Engine powerless when heat up

[Jungo]

First I apologize for any errors in the use of semantics as I use Google Translate to communicate. (I'm Hispanic)

I've noticed certain behavior at the engine of the Enterprise when it is overheated. (75-80% of the scale, she never reach 90-100%) When driving in the city and feel the temperature increases the vehicle loses power. When I stop at a light and I have to start, I feel a noise like engine valves and powerless. (I do not know how to describe the sound, maybe it's not the valves. It's like when the engine stalls) Once I get to the highway and the temperature drops, the motor responds excellent. (not noisy and powerful)

Since I have this bike, acceleration has never been smooth. I presume that I must have some issues with the carburetors. The last owner did not give proper maintenance to this machine. So I guess I never synchronized carburetors. Un-sync carbs could be a reason for a weak behavior when hot?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Blessings. Live long and prosper.

 

[mcgovern61]

The translation is good!

Several things can be going on. Yes the carbs most likely need to be checked and adjusted, synced. (May also need some cleaning and work done to them). The heat in stop and go traffic can be effecting a few items. First, be sure your radiator is filled with proper coolant all the way up and check the expansion tank (in the false gas tank shelter) to be sure the coolant is also at the correct level.

Are you sure your fan is coming on? Check by letting the bike run until the temp gauge goes past center and watch to see if the fan is coming on. If not, the temp switch could be bad (happens a lot).

Check the three yellow wires on your stator plug (left side of bike under battery cover) and see if they have been soldered yet. If not, the plugs tend to melt the wires inside which will cause charging problems. Could also cause low voltage to the coils since the battery can drop out.

Do you have additional lights added to your bike? They can drain the battery in stop and go traffic especially in hot temps since the fan can take a tremendous draw on the battery when running in stop and go traffic and the stator cannot keep up with the draw which heats up other wiring on the bike. (BTW, these Wings do not like stop and go traffic in hot weather!)

Just some quick things to check!

 

[joedrum]

you live florida ...also in orlando ...hot place ...garunteed traffic jam and stop and go traffic all the time .....take the thermostat out ...with the crappy gas today that causes more heat build up in motors and orlando fla driving conditions there no way for the cooling system to keep it cool eaough ...i would do this before you loose a head gasket ...i almost did down there ...and even now dont use thermostat im not willing to have my wing at the mercy of a water passage blocker on purpose and certainly not in orlando ...once out i bet you will be glad its out in general your wing will run much better

 

[Jungo]

Guys, thanks for your prompt replies.

The fan turns on when it reaches the 60-something %. The first thing I did when I received the bike was flushing the cooling system, check the thermostat and placed new coolant. (I need to admit that I didn't re-check the expansion tank for level, thx Gerry). The temperature here in this days is 75-76 since is "winter" :Egyptian: I love this weather!

But this is interesting:

Check the three yellow wires on your stator plug (left side of bike under battery cover) and see if they have been soldered yet. If not, the plugs tend to melt the wires inside which will cause charging problems. Could also cause low voltage to the coils since the battery can drop out.

The bike's voltmeter is little stuck and didn't show correct readings. I need to check with a digital meter to check that.

and even now dont use thermostat im not willing to have my wing at the mercy of a water passage blocker on purpose and certainly not in orlando ...once out i bet you will be glad its out in general your wing will run much better

Hey Joe, when I checked the thermostat, I was tempting not to install back. Anyways, is an easy procedure to remove so I can do that and make some road tests.

Thanks and God bless you guys.

 

[slabghost]

Also check your valve clearance. If they are too tight they may not close entirely once the motor has warmed.

