OEM fan switch fix (and other options)

Here's a way you can repair your oem fan switch to make it work like new again.
Hold the stem then unscrew the cap with another plier.


If you find some gunk under the cap you will then know it was stopping movement..All that shaft and under that cap needs to be clean..Test it and smile..

Be sure you use locktite on the threads before you button it up and let dry well before testing it.. It should work now.. :grin: Or you can brake down and buy yourself a new one..But at 50 bucks or maybe a hundred for a oem you might want to at least try this method first.. :grin: I have a aftermarket fan switch on mine now, Oh, I have a geo metro set up but I have a direct plugin for the oem rubber plug ..I made it special.. :smilie_happy:

Dang Beave ! What's next? How to rebuild the starter clutch through the muffler? I thought I was doing good fixing handlebar switches. :thanks: Keep up the good work! :good:

Awesome beav, another good one to keep the bike running and save some dough!

This gunk your talking about, how long did it take to dig out, and why is it there?

(Topic copied to Tips and Tricks)

Probably solids pushed past the shaft over the years. Minerals from the water and antifreeze would be my guess.

I wonder if it would be a good idea to fill the cavity with the pin with silicone or dielectric grease? Maybe that was what the white stuff was originally?

It's hard to imagine that coolant could have gotten past the threads, I would think Honda would have sealed them to prevent that from happening.
Maybe it was a grease of some kind?
Wouldn't silicone keep the pin from moving once cured?

slabghost":123000gq said:

I wonder if it would be a good idea to fill the cavity with the pin with silicone or dielectric grease? Maybe that was what the white stuff was originally?

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I bet your correct, I bet dielectric grease is a fantasic idea, it doesn't take but 10 minutes to dig out the gunk, find a bad one somewhere if you can and have some fun with it, most people just throw them out :doh: ..What ever it was that was in it before turned hard and white and the pin couldn't move plus it had gunky stuff under the cap..Here it is the middle of Winter and I bring this topic up... :smilie_happy:

slabghost":bdpjgttm said:

Dang Beave ! What's next? How to rebuild the starter clutch through the muffler? I thought I was doing good fixing handlebar switches. :thanks: Keep up the good work! :good:

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I'm working on it..Give me one week Please... :smilie_happy:

slabghost":22ydylmy said:

Dang Beave ! What's next? How to rebuild the starter clutch through the muffler? I thought I was doing good fixing handlebar switches.

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:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

littlebeaver":tzy60iqa said:

slabghost":tzy60iqa said:

I wonder if it would be a good idea to fill the cavity with the pin with silicone or dielectric grease? Maybe that was what the white stuff was originally?

Click to expand...

I bet your correct, I bet dielectric grease is a fantasic idea, it doesn't take but 10 minutes to dig out the gunk, find a bad one somewhere if you can and have some fun with it, most people just throw them out :doh: ..What ever it was that was in it before turned hard and white and the pin couldn't move plus it had gunky stuff under the cap..Here it is the middle of Winter and I bring this topic up... :smilie_happy:

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I'm going to try this. My 80 has the switch bypassed with a toggle switch.

dan filipi":5tvsowob said:

It's hard to imagine that coolant could have gotten past the threads, I would think Honda would have sealed them to prevent that from happening.
Maybe it was a grease of some kind?
Wouldn't silicone keep the pin from moving once cured?

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I meant silicone grease. Not the gasket maker stuff.

It occurred to me they used to use wax in the bulb end. I think the way it worked was heat made the wax melt and expand which pushed the pin. Could the gunk be wax that has leaked out of the bulb end?

dan filipi":jguk8o1u said:

It occurred to me they used to use wax in the bulb end. I think the way it worked was heat made the wax melt and expand which pushed the pin. Could the gunk be wax that has leaked out of the bulb end?

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Wow.. I did not know of such wax, I thought it was hard white deposits from old coolant or maybe old grease dried up.. there was a lot of it.. what ever it was after cleaning it up and getting under that cap it made it function again..I tested it on the bike and it comes on and off as expected..I hope I had a rare one with the deposits, I'm hoping that most of you guys have the gunk under the cap problem instead of the white deposits now..I'm thinking about cutting one open now just to have a look.. :grin:

Probably it would be hard to glue if any grease squeezed out on reassembly.....if adding more than necessary in that tiny cavity.I would prefer the geo thermostat if it was a same temperature value of the oem.My right side inner heat shield has a toggle switch (not connected to no-where.But never got around to connect it even after swapping to used engines on the bike.First an 80 now again an 82.

Yes, I would be sure to clean the outer threads of any grease with q-tips an something you want to use, I wouldn't put in too much at all, I didn't put in any..I'd like to hear if it worked for someone, I thought it was so cool bringing something back to life like that..Wow.. :grin: be sure you use something to seal the threads and make sure it's tight..you don't want that come loose in there.. I have had great luck with the geo metro one...Works perfectly.. :grin:

littlebeaver":adc1y54n said:

Yes, I would be sure to clean the outer threads of any grease with q-tips an something you want to use, I wouldn't put in too much at all, I didn't put in any..I'd like to hear if it worked for someone, I thought it was so cool bringing something back to life like that..Wow.. :grin: be sure you use something to seal the threads and make sure it's tight..you don't want that come loose in there.. I have had great luck with the geo metro one...Works perfectly.. :grin:

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Yeah you don't want to rush it,better be on the safe side.If the geo works with the same temperature parameters i'd go with new.BUT would still mess around the oem whenever I had the time.Thanks for the Info & pics. :thank_you:

Who ever figured out the Geo Metro fan switch was really smart.. :hi: My hat's off to that guy.. or girl.. I didn't want a pig tail connection I wanted a direct plugin.. I have it on the bike right now and it has run perfectly now for two years, this is a easy mod. if you want a direct plug in, I got two male posts with the blue plastic casing, removed the plastic casing, I got a solid piece of copper wire to fit the crimp, crimp then solder, the wire is about 1" long, after you solder together, go to your vise and smash the copper wire flat with a hammer [or flaten it first] like pancake on your anvil :smilie_happy: then fit it, bend it do what you need to do to get the wire wedged in next to the plug connection if your smart take some measurements and make your bends first,be sure its tightly in the case, solder it... the posts should be 7/16" Well its between 1/2" and 7/16" to be exact, wide, center to center of post..and 9/16" from the bottom of case to tip of post..Once everything looks good fill it with jb weld.. It's none conductive and it's actually and insultator..Now you let that sucker dry a day..cut a 3/4" piece of pvc pipe to fit as a cover the depth of the rubber plug cover, I remember tapering the inside of the pipe with a round file to custom fit the plug case.. it protects the plug ... :grin: So now you have a direct plug and mine works perfectly..Joe I told you I had other tricks up my sleeve.. :smilie_happy:

gee beav thats great ....you do some of the best stuff i never seem to do .... i like it beav :thanks: :rocks: :music: :salute: :laptop: :mrgreen:

I wish I had read this yesterday!!! (The story of my life.) I pulled mine and it appeared to be clean as a whistle, so I gave up. With your photos, I can see where I should focus my efforts. The silver pin in mine didn't want to budge, so I will try again, and pull the pin and clean under the bulb. It' so cold here, I don't need it yet, but I will.

Awesome find, Little Beaver. I was ready to replace mine, but pulled the little pin out and cleaned underneath and it works. There was a lot of pasty gunk in the cylinder sleeve that the needle sits. A wire, some brake cleaner and it's good to go. Thanks