Stuck Thermostat?

[SupraSabre]

I'm not sure how to set up a poll, but I would like to see the stats on who has had a stuck thermost and what year is your bike and at what mileage you experienced it?

Could someone with poll posting experience help me out here?

Actually I set one up...let's see if it's going to work okay.

Thanks

[hojo in sc]

I don't think mine was stuck, it was leaking and replaced under warranty at 9,000 miles.

[SupraSabre]

Not real sure what my mileage was when it went bad, but noticed it around 17k, I replaced it at 18K. :)

[HankSTer]

well I think the poll is working... but it should be "No... knock wood" ;)

[Muskoka]

Around the 23,000k (14,375 miles) mine stuck. Replaced it myself

[Angus]

My used 2003 failed to keep three bars during my first winter, and the local Honda Service Mngr. gave me zero help. I blocked off my radiator partially during the winter and that worked fine. I'm now almost at 48,000 and have a replacement thermostat from Turbocity at the ready. No sense replacing the lazy one with the same crap from Mother Honda. At 50,000 miles, I'm due to replace the coolant anyway, so I'll do the thermostat at the same time.

[RON S]

No and I have over 85,000 on it

[dduelin]

I began to notice the bike was slow to hit 3 bars at around 20,000 miles. However the problem was intermittent. I resolved to replace the thermostat when I replaced the coolant at 24,000 miles. At 24K it was pretty much sticking open all the time or else it was more noticable due to cooler winter temps. When I removed the t-stat it was stuck open about 1/4 inch. Marine engine thermostats often stick if the engine is cooled with raw seawater and deposits form in them but they can usually be rehabilitated with cleaning. A 24 hour soaking in vinegar cleaned this one up but it was still stuck open. I boiled it in water then rapidly cooled it but it did not budge a bit.

[Killtimer]

Mine and two other '03s went south during WeSToc in Minden NV. Two were fixed under warranty in Reno, mine when I got home. These were all Canadian bikes with about 20k miles. So far (knock) the '05 is fine at 25k miles.

[UNTMatt]

There may be many that don't realize their t-stat's are bad. We had a friend that did not realize there was something wrong with his until we told him over breakfast. He got it replaced under warranty.

I'm hoping mine will stay fixed. If not, I'll see about using Tom's t-stat. I'll also take the defective one to the dealership...again.

I encourage everyone to flush their cooling system when the replace the t-stat to make sure that all foreign material is removed. This is the specific reason I did the t-stat change myself and returned the defective t-stat to the dealership instead of having them do it.

[Tor]

Replaced mine with Tom's at about 18K. The engine warms up just a tad slower with Tom's tstat, but other than that, it works good.

[FL-STRIDER]

Dropped my 2004 ST off this morning for the same problem. Bike will just not reach 3 bars on the old temp gauge unless your sitting in traffic. I have just over 13K miles on mine.

[Pred8tor]

Replaced mine ('05) at around 12K. Started acting up at around 9-10k if I remember correctly. The replacement stat was good from 12 to almost 24k (when I sold it... need to check with Gnorts for a update on that!).

[SupraSabre]

If you look at the stats after only 54 people, looks like more then half have had to replace the thermostat. And this isn't a problem according to Honda? :mad:

[MATTHEWS]

I have noticed my temp gauge drops to 2 bars in the 50s to 60s, and down to 1 bar sometimes in the 30s to 40s. I'm sure it's stuck open but now that the weathers warmer and in the 70s it is running at 3 bars. I have not made the effort to replace or hassel with honda about it yet.

Once the stat is stuck, is it still going to be stuck open even though the symptom of running cooler in cooler weather is gone due to warmer weather?

[ajaugust]

I have noticed my temp gauge drops to 2 bars in the 50s to 60s, and down to 1 bar sometimes in the 30s to 40s. I'm sure it's stuck open but now that the weathers warmer and in the 70s it is running at 3 bars. I have not made the effort to replace or hassle with Honda about it yet.

Once the stat is stuck, is it still going to be stuck open even though the symptom of running cooler in cooler weather is gone due to warmer weather?

Once the thermostat is stuck open, it has no reason to change. A lot of riders found debris in the bikes cooling system, but by what I've read on faulty t-stats, encountering corrosion and gunk brings on the ultimate demise to the t-stat.
I'm in the process of getting ready to change the t-stat on my 2004, with less than 15,000 miles on the bike. It's been stuck open for that last 2 or 3 thousand miles. I will be addressing it with the dealer... a chore I do not relish!!

[NCrider]

My thermostat is stuck on my 2003 VFR, does that count?

[dmulk]

Just out of curiosity, If a person was to run with a stuck OPEN thermostat, is there any long term damage that can occur to the bike?

Other than less MPG, I haven't seen anything else that happens as a result.

Thanks,

<D>

[Gonzo]

So it appears to me that it is not an issue of whether the T-stat has failed, but when will it fail?
OK, so if I go to Mother Honda and get a replacement for free then I can change it myself?
What does Turbo Tom charge for his?
gonzo

[BlaSTr]

My 06 will turn 10k this week and be in for the 12k service by months end. I've ridden in temps from 50 -95 and have had no problems. It seems stuck at 3 bars even in hot stop-n-go traffic.

I'm sure it'll bomb out soon, though.

[alf04st]

9k and it is slow to get to three bars. Road to honda dealer and it was almost 60 when I started it,pushed it out of garage, put jacket on,helmet on and gloves on rode about 6 or 7 miles then it went to three bars. Dealer said I ain't heard nothin bout them being bad. Oh well I will replace it myself.

[Scooterb]

My 06 will turn 10k this week and be in for the 12k service by months end. I've ridden in temps from 50 -95 and have had no problems. It seems stuck at 3 bars even in hot stop-n-go traffic.

I'm sure it'll bomb out soon, though.

BlaSTr,

At the temperatures that you ride in you may never notice it even if it is stuck open especially temperatures above 60 degrees F.

[Kempo-STer]

Other than less MPG, I haven't seen anything else that happens as a result.

<D>

I'd like to know this as well....
My mileage blows....Gauge flashing at 175 miles....I think I need to replace my T-stat

[Mellow]

I have no idea what the long term effects are ... We all know how bad it is if an engine runs too hot... but, is running too cold also damaging?

Can any engine-heads here provide any insight?

[Byron]

Joe,

I believe the short answer is - Yes. The way I understand the workings of the internal combustion engine, cold usually means rich, rich means plugs fouling, rich means more deposit buildup in catalytic converter, rich means unburnt gas getting into the oil and breaking it down. Physical damage would depend on how long this was allowed to occur. In practice the cold running engine will probably outlast the hot running engine.

[STinner]

first of all an internal cumbustion engine needs to get rid of excess heat to continually run properly. this is accomplished in various ways, the most popular for cars and some bikes(our ST's for example) a self-contained liquid system that sends cooler fluid through the motor picking up heat and removing it and dispersing through an outside devise basically a radiator.
this process continues as long as the engine is running and the fluid is being pumped through the motor.
liquid cooled motors have the advantage that air-cooled motors dont, namely removing heat from the center and not requiring that air has to pass over it to take heat away. air is a bad conductor of heat to begin with.
as long as the liquid circulates through-out the engine and the heat transfer continues, running with a stat open all the time or removed for that matter should'nt hurt it.
now thats all simple but most engines these days are engineered to operate properly between a certain temperature range. a thermostat allows the motor to reach that range quickly and then maintain it and prevent it from overheating. the computer on the ST needs a base from which everything else runs efficiently. the simplest and easiest is water temp. so they have all the systems on the engine is governed by that. the motor will run without the stat, but the computer will think that the motor is still warming up and your injectors will run rich longer thus bad gas mileage. rich mixtures can let un-burned gas seep down into the crankcase and dilute the oil and over the long haul start wearing out all the friction surfaces that oil lubricates. the camshafts have no bearings in the ST. the alloys that are used in the castings dont require them anymore but they need proper lubrication.
so whether you live in socal or minnesota the thermostat IS really important. your ST cant be treated like granny's ol' 66 chevy.

i'm done

ps

honda doesnt write such a thorough service manual for nuthin ya know.......

dave

[georgeorge]

Joe,

I believe the short answer is - Yes. The way I understand the workings of the internal combustion engine, cold usually means rich, rich means plugs fouling, rich means more deposit buildup in catalytic converter, rich means unburnt gas getting into the oil and breaking it down. Physical damage would depend on how long this was allowed to occur. In practice the cold running engine will probably outlast the hot running engine.

Correct, it's better that it's running cold than running hot, but it will effect things in the long run to leave it running rich.

[SupraSabre]

My 06 will turn 10k this week and be in for the 12k service by months end. I've ridden in temps from 50 -95 and have had no problems. It seems stuck at 3 bars even in hot stop-n-go traffic.

I'm sure it'll bomb out soon, though.

I didn't notice mine stuck until I was rinding in 30 to 40F weather. Once the outside temps were above 50F, the three bars came back. Before that it would bounce between one and two bars! :mad:

[Raven]

Speaking of warm-up bars -

Would one of the recently replaced t-stat folks be willing to time the amount of time it takes for their engine to reach one, two, and three bars (noting of course the ambient temp as well). My second '06 seems to get worse gas mileage (high 30's) than my first '06 (mid-40's).

Starting up with a timer running (in minutes, on average) it hits one bar at 1:35; two bars at 2:28; and three bars at 2:57. Ambient temp was 64° F.

I did this five days in a row and it was within a second + or - for each bar for each time.

[DaveH]

Mine went out at almost 16,000 miles. Replaced it myself.

[skidlid1300]

So it appears to me that it is not an issue of whether the T-stat has failed, but when will it fail?
OK, so if I go to Mother Honda and get a replacement for free then I can change it myself? What does Turbo Tom charge for his?gonzo

I just got my Turbo Tom stat in the mail today.

1 - ST 1300 replacement thermostat #80-770 : $18.95
Shipping Cost UPS: $9.89 to Illinois
?? Handling fee??: $ 5.00 (another excuse to jack you extra....)

TOTAL : $33.84

The shipping and HANDLING FEE damn near cost just as much as the thermostat. I was thinking of changing it out myself, but I also have a fuel gauge issue I need the dealer to look at. Some of the people in this club suggested that I may be able to still get the fuel gauge fixed under warranty yet. We'll see... I'm not looking forward to pleading with the dealer to fix the fuel gauge for no cost...

[Spencer]

I answered NO, but......with two in the garage the odds are against me.
Since my riding is beween 50* and 90+* I guess the only way to tell is to watch the warm up time?

Spencer

[Sylvain]

I bought my 2003 st on nov 2nd 2007 from a sixty year old gentleman.

