OEM fan switch fix (and other options)

[danf]

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

Well, I guess you are the one guy that I was out to help, I feel that if I can help just one guy out with my findings then it's all been worth it to me..

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Here's a way you can repair your oem fan switch to make it work like new again.View attachment 3View attachment 2View attachment 1 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: 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.. 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:

I really like this idea. My fan switch has been defunct now for as long as I have owned the bike and I wired up a toggle to control the fan. So, soak the end cap and pin in brake fluid and dig out all the gunk inside and than, locktite the threads before reinstalling and trying it?

Thanks,

 

[mcgovern61]

I really like this idea. My fan switch has been defunct now for as long as I have owned the bike and I wired up a toggle to control the fan. So, soak the end cap and pin in brake fluid and dig out all the gunk inside and than, locktite the threads before reinstalling and trying it?

Thanks,

Did you know that you can test the switch before putting it back in? On the two prongs, add one piece of wire to each prong and attach a multimeter and set it for continuity (making a circuit). Then drop the unit in a small pot of water and turn on the heat. Add a meat thermometer to the water to watch the temp. At around 195 to 197 degrees, the meter should show( or sound off) that the switch made a circuit. Turn off the heat and add ice cubes to bring the temp down on the water and when the thermometer comes down to 205 the circuit should open again.

 

[ekvh]

To me it was just as easy to through it back in the bike and try it. I was working in a parking garage and it would have been as much work and mess in the kitchen.

 

[danf]

I have lots of fun testing them, I use antifreeze 50/50 on the stove, I got a bad one the other day, opened it up and there wasn't any white deposits and the top of it wasn't very dirty either yet it wouldn't work, when it was unscrewed I sprayed some brake cleaner down the hole the pin goes into, hey did you guys know there is a spring in the hole that pushes the pin back...There is, after sparying it good I put the pin in and pushed it in and out several times to get that cleaner under the spring really well inside of it, I soaked the end in carb cleaner for ten minutes then boiled the end and the main body in the antifreeze for about ten minutes, tried it again and BINGO, worked, here's the challange, you know it's not working right, boil it and put the ohms meter[ multimeter to it] and put the two ends one on each post makes no difference which goes where, if it's dead the needle won't move, do this right after you take it out of boiling antifreeze, when it's good the needle will jump all the way up..Once it works I take it back apart dry it up well in that pin area and put a drop of 3 in one oil in there so it will move freely for years to come.. This is information that is free..The best part of this is all it cost you is time..Sure you can clean it up and stick it back in but I like it when the needle jumps, it makes me laugh out loud everytime when it didn't move before....Shoot the only thing left to do is do it for you ha ha..good luck...

 

[ekvh]

Thanks again. People say the internet is evil.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

I really like this idea. My fan switch has been defunct now for as long as I have owned the bike and I wired up a toggle to control the fan. So, soak the end cap and pin in brake fluid and dig out all the gunk inside and than, locktite the threads before reinstalling and trying it?

Thanks,

Did you know that you can test the switch before putting it back in? On the two prongs, add one piece of wire to each prong and attach a multimeter and set it for continuity (making a circuit). Then drop the unit in a small pot of water and turn on the heat. Add a meat thermometer to the water to watch the temp. At around 195 to 197 degrees, the meter should show( or sound off) that the switch made a circuit. Turn off the heat and add ice cubes to bring the temp down on the water and when the thermometer comes down to 205 the circuit should open again.

Thanks for the advice. When you put the cap back onto the switch body, did you use locktite? Can I assume that the switch can only be repaired once in its lifetime after locktite? Did you use any dielectric or any grease at all inside the cap around the needle?

Thanks,

 

[danf]

Yes on the lock tight, always, no on the grease, probably a good idea though...I think what happens is these switches sit for a time and they get stuck from lack of use or lube or they get dirty....I don't think the grease would slow the pin down any, do you guy's think? I need to get some of this electrical type grease anyway. I'm not sure if the fix is a one time thing or not, I fixed mine and used it for a long while[1 year], but I took it off because I wanted to play with the Geo Metro one, there was nothing wrong with it after I did the repair to it, but that sucker sure didn't work when I got it from a guy off ebay, it was the second one he sent me that didn't work..I was not happy with him, because you pay for something that's supposed to work and it didn't after taking it off the bike and having to return it and all that stuff, the second one I got from him I tested first before putting it on the bike, it failed,,but I repaired it... I completely destroyed the first one I had, I wanted to know what did what and how do these switches work so I put it in my vise and messed with it and discovered that it opens up or unscrews, Wow,, I even smashed the back out where the posts are to see what was in there, [curious george], nobody else was gonna do it for me so I did it to find out..Poor switch, it got sacrificed...There is some really good advise I could give on these, buy a new one..ha ha only if it doesn't work for ya..

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Here's a way you can repair your oem fan switch to make it work like new again.View attachment 3View attachment 2View attachment 1 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: 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.. 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:

I pulled the switch apart and found some white gunk and varnish like stuff in the end cap and the main switch. I used contact cleaner. It seems clean now. I let the parts dry before threading back together and did an ohm test. It showed infinite resistance. I proceeded to boil a kettle of water and hold the switch over the steam at first and then the tip into the boiling water. Only the very tip touched the boiling water. Nothing happened. The switched remained open. Is this a valid test? I am unsure if I cleaned it well enough or everything. I tried to follow the instructions step by step in this blog. Can you offer any advice?

