Coolant temperature warning light/engine overheating

[thork]

Hey, gang. Back-story below, scroll down for the questions...

About a month ago, my 2013 S10 (bought new in Aug 2015) got knocked over on a very windy day while on its centerstand and fork locked under an all-season cover (parachute effect). Bike was upright when I left for work, and on its left side when i came home around 5pm

After weeks of back and forth between local shop and Geico, everything was finally "fixed" cosmetically. New left-side radiator guard/panel, left side mirror, left side handguard, kick stand, etc.

Rode her home last week and I smelled something funny while she idled in the parking lot. I brushed it off as the bike having sat for a month without being started.

I noticed the smell again when idling before I took a couple-hour ride on Sunday.

Rode the bike into work today and while sitting in about 5-10mins of 1st-gear-traffic, I noticed the coolant temperature warning light lit up on the dash, and the temperature was "high" on the digital readout. Luckily, about this time I switched lanes and got up to highway speed and the light disappeared in about 15 seconds, I'm guessing from the air flow.

I can't remember hearing the fans kick on in traffic nor when I parked the bike at work.

Coolant overflow is nearly bone dry, with a tiny ammt (1/4 inch) visible below the Low level when on the center stand.

I called the shop and they agreed to take a look at it. While the repairs were all cosmetic in nature, wouldn't the shop have the sense to check and make sure the fan/radiator was functioning ok?

They will pick the bike up but it could be a couple days, lucky me the weather turned good and all the bikes are coming in for repairs along with mine. Not even sure I trust them to do the repairs, but if they missed something while it was in the shop, I'd rather have them (a certified Yamaha shop/dealer) fix the problem. Yes (pun intended) it's under warranty.

QUESTIONS:
1) Should I check anything other than the coolant overflow tank for possible causes before the shop picks it up? (I have to ride it home, in traffic, today but will make sure to keep moving and keep the temperatures in the normal range.)

2) Could anything have been really damaged with the high temperature light only being on for a short period?

3) Thoughts as to what it could be causing this? (I'm guessing that smell was burning coolant after picking the bike up? But why, from such a small tumble? And I didn't notice any fluids on the cement underneath my bike. I'll confirm whether the fan is engaging or not today...)

Thanks very much.

 

[thork]

I may have answered my own question through this thread, if the fan got damaged: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=10229.15

Still concerning is the possible coolant burning smell I got before today's commute, and the extremely low coolant level in overflow tank.

Thoughts?

 

[WJBertrand]

Other than the fan getting jammed into the radiator as described in the other thread, I would have two questions. If the radiator removed for any reason during the repairs, was the coolant properly refilled and was the electrical connection to the fan plugged back in? Got a car back from the body shop repair one time and they forgot to plug the connector for the fans back in. Same symptoms you describe, running hot in traffic but fine when on the highway.

 

[hojo in sc]

You said mainly cosmetic work was done, and as above, I'm wondering if the fan was removed or unplugged. I had a friend that had work done on his moto and they forgot to plug the fan back in. I would think it would be easy to check by taking the cover off and take a peak, or, turn the bike on and wait to see if the fan comes on, if it doesn't, then it wasn't plugged in or worse, it was broken. Look at the manual and see what operating temp the fan comes on, it should come on well before the over heating actually occurs.

 

[EricV]

What caused it? Sure, they never verified that the cooling fan was operating when they did the initial repairs. It's very common for the fan to get pushed up against the radiator, jamming the fan. Next time the fan comes on, it burns out the motor because the fan blades can't rotate. This happens pretty quickly, so even if they did check the fan and pull it off the radiator, and the radiator wasn't damaged, (bet they didn't do their job and remove and pressure test it), then it may have already been burned out then, or might have burned out on your last ride.

The smell was likely hot coolant being puked out the overflow, which may or may not ave been correctly routed after the repairs.

Good luck. Try to impress upon the Insurance people that this is not a new claim, but that the shop didn't fix it correctly the first time.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I may have answered my own question through this thread, if the fan got damaged: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=10229.15

Still concerning is the possible coolant burning smell I got before today's commute, and the extremely low coolant level in overflow tank.

Thoughts?

Sounds like you answered your own question, in realizing that the radiator and fan have been proven over and over to be the bike's second biggest vulnerability. (After the thin sump plate) Nice if you have insurance to pay for the parts and labor. Bertand's point about the connector is also valid to check on, but the low coolant lends to the leak idea. I've seen a bubble in the coolant keep a thermostat from opening, leading to overheating, too.

If you made it home without it seizing up you probably didn't hurt it.

 

[thork]

...
If you made it home without it seizing up you probably didn't hurt it.

Thanks for this reassurance, that's my biggest fear is causing damage.

Not too worried about the cost involved, insurance will be covering this, too.

Thank you to everyone for your replies. I'll just let everything be handled by the dealer, let them give it a(nother) "clean bill of health", and then re-check to see what, if anything, was fixed.

 

[thork]

Just an update; the dealer installed a new Yamaha radiator fan blower assembly which has solved the overheating problem.

Also my coolant overflow is now back up to the Low mark on the tank.

Seems like the problem is solved but I'll keep an eye on things (engine temp and coolant level) for a while.

She rode great like always for the 20miles back home this afternoon including a couple miles of stop and go traffic. The fan kicked on at 220 when I was stuck in traffic just like normal.

Lesson learned; never assume the dealer knows what to look for after a minor tip over!

Thanks again for all the help! I'm going to celebrate by installing my new Givi top case ::021::