# Temp light flashing. 08



## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

welp, i could have gotten off my brute today and put a bullet in it. im so ticked off right now its not funny.

right after i bought it, it was in the mid 40 and i went for a ride, 30 mins in, my FI light flashes, then the temp light. so i stop, do the right thing, wait for the fan to cool it off and continue on. it does it a few more times.

So, i bring it home, scrub the radiator (which was clean as a whistle to begin w/) and add some water wetter. I took it out twice when it was in the 20's and my temp light didnt flashed. I was riding on/off throttle a lot pulling kids around on sleds. nothing over 12mph.

Today, I go for a ride, its 50+ degrees out. about 45 mins in after digging through some decent snow it, FI light flashes, then the temp light starts flashing. So I stop as always, let fan run, etc. Today, I was letting her eat. But, I wasnt riding any harder than I have ever ridden a bike. Even after just slow crawling in the woods it flashed. 

I just got done flushing the fluid and adding engine ice. I dont know what else to do. I dont want to ruin this bike, its out of warranty and it has 155 miles on it. 

Am I just getting water (wet slushy snow today) and its causing an electrical glitch? I felt the radiator/motor/hoses when the light was on and i didnt think it was that hot. 

I dont want to pay shop fees for this, but Im @ my wits end. I know what they will do, let it sit and run and the light wont flash. (it can sit and idle for an hour and the light will never come on!) 

I ride a lot @ slow speeds, so i need to find out what the deal is, if its a bus connector or whats going on. I dont want to relocate my radiator, and id rather not put a temp gauge on. 

HELP!!


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## jackman (Dec 24, 2008)

mine did the same thing, I took every connection apart I could find and put dielectric on them and havent had anymore problems


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## Yesterday (Jan 2, 2009)

my friend's grizz had a similar problem. ended up replacing a faulty temperature sensor, thermostat, whatever, to fix it.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

if it was the thermostat or sensor, i would think it would do it all the time.

the past 2 times i rode, it never flashed, thats why im thinking its electrical. maybe snow/water hitting a connection and making it do it. 

i'll get some grease and start going after the connections next i guess. :banghead:


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## Yesterday (Jan 2, 2009)

i feel like it's an electrical problem, hopefully with that sensor. electrical problems are often erratic and unpredictable. it could be somethin as simple as a loose connection, or moisture/dirt in said connection. good luckin figurin' it out.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

i didint try this today, but when this 1st happened, i got up to speed and the light quit flashing. yet another reason why i thought it might actually be getting hot. but w/ that much snow against the motor, i just dont see how its possible.


im guessing w/ the digging in the snow, constantly packing it behind the front tires its messing w/ something.


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## lilbigtonka (Dec 30, 2008)

mine has overheated once in this florida heat and that was cause i was riding around 15-20mph in low range for a long time


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

heres something else i thought of last night.


so the light flashes when im riding, i stop, turn it off and let the fan run till the light stops flashing... which it does after about 5 mins of the fan running.

if it was an electrical problem, wouldnt the light keep flashing.??? it will only go off once the fan cools the bike down...? 

i tried turning the key on and off while it was flashing, wont work. this is why im becoming more convinced its a cooling problem.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

Are you absolutely sure there is NO air in the system?


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

I dont believe its air locked.

I drained the radiator yesterday and the lower hose. Refilled and let run, while keeping an eye on the radiator. shut it off, let it cool, checked the radiator, topped it off and let it run again. stayed full. 

Ive yet to go out and ride it since I put the engine ice in yesterday. It ran in my garage for an hour and the light never came on. But, this is the same situation i went through a few weeks back. Light flashed, brought it home, put in water wetter, let run in garage, was fine. Took it out to ride, never flashed.... then this happens yesterday...

Ive flushed my radiator in my motorcycle i dont know how many times to do trackdays, always works fine. runs no hotter than 220 in 100 degree heat in traffic. 

I dont know when i will get a chance to get back out for a ride, unless i can leave work today. but the temp has also dropped to the mid 30's now, i guess if i go out, i better just let her eat and see what happens!



KMKjr: they resolved that issue on teh 08's. there is no buss connector there anymore on the 750's from what i have read!


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

That's not a problem anymore on Brutes from 2007 forward.


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

Cool!!

Guess I'll have tell the wife I'm getting an 0-098 now...lol


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

Do it to it brotha! 
The throttle response on the 08 is crisp.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

i just called a local mechanic who used to work @ a kawi shop.

he said its definitely a cooling issue, @ low speeds and under load turning through snow it will do it every time he said.

best advice, get a HL radiator, period. 

looks like ive got to dish out $400 on a radiator now, annoying. :banghead: so, if ya got one or know where i can get one someone doesnt need, let me know.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

that radiator is dang nice!
it's the one thing I want that I can't see myself shelling out that amount of cash.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

the mechanic said not to waste my time on an oil cooler. 

but, its a lot cheaper and i would think it would do the job. but, id hate to get it, then have the same issue, then have to spend the $440 on a radiator to....

opinions?