Thanks,

 

[mcgovern61]

Got to drop it into the water and leave it there long enough to heat up (keep the wires attached while it is in the water)

If I get a chance..I will make a video.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Got to drop it into the water and leave it there long enough to heat up (keep the wires attached while it is in the water)

If I get a chance..I will make a video.

I just bought some wires and proper connectors so that the meter can stay attached in the pot. Is the switch submersed or are the prongs left out of the water? I also bought a meat thermometer to watch the temp. The first attempt, I tried holding the meter leads against the switch and that did not seem to work. First, to hot to keep hands there and second, the leads where becoming steamed. I will try again. If you have a video, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,

 

[mcgovern61]

Got to drop it into the water and leave it there long enough to heat up (keep the wires attached while it is in the water)

If I get a chance..I will make a video.

I just bought some wires and proper connectors so that the meter can stay attached in the pot. Is the switch submersed or are the prongs left out of the water? I also bought a meat thermometer to watch the temp. The first attempt, I tried holding the meter leads against the switch and that did not seem to work. First, to hot to keep hands there and second, the leads where becoming steamed. I will try again. If you have a video, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,

Don't have a video yet. I take the ends of the wire and strip enough off the be able to wrap the copper around the prongs so that it stays there when in the pot. I submersed the whole thing, but if you want you can stand the switch up in the corner of the pot and only submerge the end.

 

[danf]

I don't do any of those things with wires but I'm sure it works well, all I do is submerge the switch in the antifreeze and water, boil it a few minutes, use tongs to remove it and quickly place your multimeter ends[ohms] to the two post..If the needle goes up it's working if it doesn't well it's not..you will notice as it cools off the needle doesn't go up all the way the way it did right out of the pot..Aint this fun..

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Here's a way you can repair your oem fan switch to make it work like new again.View attachment 3View attachment 2View attachment 1 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: 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.. 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:

I have allowed the switch to thoroughly dry after cleaning. I locktited the cap threads before closing the switch. That has to cure now for 24 hrs. I put my wire leads onto the prongs of the switch and attached the meter. Right now, out of water at room temp, the switch gives a reading on the meter (ohms). I don't know what to expect though. I figured that the switch would give an open reading when "cold". I also don't know how it will react in boiling water, with leads properly attached to the switch and meter, on the ohm setting. Is this any indication of a bad switch?

Thanks,

 

[NavyMarine1978]

I don't do any of those things with wires but I'm sure it works well, all I do is submerge the switch in the antifreeze and water, boil it a few minutes, use tongs to remove it and quickly place your multimeter ends[ohms] to the two post..If the needle goes up it's working if it doesn't well it's not..you will notice as it cools off the needle doesn't go up all the way the way it did right out of the pot..Aint this fun..

Are you saying that the switch has an ohm reading when it is technically 'cold'? I am getting a reading on the meter at room temp, but not the same as touching the leads together which causes the needle to go all the way up. I would say its about a 2/3 at room temp compared to all the way touching the leads. I am currently waiting on the locktite to cure on the cap threads. I have not tried the switch in boiling water since I sealed it. I did let it dry and cleaned it thoroughly with contact cleaner before closing it and sealing it with locktite.

Thank you,

 

[danf]

When the switch is out of the wter just sitting there, there should not be a reading, should be like nothing.. your saying it's got a reading? How much of a reading ? You know how that needle goes up when you touch the two ends, well that's exactly what it looks like when the switch is good after taken the switch out of the boiling antifreeze.. Plain water may not be hot enough to active the switch, the manual says to use oil, some use cooking oil, I use anti and water 50/50..If your getting a reading as it just sits there then I'd say it's stuck in a closed position still..

 

[NavyMarine1978]

When the switch is out of the wter just sitting there, there should not be a reading, should be like nothing.. your saying it's got a reading? How much of a reading ? You know how that needle goes up when you touch the two ends, well that's exactly what it looks like when the switch is good after taken the switch out of the boiling antifreeze.. Plain water may not be hot enough to active the switch, the manual says to use oil, some use cooking oil, I use anti and water 50/50..If your getting a reading as it just sits there then I'd say it's stuck in a closed position still..

I bought a new meter since the one I was using I had made a while back as a project and may not work properly. The switch only started getting that reading after I had it in water in pieces. Maybe water is still inside? Originally, before I put it in the water, it didn't read at all at room temp. I will try a proper meter and see how it responds now.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

When the switch is out of the wter just sitting there, there should not be a reading, should be like nothing.. your saying it's got a reading? How much of a reading ? You know how that needle goes up when you touch the two ends, well that's exactly what it looks like when the switch is good after taken the switch out of the boiling antifreeze.. Plain water may not be hot enough to active the switch, the manual says to use oil, some use cooking oil, I use anti and water 50/50..If your getting a reading as it just sits there then I'd say it's stuck in a closed position still..

I bought a digital multimeter and took a reading. I first tested the leads by touching them and it gave a reading of about 4 ohms. I then tested the switch at room temp and got a reading of about 317,000 ohms. I will test the switch tomorrow in boiling water and antifreeze if the water doesn't seem to work. I tested the temp of boiling water tonight and it starts boiling at 75/170 and went up to 95/210. What is the range or the switch supposed to be?

 

[mcgovern61]

Here is that video I promised:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rRb5cPAj4k[/video]

 

[danf]

The fan comes on anywhere between these numbers [208 degrees F to 216 degrees F] the fan will cut off at these numbers [199 degree'sF to 207 degree F.] Now the boiling point for water is 212 degree's so by saying that I use antifreeze because it will get hotter than just water alone and your switch will activate, also because that's what's in your engine and it makes perfect sense to me.. :Egyptian: