In hot weather (average 30c) with slow pace, the coolant just overflowed. Has anyone had experience installing a radiator fan to MK2 ?

check knackeredmk1 project he has done it

nick

fallenmikethebike is your man, he did it first. just search for rad fans, there is a post on it somewhere.
Jon

FMTB's does it the best

I still haven't wired mine up but I've got to change the speedo mount to fit the switgh so won't do it 'till I get access to better tools.

I have been taking the CRM down to the boardwalk by the local beach and having overheating problems sitting in traffic.

i cannibalized one of my junk computers and put a little shroud and 4" fan over 2/3 of the left radiator.

didnt want to splice into the wiring harness so i grabbed power off the Headlight (Low Beam) as there are push together connectors and put a 2 amp inline fuse and a waterproof connector on the line so that i can unplug it if need be.

i planned to use some long thin bolts and washers to go through the radiator to secure it in place but i decided to just Zip Tie it in place so that i may cut it loose if it fails on the trail as i dont want it to be restricting airflow in the event that it does dies out.

its not the prettiest thing in the world but it is effective. i let it sit at a high idle for about a half hour and it never overheated.
then took it out in traffic and it ran just fine. the bit of heat will feel nice on my leg come winter!

right now it runs constant so i have been looking at wiring up a temp sensor with a relay to turn it on and off maybe a 2 speed fan if i go that route.

Hi Furno
I used a 80mm compu fan , magnetic driven type , as it only pulls about 4watts i just let it run permanently .I made a housing out of sheet alli , and stuck some foam on the face that contacts the rad. Using a fold able alli allowed
me to put a right angle bend in and use the middle rad fixing as the anchor point .
Since its been fitted i have only overheated once , but that was on a long uphill winding track that was all first gear stuff , but once clear of that it cooled down in seconds .
Regards Mike

Furnuts - if you are having problems overheating in traffic then you have a problem with the cooling system. Have you given the radiators a really good clean on the outside and unblocked most of the 'airways'?

Is the thermostat fully opening?

the airways are all unblocked and its been cleaned well in and out. i can go a good amount of time in traffic without any overheating problems but its the quick jump between lights which are only 200 yards apart and then sitting for 5 to 10 minutes while all the tourists wander aimlessly in the road.

If i get moving then it comes right back down to temp very quickly. leads me to think the heat just was not moving away from the rads. it doesnt seem to get overly hot and even a slow speed is enough to keep it cool.

i tested the thermostat before i installed it and it was fine at the time.

maybe i will clean and check rads and thermo again as ive ridden a good bit.

one other thing I still have not put stock jets back in the carb. i forget what it has now but it had an aftermarket pipe at one point and now has stock pipe. it runs a little choppy at times and i sometimes find myself adjusting the idle screw to keep it running smooth. i have also had a few fouled plugs lately.

im figuring if i get the jets and throw on those boyesen reeds that have been sitting in the garage with a fresh sparkplug then it will make diagnosing any real problems much easier.

/end life story.

vinigar is good for cleaning inside the radiators i think???

nick

i have a non etching acid wash for use with metals.. i just mix a bit with water and run a small electric pump through it. ill let it soak and run the solution through for a half hour or so. this stuff can take the hide off an elephant.

kinda rough on the hands if improperly handled.

Fitted one of these computer fans to mine some time ago. The temp light was coming on on long slippy climbs.
There was no difference between main beam and dip so I wired it into the dip beam. Now when the going gets gnarly I switch to dip beam and the fan comes on.
Despite been stuck in real deep bogs it has not boiled on me. I think I paid £6 for 4 fans as per link in a thread on here.
Job done

if you want a realy powerfull computer fan try these
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... w%20Fan%20(EHE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
they push a stupid amount of air they might even move you backwards while engine off

nick

Nick , that fan is 120mm wide , which combined with the 38mm depth may make installation some what problematical , not impossible , but perhaps more awkward . A 100mm fan should be more the adequate , and considerable easier to locate .
Regards Mike

This was the one I fitted, as per someone's write up on here. It's not very big but there is not much room on the mark 3. However up to now it's done the job and I'm still on the first one.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-PAPST-12V-60m ... dZViewItem" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That was the fan i used for my initial stab at the project , however the 2nd generation project had the slightly larger 80mm fan fitted , and no problems thus far .