too much oil in and this has happened. At least it appears that way. | ||
| Sasquatch |
Anything I can do to keep from damaging the engine with the oil that hot and no fan coming on? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Take the thermometer with you and do spot checks every once in awhile. If the oil stays under 220 F you have nothing to worry about. Make sure the probe is submerged above the dimple on the stem which is usually located a couple of inches up from the point of the probe(that will give the most accurate reading). Also make sure you verify the temp probe calibration, should be 212 in rapidly boiling water. If not at 212 then grasp the dial and put a wrench on the nut just below the thermometer dial and turn to calibrate it to 212 exactly for the boiling water. Easy to do and that way you'll be confident of your oil temp reading. By the way, if your engine gets too hot the ECM will probably throw your bike into skip spark mode and you'll most certainly know you have a fan problem. Especially if the ambient temp your riding in is only 60 or 70 F. Skip spark mode protects the engine from operating at too high a temp. That has never happened to my bike but I've read of others in hotter climates having it happen. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/disc us.cgi?pg=prev&topic=142838&page=384425 Buy the Service Manual for the 07 ULY. Well worth owning and I believe about $60 bucks. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The fan (unless it's simply broken) should do a good job of blowing when it is needed. Different ECM maps can make it more or less aggressive, but you can bet that stock isn't bad. I don't recall... ECMSpy can force the fan on to test it, right? | ||
| Sasquatch |
Bill, would getting ECM Spy and a connection lead be worth my time? Sounds like it, though I've never dabbled in such things. I've read about ECM Spy on the site and it seems like something I could benefit from. From reading the thread Craig posted it seems like fan problems can come from many avenues. | ||
| Nobuell |
I have noticed that I occasionally get a whiff of oil smell since installing a K&N air filter. It occurs when stopped at a light after the bike has run for awhile. I have checked the bike for oil leaks and it is completely clean. I surmise that the K&N filter has a lower pressure drop such that the motor cannot maintain a negative pressure inside the filter while idling permitting the breather smell out of the filter. When I reinstall the stock filter, the smell is not noticeable. Do you have a K&N filter. If so, that may be your issue. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I resisted ECMSpy and the dongle for a LONG time, but finally got it. I'm glad I did. I just use it to collect info, reset the TPS, and do the diagnostic tests. I know you can hit a button and tell it to actuate the exhaust valve... and I am pretty sure you can hit a button and tell it to turn the fan on and off. I'll be happy to check when I am at home, but I'm sure somebody here can verify before then. I don't think I would start meddling with maps though. I've spent too much time getting two stroke and four stroke carbs dialed in, so I know what a nightmare I'd be walking into. I'll leave it be, or drop the $305 for Erik Buell Racing's "wisdom on a chip". So yeah, I'd get it again. | ||
| 7873jake |
it will test the fan | ||
| Sasquatch |
The temp was just over 200 with the fan not kicking on. There is oil and dirt gunked all on and around the fan. The fan does not turn freely it's very stiff but it does turn. The fuse for it was fine. How the heck do I get to that thing to clean it? | ||
| Reepicheep |
I haven't had to remove one... probably not easy (maybe not possible) without rotating the engine down. If you start out with the assumption "meh... it probably needs to be replaced anyway", you could start by just getting a can of contact / electrical cleaner, a long spray nozzle, and just hose that sucker down and see how far it gets you. You can then exercise it with ECM spy and see how works. Watch to make sure it won't dissolve paint or discolor plastic though. "High" oil temperatures seem to be in excess of 240 deg F (based on a poorly validated google search I just did). Temps too low can cause sludge, hold water, and make your oil cooler less efficient (heat is shed faster by a higher temperature difference). So 200 doesn't sound like a high operating temperature to me... Heck, some electronics are rated to work continuously above that temp. Probably a nice happy place for an aluminum and steel machine to be operating. If anything, it sounds a little cool... (But don't confuse me with an engine expert) | ||
| Rwven |
If the fan is gunked and stiff moving it needs to be replaced, the fan should turn freely. American Sport Bike has 'em in stock. It should be throwing up a check engine light....If the '07 is like my '08 anyway. (Message edited by rwven on September 23, 2011) | ||
| Sasquatch |
Yeah, I'll try the Gunk Engine Brite and see if it clears things up. No check engine light. (Message edited by Sasquatch on September 23, 2011) | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Don, No worries with the oil at 200 F. BUT, the reason behind that fan is to keep the rear cylinder heat manageable and to cool the oil within it does not excessively degrade after shutdown, hence normally the fan runs after shutdown to cool off that jug pronto. Had your fan been operable, it would have been running while riding as the rear head temp sensor would have signaled the ECM a temp that was high enough for the fan to kick on. Fortunately fall temps are upon us and cooled your engine quite well without the assistance of the fan, even though it should have been assisting. I'm on my original fan so others will have to chime in and tell you how to either remove and replace or fix that fan. Sounds like it has possibly given up the ghost. You'll want to fix the situation asap and then change out that oil for the sake of engine longevity. You have to realize that even though the oil in the swingarm never exceeded 200, the oil passing through the rear head was way, way hotter and then sat there cooking away when the engine was shut down. Synthetic oil would stand up to that punishment much better. I've sent you an email with a scan of the Cooling Fan page from the Service Manual. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I'd put that scan photo here but not sure about copyright infringement. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Other custodians can pipe in here if they see different, but I think posting one or two pages or diagrams from the FSM, with proper attribution, in order to facilitate discussion of the topic, would be within constitutionally protected fair use rights. The litmus test would be "was it done to further the discussion on the topic, or was it done to keep someone from needing to buy the service manual". The former is good, the latter is bad. A grey area for sure, but if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. And moderators are here to hunt ducks. (Message edited by reepicheep on September 23, 2011) | ||
| 7873jake |
if you don't want to subject your bike to the funk of gunk (engine bright cleaner), go to the electrical supply aisle in any large format home improvement retailer and get a can of plastic safe contact cleaner and plastic safe contact lubricant. Both work very well and won't etch or discolor your plastics or other finishes. (Message edited by 7873jake on September 24, 2011) | ||
| Rdkingryder |
Have you looked to see if the rocker cover gaskets are leaking? Mine did that. Maybe that's where the brown gunk is coming from? | ||
| Tootal |
Yep, check that rear rocker gasket for leaks. That's taken out many a fan. I believe you can remove the fan by removing the rear shock. If the rocker cover is leaking then you'll have to rotate the engine to fix it and then you can remove the fan without removing the rear shock. I'm going by what others have posted, not from experience. My original is still working but I have a spare ready if needed. |