The bike had 10050 km.

The bike was getting to proper running temp on slow speed, but as soon as I was up to speed it dropped a bar on the temp guauge I also noticed a coolant puddle forming under the bike during the first week. Mainly when sitting for a while in the cold. Thanks to all the people here, I got all the infos needed to do the job.:D BTW a stock stat from the dealer is $60.00 cdn$$$:eek: .

I replaced the stock stat, retighten all the hose clamps, renew the coolant and flushed the rad carefully until there was no more flakes of paint coming out. After cleaning the rod on the old stat, it performed correctly.(spare)

I took it out a few times, between snow storms, and I haven't seen the dreaded coolant puddle, and the temp guauge doesn't loose any bars at speed at temp in the low 30's F.

[Byron]

Well the poll needs to be modified. Over the weekend I noticed a problem with my replacement (Turbo City) thermostat. We were coming down from Mt. Baldy and it wasn't going above 2 bars. Temperature was in the low 40's. Last night it was confirmed. Coming down from Newcomb's ranch it warmed up to 2 bars and just stayed there. At about 6 miles it hit 3 bars for just a moment and then went back to 2 until I got down to the freeway, 27 miles away. Again temperatures were in the mid 40's until you got out of the mountain.

Even though Tom feels it is the theromostat design that is causing the problem with the factory theromstat I'll have to disagree. I flushed the radiator and resovoir bottle but didn't bother to flush out the block even though I did pull the drain plugs. It probably had some debris that settled in the block so this time I will make the bigger mess and flush the block when I replace it.

Up the count on the '06 to 8.

[Bribak]

Even though Tom feels it is the theromostat design that is causing the problem with the factory theromstat I'll have to disagree. I flushed the radiator and resovoir bottle but didn't bother to flush out the block even though I did pull the drain plugs. It probably had some debris that settled in the block so this time I will make the bigger mess and flush the block when I replace it.

Up the count on the '07 to 8.

Byron,
What is the technique for flushing the block?

Thanks

[Killtimer]

<Sigh>.....Can't vote twice so I'll just give it a bump. My '05 is showing signs of a stuck 'stat, 25k miles. IIRC my '03 went out at about the same distance. Now comes the warranty dance.

[adamk]

<Sigh>.....Can't vote twice so I'll just give it a bump. My '05 is showing signs of a stuck 'stat, 25k miles. IIRC my '03 went out at about the same distance. Now comes the warranty dance.

I'm on my second replacement. 1st one was a stock Honda unit. Just put in a Turbo City replacement. I read here <somewhere> that somebody had one of those go bad too! :(

Steve, I bought 2 Turbo City stats. You want one?

[Killtimer]

I'm on my second replacement. 1st one was a stock Honda unit. Just put in a Turbo City replacement. I read here <somewhere> that somebody had one of those go bad too! :(

Steve, I bought 2 Turbo City stats. You want one?

There was a post about a TT 'stat showing signs, I think it's in this thread. I'm convinced that Paul's correct about the paint from the rad filler neck being the culprit. I'm pretty sure that my dealer will stand by me for the new 'stat, it's the system purge/flush and coolant replacement that the "conversation" will be about. IMO this has to be done to guard against the problem recurring. Did you do a flush etc. during the first replacement?

As to your "extra" 'stat...yes please. email me the details. It will save me a bunch of cross border shipping hassles........... Hmmmmmm you've done 2 now? You must be really good at it......Let's see, Sundre to Seattle, a day for the job.....Seattle to Sundre.... 5 days total. I wonder.......

[adamk]

There was a post about a TT 'stat showing signs, I think it's in this thread. I'm convinced that Paul's correct about the paint from the rad filler neck being the culprit. I'm pretty sure that my dealer will stand by me for the new 'stat, it's the system purge/flush and coolant replacement that the "conversation" will be about. IMO this has to be done to guard against the problem recurring. Did you do a flush etc. during the first replacement?

As to your "extra" 'stat...yes please. email me the details. It will save me a bunch of cross border shipping hassles........... Hmmmmmm you've done 2 now? You must be really good at it......Let's see, Sundre to Seattle, a day for the job.....Seattle to Sundre.... 5 days total. I wonder.......

I dunno about the paint. I didn't have much if any floating around in the fluid either time I drained it. plus, that paint is so thin I can't see it "hanging" anything up. I rubbed off some of it and it practically disinigrates when you rub your finger together.

The stat box even has a new o-ring for the stat housing in it. You buy the beer and I'll point at things and tell you what to do. :)

[BluRider]

I had 2 honda stats fail in my 04, now with 18k miles. I have a TTom stat in it now, slower to warm up but holds 3 bars

[Scaredy Cat]

Give her a good flush:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sandybuchan/VCLP2144_NEW.mpg

[CruisingDog]

I'm still on the fence about this. My thermometer reaches 2 bars when it's 50F outside. When I'm at 60F+ it gets to 3 bars.

I took it into the shop and they checked it and said everything was good. $80 later it still does the same thing.

Is there anyway of me finding out if this is correct behavior or if the thermostat is duffed up ? I suspect that I'd have to take it out again and do the boiling water test on it. BTW, if I find it is duffed up, I'm going back to my dealer and asking for my $80 back plus getting Honda to pick up the tab.

Please advise...

Thanks.

[DeSTy]

I'm still on the fence about this. My thermometer reaches 2 bars when it's 50F outside. When I'm at 60F+ it gets to 3 bars.