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## boogieandbride (Feb 10, 2009)

I had to replace this fuse on my 07 to get all my coolant issues to run proper. It was a 3 dollar part.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

fan relay fuse? 

fan works fine. :bigok:


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## HeadC1 (Feb 11, 2009)

Its cheaper and easier to move your stock radiator up to the rack.


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## greenmachine (Dec 19, 2008)

Is moving the stock rad to the top rack really going to help that much? Mine runs really hot. I got a temp gauge on mine and the light comes on at 235*F and I have a manual fan switch which I leave on when I'm not in water.
Didn't mean too highjack your thread. Just wondering about relocateing rad. 06 750i


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

yes, it will help a lot. much more air flow. 


FWIW, i found a HL radiator, used, that i may pick up. so annoying to have to do this to a bike i just spent $6 grand on:zx11pissed:


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## ranchermoe (Jan 8, 2009)

I moved my stock radiator to the rack, the fan runs 50% less than before. I can ride in mud all day long and never over heat. Before I would hit one nasty mud hole and had to find a creek or head back to camp to clean up.

It cost me $40 for some angle iron, steel mesh and 5foot of radiator hose.


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

Regardless of the heat, I can't see a newer bike having to relocate the radiator just to keep it cool unless your clogging it every trip out.

I'd look for other issues.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

KMKjr said:


> Regardless of the heat, I can't see a newer bike having to relocate the radiator just to keep it cool unless your clogging it every trip out.
> 
> I'd look for other issues.


you wouldnt think so. my bike has yet to be a in mudhole or even close to mud. 

i guess this is petty common, they dont like constant thottle under load. 

you'd think kawi would have taken care of this, the radiator is too small for this size motor. 

every shop/mechanic that ive spoken to says the same thing, they run hot and if u dont move air through them, your in for it.


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

And your in ny? Not even hot there now, correct?

Something not right there. I leave my 06 running almost all night during beer breaks, chat's and so on, never runs hot....even in the summer and I've done nothing to the cooling system.


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## ranchermoe (Jan 8, 2009)

Here in texas where its 100+ in the summer my brutes fan would run amost all the time when moving, and stop after idleing. It would only overheat when caked in mud.
Are you sure the cooling system is air free?


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

KMKjr said:


> And your in ny? Not even hot there now, correct?
> 
> Something not right there. I leave my 06 running almost all night during beer breaks, chat's and so on, never runs hot....even in the summer and I've done nothing to the cooling system.


yes im in NY and its not hot here, it was 35 today. it was 55 Wed. when i went riding.

your bike is a 650, which is a smaller motor, and id assume doesnt get as hot.

heres the deal. i can go to my garage right now, start my bike and let it run for hours and the light will never flash. i can take it out for a ride, on/off throttle, let it idle, wont overheat. as soon as i start digging snow or going @ constant throttle under load, it will come on. if i stop, let the fan run w/ the motor off, it will go off. or, if i get up to speed and get air flowing, it will go off.

if it were electrical, the light would go off if i turned off the key or unhooked the battery. it only turns off after the fan cools it off or i cool it off by riding faster. 

its a constant problem on these things, maybe mine is worse than others. I know another guy on HL from canada that is having the same issue, its cold up there like it is here right now. 

cold air doesnt help much once they get hot. 

cooling system is air free, i just put engine ice in, let it run, shut off, checked. repeated. 

my radiator could be junk, but if it was, it would overheat a lot faster than it does. 

im not taking my chances of blowing my motor, im buying a radiator tomorrow. :bigok:


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

When the temp light comes on, is the engine hot? If it's overheating, the coolant should be boiling/bubbling and engine should be too hot to touch. Maybe it's just an electrical glitch?


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

I fix cars, so these machings are similar but are different in so many ways.

If this was a car, the thermostat is bad, it's air locked/locked or water pump is not turning/poor flow and worst case head gasket.......lol

Good luck, but I'd look into it more before getting a rad. With only 155mi, I doubt that's it.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

lite only goes off after the fan runs or i get air flowing through the bike. if it were electrical, the lite would flash all the time.

yes its hot, and i dont let anything boil, i shut it off as soon as the lite comes on. i dont want to hurt this machine. 

fan works fine, etc. 

my FI lite comes on before the temp light, thats when i know its coming, which is common when they get hot.


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

Do you have something to measure the actual temperature when it comes on to confirm it's overheating.

Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a CTS (coolant temp sensor) make the fan come on too late or TSU (temp sending unit) read incorrectly setting false lights. Manual should have resistance checks for both.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

i dont have any way to test the temp unless i put a gauge on.

i also have to drive 30 mins to just ride it, so its a PITA. 

id like to be able to actually find out what its running @ when it flashes so i would know. again, seems odd that it only does it under certain situations.