 

[DaveO430]

you live florida ...also in orlando ...hot place ...garunteed traffic jam and stop and go traffic all the time .....take the thermostat out ...with the crappy gas today that causes more heat build up in motors and orlando fla driving conditions there no way for the cooling system to keep it cool eaough ...i would do this before you loose a head gasket ...i almost did down there ...and even now dont use thermostat im not willing to have my wing at the mercy of a water passage blocker on purpose and certainly not in orlando ...once out i bet you will be glad its out in general your wing will run much better

Hate to have to disagree but no, do not remove the thermostat. When the coolant reaches it's opening temperature it opens and stays that way until the coolant gets below the opening temperature so the coolant will circulate at any temperature above that. Removing the stat can cause overheating because the coolant can circulates too fast to transfer the heat to the radiator. Also a cold engine is less efficient. If the engine overheats with a working thermostat something else is wrong.

 

[DaveO430]

Also check your valve clearance. If they are too tight they may not close entirely once the motor has warmed.

Actually they get looser when the engine is hot in an overhead cam engine. On a push rod engine they get tighter.

 

[AApple]

I may be reading it wrong, but from what I gather, it sounds to me like the engine is running too hot, and "pinging" as it looses power.
When I screwed up after doing my head gaskets, and locked the pulse generator rotor up in the ignition, mine acted the same way...no power, running hot, and pinging it's butt off.
It sounds like there is a timing issue, to me. Whether off on the cam timing, or ignition is anybody's guess...they both need to be checked, but cam timing being off would create more issues than this(backfiring, etc).
Just my thoughts... :blush:

 

[Jungo]

I may be reading it wrong, but from what I gather, it sounds to me like the engine is running too hot, and "pinging" as it looses power.
When I screwed up after doing my head gaskets, and locked the pulse generator rotor up in the ignition, mine acted the same way...no power, running hot, and pinging it's butt off.
It sounds like there is a timing issue, to me. Whether off on the cam timing, or ignition is anybody's guess...they both need to be checked, but cam timing being off would create more issues than this(backfiring, etc).
Just my thoughts... :blush:

Thanks for your reply AApple. You've described my problem better than me. In my case this only happens when she becomes hot due city travel and when stops for too much time. Otherwise if I'm on the highway she works beautiful (I don't know if a timing issue will affect on city and highway as well)

Thanks again for your valid comment.

 

[joedrum]

thermo try first as you said its easy ...it will fix it or difiinity lead you to something else cause raditor issue is covered

 

[dan filipi]

What is your temperature gauge showing when it acts up?

Might want to test it and see if it's reading right because it does sound like the engine is overheating by your description.

 

[Jungo]

thermo try first as you said its easy ...it will fix it or difiinity lead you to something else cause raditor issue is covered

That's will be the first thing I'll do next Saturday. :yes:

What is your temperature gauge showing when it acts up?

Might want to test it and see if it's reading right because it does sound like the engine is overheating by your description.

The gauge goes to 75-80% of the range. As soon as I goes forward for 3 minutes it slowly returns to 25% and the fan shuts off.

 

[ekvh]

I'm with AApple, Adjust valves, check timing. Removing thermostat may just hide other problems that will rear their head on a longer trip. I run my timing a little advanced to burn the ethanol we have better, but it tends to run a little too warm at lower rpm and speed. When it gets warm, it loses a little power and makes valve noise when taking off.

 

[Jungo]

Update:

I removed the thermostat. During the test I noticed that the machine takes long time to warm up. (I claimed victory :clapping: ) But as soon as temperature raises the fan start and begin the cycle of shut off- start- shut -off, etc. During the ride the temperature never went down. It remained between 40-60% of the scale range, even if I maintain a constant speed with a weather in 78 degrees. Seems like it works better with a thermostat.

Then I went to NAPA and bought a brand new thermostat replacement (the THM101). I installed and then... surprise! The machine had the same behavior like when it was without the thermostat. (Seems like she wants the old thermostat. The old stat perform better :headscratch: ???)

When I remove the radiator to make the stat replacement, I took off the timing belts cover to check them. Seems like I need to replace them. But at least the are in perfect timing and the T mark match perfectly. I presume that there's no timing issue.