When the engine is cool and the thermostat is closed, the bypass valve on the "lower" end of the thermostat is unseated causing the water to cycle between the water pump and the cylinder heads. There is almost no temperature bareable to a riding human, that will stop the engine from reaching operating temperature under those circumstances.

When the thermostat is stuck open you will get lower engine temps and poor fuel economy because the ECT sensor tells the ECU that the engine is cold and thus the ECU up's the injector pulse width resulting in a richer mixture.

Last weekend, I removed a partly open thermostat from my 03. This resulted in overheating in hot weather, and over-cool running in cool weather. Because the thermostat was partly open, it cause part of the water to bypass the radiator and the rest to flow through.

http://ans.d2g.com/thermo.jpg


If you have been riding for more than 10 minutes and you haven't reached 3 bars, there is a problem. If you're riding and it drops back to two, or one bar, there is a problem.

Also, check your coolant. When I drained mine, it was quite syrupy like good gravy... it would leave a film on the side of a bucket. It should be 50/50 with demineralised water.

[Byron]

Well, I stand corrected (post from 4/17/07). I finally got around to removing the thermostat and it was fine. Tom's thermostats are still at zero bad, as far as I know.

Tom had contacted me and advised that he would replace it but he wanted the bad one to discover why it failed. Looks like he is going to have to wait a little longer because mine is fine.

I guess there must be another reason for my earlier observations.

[VINCEFLCBX]

I have an 04 with 21k on it. It gets to 3 bars pretty quick....my question is it never moves from 3 bars...is that OK.?? I live in Fl. so we get some hot days. I was even stuck in traffic the other day and it never budged over 3 bars...I really expected it to move up....especially since I also have a 02 Blackbird with a digital temp guage and it always shows a dramatic increase in traffic and at traffic lights.....

[ST Dan]

I would think that while being stuck and traffic and the temp not going up, just means that the fan is getting enough air to the radiator to cool the coolant.

for my bike, I have ridden in temps from 20*-85* it reads three bars solidly.

I have noticed though that my gas mileage has gone done slightly from last yr. I commute to work...last yr I could get three days ( around 290 miles) without the reserve coming on, now the reserve is coming on around 250 miles????

[Flaldrider]

Mine was slow to move to three bars but seemed to ride OK. Noticed that when the air temp was 60 degrees or less, it would drop to two bars or lower at 60 mph. Dealer tested it and said it was working. Replaced it myself when doing coolant change at 29k miles. STuck wide open and trying to get American Honda to comp me for the parts and coolant.

[nm6r]

I'm still on the fence about this. My thermometer reaches 2 bars when it's 50F outside. When I'm at 60F+ it gets to 3 bars.

I took it into the shop and they checked it and said everything was good. $80 later it still does the same thing.

Is there anyway of me finding out if this is correct behavior or if the thermostat is duffed up ? I suspect that I'd have to take it out again and do the boiling water test on it. BTW, if I find it is duffed up, I'm going back to my dealer and asking for my $80 back plus getting Honda to pick up the tab.

Please advise...

Thanks.

I see nothing to be on the fence about. If it doesn't reach 3 bars, you have a stuck thermostat and your dealer (like most) doesn't know what he's doing and charged you for his incompetence.

You might want to take it back to the dealer and have him pull the thermostat. Tell him you will pay their time if there's nothing wrong with it otherwise he will not only have to replace the thermostat under warranty but return your $80. This will only work if the dealer is willing to admit a mistake. Personally, I would just replace the thermostat myself rather than have someone that has already demonstrated a lack of knowledge working on my ST.

Ray
http://www.frontiernet.net/~st1300rider/smile04Bikerwheelie.gif

[BigBadblue]

I have an 04 with 21k on it. It gets to 3 bars pretty quick....my question is it never moves from 3 bars...is that OK.?? I live in Fl. so we get some hot days. I was even stuck in traffic the other day and it never budged over 3 bars...I really expected it to move up....especially since I also have a 02 Blackbird with a digital temp guage and it always shows a dramatic increase in traffic and at traffic lights.....


Absolutely perfect, I commute almost everyday on the ST and when the t-stat is operating correctly it ALWAYS goes to 3 bars within minutes and STAYS there, no matter if it is 30 degrees or 110 degrees outside, in hot stop & go traffic or at a cold 70mph. Depending on outside temp the only thing that should change it how long it takes to get to 3 bars, and there should not be a huge time difference there either, like 5 minutes vs 8 minutes (just guessing on the time). It just take the engine a little longer to warm up the colder radiator water.

[Skywriter]

During the cooler weather, had several fluid burps...
AND... would fluctuate from 2-3 bars below 50 degrees F
The cooler the temp .... the more time at two bars...
Rarely made three below 45F ambient...

And my MPG went down considerably...

I had mine replaced during my recent 16K service (OEM)... parts were nominal and the plastic was off for the scheduled service...

Steady 3-bars since... mileage is back in the high 40's...

[CruisingDog]

Just did a trip and the t-stat is definitely iffy. At 64F I would only get 2 bars. Gonna get them to replace it under warranty at my 24K service (and ask for my $80 back since they checked it before and claimed it was OK!!).

Damn Stealers!!