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## Brute650i (Dec 17, 2008)

I would put in a temp gauge there is a good write up in the how to and it doesnt seem that hard to do. That would narrow the source of the problem down some.


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## KMKjr (Jan 9, 2009)

I would have to agree. 

Judging from your problems and how the machine is being used, might be a good investment for the future anyway.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

i made an offer on the radiator and the seller will not budge. 

its a good deal @ the price he has, but im always looking for a better price.

so, i either go $50 over what i wanted to spend or ditch the idea and start over. put a temp gauge on, then move from there....

aggravating!


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## Metal Man (Dec 17, 2008)

I know your aggravated but a temp gauge would help you figure out if its really running hot or not.Some thing is defiantly not right. if your radiator is clean and the water system is full of coolant you should not run hot under any condition. My 750 has NEVER ran hot unless the radiator was dirty. The summers here in MS can get pretty hot. Sometimes in the summer the exhaust pipe can get almost unbearable hot at times but the engine still does not run hot. Now you let there be any dirt at all in the radiator and its another story.

Hope you find the culprit.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

Im going to get a temp gauge soon.

Im going to take it out sunday and give her **** and see what happens. maybe flushing the radiator and adding engine ice will cure it.

If not, i will pull the thermostat and make sure its not stuck. then move to the temp sensor.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

I was just told to check the gas vent line. 

A guy on kawicentral said his buddies did the same thing and that was the culprit. Maybe got plugged or something. Hope thats it, i will just reroute it.


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## Metal Man (Dec 17, 2008)

I'm not sure how that would affect your temp light?

Good thing is that the gas tank vent is easy to reroute and IMO needs to be done anyways so go for it and see if it helps.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

Metal Man said:


> I'm not sure how that would affect your temp light?
> 
> Good thing is that the gas tank vent is easy to reroute and IMO needs to be done anyways so go for it and see if it helps.


My FI light comes on 1st, if its affecting gas flow from getting plugged or getting water in it, it could i suppose, mess w/ the electronics in the FI system. Which may trigger the temp light to come on.

He said his friend had the same issue, riding in snow, it was getting wet and caked in snow causing it to make the FI lite flash, then the temp lite.

Ive also seen that folks on HL have had issues w/ it doing similar things when plugged w/ mud. I will check it after work today, reroute it, then ride tomorrow. Im crossing my fingers thats all it is.


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## Metal Man (Dec 17, 2008)

Every time mine has run hot/warm the FI light came on before the temp light as well.

Hope you get it worked out.


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## MTImodquad (Jan 2, 2009)

Twisted, How did rerouting the fuel vent work? Did you get to run it? If you need a hand putting a temp gauge on I'll help ya.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

I think rerouting the fuel check valve helped. 

It was about 35 out last time I rode. The temp lite flashed once, i turned the key off, turned it back on, never flashed again. I rode all day, and hard. The FI lite never flashed. 

The engine ice seemed to help also. 

I will check it again once it warms up. This winter just doesnt want to end. 

Im going to put a temp gauge on this spring. Thanks for offering the help, I think I can get it, seems pretty easy! A highlifter radiator may be in my future as well.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

stupid thing came on a few times when i rode sunday.

i dont know whats going on. i just kept riding, it flashed then would go off.

i didnt lose any coolant, so until it starts boiling over or i lose coolant, im not going to stop.

i dont want to take it to the shop, so annoying. :banghead:


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## w8tnonu22 (Feb 3, 2009)

I didn't read the whole post (too many pages) but if you don't have a switch on your fan here you go. Just leave the fan on when your riding and you shouldn't have a problem. 

I looked at my setup and here's what I got. I ran a ground wire from the battery to the switch, then a wire from the switch to the ground coming out of the fan by the plug. Just use a test light if you aren't sure which one is the ground. There's only two wires. Don't cut the ground wire on the fan wiring harness just spice into it. All your doing is completeing the ground. The relay closes when the bike gets hot and completes the ground. All your doing is completeing it before the relay does. It's real simple.


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## Twisted10 (Jan 9, 2009)

i will prolly do that. seems easy, even though im not an electrician. lol

it really should not be getting hot, especially when its colder out. 

i could see it getting warm if it were 90 and i had it buried in mud.. 

i still think im hitting a sensor w/ water or something thats making it go goofy.


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## w8tnonu22 (Feb 3, 2009)

Mine would run hot when riding at slow speeds every time. I cleaned the radiator with wheel cleaner to get that clear coating off. (Someone on HL recommeded) and install the fan switch. I just used a cheap fan switch. Since then I just leave the fan on all the time and no problmes. I think the fan is a little small for these bikes. Once it reaches the temp for the fan to kick on it just can't catch up. This should work for you though and it only cost about $5 to do. Mine


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