The radiator could be clogged? How I can check the radiator efficiency?

-Jungo

 

[dan filipi]

Speaking from experience, that engine temperature is way too high at 70 degrees outside riding.

If you don't have the air deflectors on the radiator, it will run hot like that.

It's worth checking flow through the radiator.
It could be clogged.

A blown head gasket will also make it run hot.
Are there any bubbles coming up into the coolant reservoir?

 

[Jungo]

If you don't have the air deflectors on the radiator, it will run hot like that.

Oh, oh.... "air deflectors"?? :blush: Sorry Dan, I'm a newbie on this. Which deflectors you mean? Lower cowl fairing deflectors on both sides of the bike?

If you mean those, youre right. I was testing without them just to be sure that I can see the fan working. :doh:

 

[scdmarx]

In my experience, a plugged-or partially plugged radiator will show up worse at higher speeds due to the restricted flow. As mentioned, I do believe those air dams need to be on the wing and make a significant difference.
If it is overheating at stop lights while the fan is pulling sufficient air through the radiator, my guess would be to check the coolant level, and make sure you have all the air pockets burped out of the cooling system. The radiator cap, hose clamps, joint gaskets and anything that seals coolant must be tight and holding under pressure. It is possible to lose coolant in the form of steam while under pressure and it won't make a wet spot. Use a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water.

 

[dan filipi]

If you don't have the air deflectors on the radiator, it will run hot like that.

Oh, oh.... "air deflectors"?? :blush: Sorry Dan, I'm a newbie on this. Which deflectors you mean? Lower cowl fairing deflectors on both sides of the bike?

If you mean those, youre right. I was testing without them just to be sure that I can see the fan working. :doh:

Yes, those fairing lowers act as air scoops to direct air through the radiator when moving. They do make quite a noticeable difference, especially the earlier style 1000 deflectors. The Interstate and Aspencade fairing lowers don't work as well.

 

[joedrum]

cold nature === weak spark probably ....sould have flow tested when thermostrat was out ...to see if air was getting in system somehow .....could be head gasket ...so many were changed with 1000 gaskets that fail cause the head gasket rim on clylinder syicks out in clylinder area ...when this happennes its seems they leak really slow and cause what your saying its acting like ..with thermostat out idleing in driveway with box fan on radiator you can flow test ...radiator cap off running what for flow and bubbleing out of the top ...with it pushes water out the cap instead of flow after some time its means that its got resistance in the system and something wrong ......thats what id do ....head gaskets are not that big a deal and really very easy to change its just getting them righ is only big deal .....to me ....you seem like someone who can handle that if need be

 

[Jungo]

Update:

I have learned a lot from you guys reading this post and performing all your advises. Thanks to all. Now my signature shows something I learned from this experience.

I remove the radiator cap and checked for bubbles with the machine at 2,000 - 3,000 rpm. No bubbles but coolant flow. Praise God. :yahoo:

After install the cowl lower fairings the Enterprise is performing beautiful. There's a HUGE difference. Now the machine keeps 25% of the gauge range at all times and when it stops for a long time it reaches 60-65% and the fan turns on. When I resume my ride then it start to decrease slowly until reach the 25%.

My concern is that when is at 60-70% I heard a little "pinging" sound when I request power from the machine. Is obvious that it happens when the machine is hot, but my question is: That noise is because the motor oil losses its viscosity? Can I use a higher viscosity oil to avoid the "pinging" noise? I'm using 10W-40 Valvoline for spaceships. :hihihi: I mean motorcycles.

After reading this thread various times I notice that people suggest me to check the valve clearance. Tomorrow morning that's the first thing I'll do.

Guys, thanks for your valuable advises and help.

head gaskets are not that big a deal and really very easy to change its just getting them righ is only big deal .....to me ....you seem like someone who can handle that if need be

Thanks for the compliments joedrum, if you guys helps me, I'm sure I can do it. Thanks for your continuous advises.