[LT Rider]

Mine is in the shop now. Right at 30k miles. I would run in temps as warm as 74 degrees b4 the third bar would come on. Then, it rained and was 45 and all the bars went out! Also noticed my MPG was way down to 40.
I feel this makes the bike run rich. I'm having the shop check the plugs and the valves too...change the oil since it could be fuel contaminated. It sputtered and died above 6,000 feet at a rest area and I'm hoping that is related to the "too cool" condition.
My dealer says that the ST has 3 years unlimited miles warranty, but a dealer I stopped at (N.Platte, NE) said only one year. No matter. I got issues. I just hope this new 'stat solves several problems since I just came from CA via ID to MO and have to go back. Yes I live in ID and my dealer is in MO. Wouldn't you make the trip for good service? Haha....Let's Ride.

[ParkerBill]

I have 11,500 miles on my '06 ST1300A and so far no stuck thermostat or for that matter, no problems at all. Solid 3 bars on the temp gauge all the time after a few minutes of warm up and regardless of the outside air temperature.

[Mellow]

Mine is in the shop now. Right at 30k miles. I would run in temps as warm as 74 degrees b4 the third bar would come on. Then, it rained and was 45 and all the bars went out! Also noticed my MPG was way down to 40.
I feel this makes the bike run rich. I'm having the shop check the plugs and the valves too...change the oil since it could be fuel contaminated. It sputtered and died above 6,000 feet at a rest area and I'm hoping that is related to the "too cool" condition.
My dealer says that the ST has 3 years unlimited miles warranty, but a dealer I stopped at (N.Platte, NE) said only one year. No matter. I got issues. I just hope this new 'stat solves several problems since I just came from CA via ID to MO and have to go back. Yes I live in ID and my dealer is in MO. Wouldn't you make the trip for good service? Haha....Let's Ride.

It's 3 years... that dealer probably thinks it's a sport bike.. Wings and STs have 3 year warranties.

[LT Rider]

I've never needed the warranty on 3 STs now, but I'm always amazed, and kinda depressed, how many parts and "service" guys need to ask me if the ST 11 or 1300 is a motorcycle at all. That's the thing w/Hondas....you wait in line with guys getting their 4 wheelers and mowers and generators serviced and it's kind of a buzz kill from a rider's perspective.

Thanks for the input.

[LT Rider]

Ooops. Thot I added a pic. I'll keep trying.

[ST1300 Alicia]

I've got my thermostat out right now and will put a new Turbo Tom in tomorrow. I noticed that it has a second hole along side the rattle valve and I've read were people said that it takes longer to warm up. I wonder if putting a pop-rivet in the hole would improve warm up time. The extra hole is really the only big difference that I noticed over the factory Stat. Warm up time is the biggest killer of fuel mileage, unless your an Iron But Rider. When my T-Stat started taking almost all of the way to work to warm up (sticking open), my mileage dropped by almost 20 MPG. I'm looking for fast warm-up times and reliability. I don't have any heat issues at 3 Bars. I'm looking for some second opinions, so SPEAK-UP.

Alicia from the Left Coast.

[Finewest]

Before you plugged up that hole Alicia I suggest contacting TC first. I think it has something to do with an overflow(?) and should remain open(?)

[LT Rider]

Update:

My OEM thermostat was stuck open and I had the same symptoms described above. Low MPG was astonishing. I got 77 miles on a half-tank by the time I got to Larry's Honda in Jefferson City, MO. Larry's is a great shop! Go there!
Anyway. The jerks at Honda in North Platte, NE told me I was out of warranty and pretty much shoved me out the door. No help at all. At Larry's, they know that the ST is covered for 3 years, unlimited mileage and got me right into service.
The short of it is: New OEM 'stat, new coolant, oil change/filter, adjusted four valves/new shims all under 200 bucks! Should've put in new plugs too since the cooler engine temp was tough on everything else, but they didn't realize they were out and I had to ride. I'll put 'em in myself now that I'm back home.
The MPG was normal and all is well. I guess my two cents is I'd go with the OEM (I did obviously) even if it gets me another 30k, I'll take my chances for now, because it was free and I think I could wrench a new one in myself if there is a next time. ALSO: The mechanic in MO told me that he was showing a new part number for my new 'stat. He's been a bike mechanic for 30 years and he said that's usually what Honda does when they fix a problem w/o admitting a problem. Something must be different. Better? We shall see. But I liked his approach and his attitude which is "let Honda pay for it" and he wrote off a couple extra hours of laber under warranty. Seems plenty fair to me since all the tupperware has to come off for the warranty job anyway which makes the other work easier.
There you have it.
Go Ride!

[MrBob]

Mine appeared to go bad shorty after 13500 miles. At least that's when it got cool enough outside for me to notice. I'm pretty sure that's when it happened anyway because of the mpg decrease. My dealer replaced it but only after I agreed to pay for it if it wasn't bad.

[LT Rider]

My dealer replaced it but only after I agreed to pay for it if it wasn't bad.

What is up with that!??
Why are there so many a-hole dealers out there? Another thread I guess.
Glad you got it fixed.

[sam7]

Replaced mine at 15k but judging by the symptoms, has been bad since late last winter. I couldn't get above one bar when it was cold out. Since it has warmed up(106 today) I was getting three bars. My milage never suffered, I was consistently getting about 44mpg before and after the symptoms started. When the thermostat came out last week it was stuck open. I suppose that is much better than being stuck closed.

