A little electrical help...

Classic Goldwings

Help Support Classic Goldwings:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brianinpa

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Messages
6,107
Reaction score
5
Location
Lebanon, PA
After my problems with the 84 overheating, I am considering installing an indicator light on my 87 that comes on when the fan is on... not just when electrical power is on but rather when the fan is actually on.

To make matters even worse, my intention is that I want to keep the fan wired originally, but also install a switch so that if the temp gets too a point that I am not comfortable with, and the light (fan) doesn't come on, I can flip the switch and turn the fan on manually.

Is that possible, and if so, how would it be done?
 
To keep it simple, and eliminate the need for any extra circuitry (like a relay), I'd just use a high intensity LED wired straight to the hot side of the fan with the other side grounded. It would only be biased when power was applied to the fan. You would need a current limiting resistor in that case.

A manual switch would depend on how ambitious you are. I put a heavy duty SPST toggle switch directly across the fan switch on my Vmax, but it was hidden under the tank. Worked fine. That would be the simplest solution here, but would still require some cutting and splicing. An alternative would be a completely separate power circuit. Overkill I think.

<<EDIT>> rereading your original post, the overkill route is probably what you want to use. Leaves the original circuit completely intact and adds a secondary power source through a manual switch and relay.
 
Did this on my '85 LTD. Here is the schematic for it:
Rad switch schematic.jpeg
I installed the light just below the voltmeter on mine - yours is an clock I believe. The switch can go anywhere, but I was fortunate to find the 4 switch add-on that fits over the front brake MC and use it.
4 Switch.jpg
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=194460#p194460:1j3b2qep said:
Rednaxs60 » Tue Aug 08, 2017 3:28 pm[/url]":1j3b2qep]
I only use the switch when the fan does not come on, or I want to have the fan come on early, otherwise I don't use it. It is there just in case.


That's what I am looking to do as well.
 
Brian just add a relay to the circuit that way you can use a micro toggle and a relay with the led so that they are both located close together.
This is my micro switch and led on the pig.
The Rats Nest without an led but there is still room if I get keen next to it in the choke bracket.
And here is the one that I have used in the RTV as the diff lock indicator and manual override
 
I just used a lighted switch on mine. It's only tied into the ground side of the fan motor, but it also needed a 12v+ wire on the switch for the light to work. When the switch is flipped, it provide a ground to both the fan and the light. No relay used, and so far, it's worked just as I intended it to.
 
I had thought about just using the lighted switch, but I currently have just a dumb (un-lit) toggle switch. I flip the switch and hope that the fan is on. The fairing lowers on the 1200 do a pretty good job of hiding the sound and the feel of the fan being on, so a light that shows when the fan is actually on is just added reassurance. A lighted toggle switch would show me that the circuit for the switch is complete, but not necessarily that the fan is on.

Call me crazy, but when you burn one motor up, you want to make sure you don't do it again. :BigGrin:
 
The rad fan on the 1800 is compact, moves a lot of air and I can hear it when it comes on. Thinking it would be a good mod for the 1200 especially after I did the alt mod and have had to move the original fan a bit.
 
On my 1100, I have the digital voltmeter. It works fantastic! It is wired direct to the battery side with a relay going to the ig switch. During my trip to Florida a few summers ago, I noticed the fan was running on the highway just because I could easily see the voltage drop even at highway speeds. I made the stupid mistake of using straight coolant rather than 50/50 mix.

I find my voltmeter is invaluable! It lets me know when the bike is charging or not, fan is on or off (even at speed) and the constant state of the battery. It is also how I found out how far the voltage drops at idle with the fan on and the brake lights on. Huge load on the wiring and battery at that point.

I do not have a manual switch for my fan. I prefer to watch the temp level and voltage. If I find I need to turn on the fan manually, then something else has already failed.

image.php
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=194448#p194448:168eewtt said:
Rednaxs60 » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:23 am[/url]":168eewtt]
Did this on my '85 LTD. Here is the schematic for it:View attachment 1 I installed the light just below the voltmeter on mine - yours is an clock I believe. The switch can go anywhere, but I was fortunate to find the 4 switch add-on that fits over the front brake MC and use it.
file.php

Since I am waiting for my bank account to be ready for the expense of changing the head gaskets, I have been doing a few odds and ends that I have been putting off. This is one of them. Earnest, your diagram is just what I needed. When I flip the switch, the light comes on. Now once I get the heads back on, I can check to make sure that the fan comes on by itself.
 
Top