[ST1300 Alicia]

I've noticed some posts about Turbo Tom's T-Stats warming up a little slower than a stock T-Stat. I compared the two Stats side by side and noticed a bypass hole in Tom's Stat that was not in original Honda Stat. I would assume that is what accounts for the longer warm-up time. I called Tom's and talked to Gary. Gary did not know whether that would account for a longer warm-up time or not and was not sure if plugging it would be of any benefit. I decided that I would plug the hole and see. I installed a 1/8" x 1/8" Steel Button Head, Steel Shank, pop rivet. I opened the hole up a little with a reamer, installed the rivet and then tightened up the rivet in my vice so it was good and tight. I installed the T-Stat after fishing the Old O-Ring out of the trash can. Luckily the trash-man had not come yet. I don't have any idea where I put the new o-ring that I bought. It's around here somewhere. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you use enough Silicone Sealer it will hold. The Stat works absolutely great and the warm-up time appears to be about the same as stock. It Works Great. Does not overheat @ >100 degrees. Three Bars all of the way. I could not be happier.

Also, for those of you who are having trouble with leaks. A standard automotive Cooling System Pressure Tester, with the appropriate Cap Adapter works just great. This allows you to fill the system and pressurize it when cold so you can check for leaks. When you check a system hot, often times you will not see the leak. When hot, the coolant will evaporate and not leave a visible trail like it does when cold. This is the same standard small cap adapter that you already have in you Roll-Away Tool Box. I also got about one turn on all of the clamp screws.

Alicia from the Left Coast

[Gug]

I need both options. Mine went open at about 8K and this summer about 7K ago it started functioning normally again. So it was stuck open for about 24K. It made no difference if the temp was above 62F, then it always ran at 3 bars. At about 40 it dropped off to one bar. The mileage I had heard about wasn't that much difference to me. I saw maybe 2-3 mpg reduction in the cooler weather, but that was mostly due to longer and richer idling. I ride the bike pretty easy. This summer it seemed to get all around from a low of 46mpg to 52mpg on one tank. I filled up today and we had cooler weather here, from 40-50's and it was 41mpg. So even if it's stuck you may never notice it if your in the southern climes and if your in the northern climes the difference in engine temp from 1 to 3 bars is no more than 30F in engine temp. I have several engineering friends who all agreed that that temp difference would be negligable to this motor. My observation FWIW.

[George]

First the <ducking!> comment: keep (or buy) the 1100. :D

This is totally off-topic, but I replaced the thermostat on the 'Camino this week. Seems there was a leak around the thermostat housing and I figured as long as we're replacing the gasket anyway we ought'a replace the 'stat, too.

Total cost was < $8.00

Fixed the problem, too.

[GodFather]

Mine was stuck open, lowered my gas mileage at 16000 AND the dealer replaced under warranty.

[curmudgeon]

My 05's thermostat is just now causing two bar readings below 60F, and I have 34K on it. Mileage has dropped from 44 down to 37. A TurboCity stat is waiting and will be replaced along with all my winter maintenance chores. I'm tempted to plug the bypass hole as Alicia did.

Phil

[nm6r]

I have several engineering friends who all agreed that that temp difference would be negligable to this motor.


Did your engineering friends take into account the ECU reading the lower engine temperatures and richening the mixture? This just kills the fuel economy.

Ray

[sundesj]

replaced at 30,000 under the free plan. the dealerships around here told me they have never seen one go bad, now thet have

[Mellow]

Did your engineering friends take into account the ECU reading the lower engine temperatures and richening the mixture? This just kills the fuel economy.

Ray

+1.. When mine failed my mileage went from 42-45 to around 35-37 ...

[dannyk]

[QUOTE=sundesj; the dealerships around here told me they have never seen one go bad, now thet have[/QUOTE]

That comment seems to be at almost every dealership, be it the thermostat, wheel bearings, the stator on the 84/85 1200 wings etc. etc. Several years after the stator problem on the wings, (I had two fail on my 84 in 70K miles) and a letter from honda saying they would replace them for the original owner. I was still hearing that same story at dealerships, never heard of that before.:biker:

[mikeinvaf16]

well...its my turn now. last few days here about 34-36 deg and just 1 bar on my 26 mile highway commute to work. i just turned 10k on my 05. during warm days i never noticed the problem. i ordered the thermostat from service honda along with several other items to justify the 9 dollars to ship.
mike

[Mellow]

well...its my turn now. last few days here about 34-36 deg and just 1 bar on my 26 mile highway commute to work. i just turned 10k on my 05. during warm days i never noticed the problem. i ordered the thermostat from service honda along with several other items to justify the 9 dollars to ship.
mike

If you think about it.. you'll never notice the problem on a warm day... being stuck open, running cool is the only thing you'd notice and it seems an ambient temp of around 50 or above will keep the bike on 3 bars.. below that, 45ish degrees, the air is cooling the water in the radiator quite a bit and that's being circulated in the engine.. so, it never warms up enough to hit 3 bars because it's trying to cool itself down.

Take a piece of cardboard and block the radiator and take it around the block, guess what, 3 bars... remove it... 2 bars or less.. I don't recommend doing this.. it just tried it when I had my st just to prove that was the problem.

[jacket]

A little over 4 weeks ago on a ride out to Sturbridge, MA with temps in the 30s the symptoms described here first surfaced. They were intermittent enough to just keep an eye on and then they weren't. So I bought the t-stat and began to plan the switch. And then almost immediately the symptoms disappeared. Murphy's Law. It's a '06 with 12K miles. I'm in permanent "wait-and-see" mode. But with all the excellent stuff on this site I can't wait to get in there and pull everything apart. Unless it doesn't need to be fixed.

[adamk]

It'll be back. It's a pretty common theme to have the problem appear, go away, then come back. Happened to me on both the failed stats I had. Keep an eye on your mileage. I found that starts to drop before you even see bars start to fade.

[Blrfl]

Keep your recovery tank topped up and it'll become a very consistent problem.

--Mark

[mikeinvaf16]

ok folks, i just got back from a very chilly ride to see how the new thermostat works. i had 3 bars just like its supposed to be on the highway and my fuel mileage went up about 7 mpg!! the bike warmed up within a few miles and ran great. while i had everything torn apart i tightened up all the hose clamps and adjusted the counter balancers. that made a HUGE difference in the way the engine ran...very smooth now! i also installed my new radiator guard and gave the bike a good look over while i was at it. i am all set for the winter riding season.
mike

[Gug]

Did your engineering friends take into account the ECU reading the lower engine temperatures and richening the mixture? This just kills the fuel economy.

Ray

They certainly did. Above 55-60F you will not notice the difference anyway being the motor will reach 3-bars or minimally in my case as I experienced. Below 50F you will notice a mileage difference due to extended idling regardless of the stat. If this were truly detrimental to this motor Honda would do something about it. Don't kid yourself, they are prudent engineers and are well aware of this issue.

[maxedout]

2005 ST1300.
My thermostat stuck wide open at 12,000 miles (the mechanic showed it to me). I was able to keep the temp guage at three bars for two weeks covering 1/3 of the radiator with cardboard. I tried covering 1/2 at first but it was getting to hot on the ride home in the afternoon. My average mileage was lower with the stuck thermostat going down from 46 MPG to about 42 MPG on a 20 mile commute.
Since it was on warranty I had the dealer do it.
The mechanic mangled the fins on the radiator and scratched the paint badly on the rear of the front fender. The Honda manual says to go in under the gas tank and remove the throttle bodies to change the thermostat from the top but the mechanic pulled off the radiator and replaced the thermostat from the front. Much easier I imagine but I am going back to doing my own work. It took me two hours to straighten out what fins were able to be straightened out. The paint on the back of the fender will have to stay damaged for a while.

[Fat Man Bass]

My 06 Pan European is at the dealer just when I write this to replace the t-stat.
MPG was worse almost a year, but now temp dropped (and after reading about this issue here) I paid attention to my temp blocks.
After installing the (super) TurboTonm FPR I did not see any improvements on my MPG but thought it was because of the much smoother way of riding that forced me to play with the throttle.
I cannot ride for 2-3 weeks because of my plastic surgery ;) , so I will see the difference next month.
I rode 48000 km = 30K miles.

[bobsblu]

My 06 Pan European is at the dealer just when I write this to replace the t-stat.
MPG was worse almost a year, but now temp dropped (and after reading about this issue here) I paid attention to my temp blocks.
After installing the (super) TurboTonm FPR I did not see any improvements on my MPG but thought it was because of the much smoother way of riding that forced me to play with the throttle.
I cannot ride for 2-3 weeks because of my plastic surgery ;) , so I will see the difference next month.
I rode 48000 km = 30K miles.

Rene'...you do know that blu has had the thermostat changed to the TT thermo? The original was not doing anyhting but when I had the skin off and the radiator off, I decided it was the thing to do then.


have a good recovery!!

[Fat Man Bass]

Rene'...you do know that blu has had the thermostat changed to the TT thermo? The original was not doing anyhting but when I had the skin off and the radiator off, I decided it was the thing to do then.


have a good recovery!!

thanks bob. i filled in the poll for the black one, but could not find an option for the blue one to add.
one finger typing goes faster without shift crtl...

[bobsblu]

thanks bob. i filled in the poll for the black one, but could not find an option for the blue one to add.
one finger typing goes faster without shift crtl...


I filled in the blu one as not freezing up. Did I send that with you or do I still have that thermo?

[Fat Man Bass]

I filled in the blu one as not freezing up. Did I send that with you or do I still have that thermo?

I cannot check right now, maybe next month.
If you still have the thermostat, you could make someone in USA happy. I am a dealer now for turbocity stuff in Europe. I am going to order several parts for my stock.

[bobsblu]

The thermo I would have is the original...I did go ahead and put the TT on just because of the accessibilty and timing. The one I would have sent with you would have been the original I had taken off the blu

[SDGeorge]

I guess you can add me to the list @ 16K; 4-5 min of warm up time to get the idle to come down, then only to 2 bars for about 1/2 a mile until 3 bars. Then two days ago, a ride east on the 8 to make a loop up the west side of the Salton Sea. I look down and it's 71-72 degrees and it's jumping between 2 & 3 bars. Anyways back home via S-30, 78, S-22, 79, back to the 78, 67 then 8 and home. A quick jump on the computer and one of Tom's speicals should be here in a few days.

[mtbdiablo]

Unfortunately, you can add me to the list too. Riding home from work twice this week with outside temps in the 40's and had zero to one bar on temp gauge until I would stop at a light and then it would come up to 3.

Called my dealer today since it is still under warranty and they said it isn't broken until it shows high temps, not low ones. Hopefully I can get them to do the repair. Anyone else have the same problem trying to get the dealer to do the repair under warranty?

[maxedout]

My dealer said they had to call the Honda rep. to OK the repair.
They then did it without a problem. Maybe you could ask them to do that.
When the thermostat was removed it was stuck wide open at room temperature.
I was able to keep the temperature normal by covering 1/3rd of the radiator
with a piece of cardboard. This gave me some time until the repair could be made.
Good luck.:biker:

[motomac]

I had to change my vote to stuck in '07. It works fine as long as ambient temperature is above 55. Below that, sometimes 2 bars, sometimes 1 bar.

[Steve Cantrelle]

I've been doing the same thing with the cardboard since my idiot dealer said there was nothing wrong with my bike. It was 46 degrees when I took it in, running on 2 bars. The service manager decided to wait till it was a comfortable 62 to ride my bike. Of course it ran at 3 bars.

I've contacted another dealer. I'll be taking it in next week.

[mtbdiablo]

Thanks for the advice. I even told them to take a look at this site because many people were having problems with it being stuck open. Then he said that this wasn't a Honda run site. Geez!

I have to drop it off tomorrow and talk to the mechanic. I'll let you know what happens. If they deny there is a problem, I'll have them call the rep.

[Lou65]

My 05 just started acting up a few days ago at the 15K mark.

[Xantee]

My thermostat started going bad aournd 3500 miles. Probably would never known about it in summer but the winter weather really brought out the syptoms.

[mtbdiablo]

Mine went bad at 13K. I dropped it off at the dealer today and sounds like their going to handle it under warranty.

[long2rideST]

Mine went bad in the spring then a short while later the temp sensor went too... The STealer replaced the temp but didn't replace thermostat after I told them!!! I'm replacing it now myself Thanks turbocity!

[motown209]

My 05 ,went bad this last summer,at 18 k, In shop now at 21k replace under warranty..
I wonder how all the Cop bikes are doing???:policeST:

[mtbdiablo]

No problems with the six at my work...yet. They're only about a year old though. Big difference over the Harley's. They were constantly in the shop.

[mitch96]

Hi,
Has anybody ever install a REAL coolant temp guage on their bike?? From what I have been told the St 1300 guage is like a big idiot lite. When its cool out you get three bars, when its hot as hell you get three bars.
If you did install a guage, where would you put the sensor??

tnx, mitch stoc 1381

[STPaulK]

Hi,
Has anybody ever install a REAL coolant temp guage on their bike?? From what I have been told the St 1300 guage is like a big idiot lite. When its cool out you get three bars, when its hot as hell you get three bars.
If you did install a guage, where would you put the sensor??

tnx, mitch stoc 1381

I asked that once too and there wasn't much discussion about where to tap in the sensor. One person did point out that even more thermostats would probably be changed out if we started tracking degrees. ;)

[mtbdiablo]

Well....just got off the phone with the service manager at the dealership where I dropped it off. It's been there since last Thursday and they finally got around to checking it out today and he said there is no problem with it. He said they warmed it up to 3 bars in the shop and then rode it and it got down to one bar. He said they called Honda and they told them the thermostat is fine.

I explained again to him that it dropped to zero bars on my way home from work after riding it 20 miles and he said that it is due to the cold temps (mid 40's) not the thermostat.

I called Honda and they told me to take it to another dealer. So I'll drop it off at another dealer tomorrow.

Anyone have any advice for me? I thought about just doing it myself but it's a pain and I believe Honda should handle it since it's still under warranty. Not to mention that this is the 7th bike I've bought from them and I bought a watercraft, two cars and lawnmower from them. :mad:

[Finewest]

This is one horrible on-going issue with Honda warranty... When mine went bad last year I called my dealer, the one I bought the bike from, and the dude on the phone asked me in a disbane way had I tested it? ***!? Well I stopped going to that dealer (Escondido Cycle Center, CA). I ended up of course changing the stat out to a Turbo City one. No problems since.

[BluRider]

I told my dealer to change the thermostat and test the one they pulled out. If it was good I'd pay for the new stat and change out. If it was bad Honda would pay. They agreed and it was bad. When the second one went bad I put a TT stat in myself flushed system and filled with Honda type 2 coolant. Dealer had green stuff in the bike. I'm still chasing a coolant leak. What good is the long warranty if Honda service is so poor?

[motown209]

Well....just got off the phone with the service manager at the dealership where I dropped it off. It's been there since last Thursday and they finally got around to checking it out today and he said there is no problem with it. He said they warmed it up to 3 bars in the shop and then rode it and it got down to one bar. He said they called Honda and they told them the thermostat is fine.

I explained again to him that it dropped to zero bars on my way home from work after riding it 20 miles and he said that it is due to the cold temps (mid 40's) not the thermostat.

I called Honda and they told me to take it to another dealer. So I'll drop it off at another dealer tomorrow.

Anyone have any advice for me? I thought about just doing it myself but it's a pain and I believe Honda should handle it since it's still under warranty. Not to mention that this is the 7th bike I've bought from them and I bought a watercraft, two cars and lawnmower from them. :mad:

I just went thru the whole thing.
first, notice the temperature difference, started scratching my head and asking questions. after talking to people on the site, and viewing a shop manual, took the bike into my local dealer( modesto honda) speaking with the manager he asked me how i came to the conclusion that it was bad. giving all the symptoms, and advice from people on the web, and for the simple fact that like a car once it has reached operating temperature the job of the thermostat is to maintain that temperature in the engine. so...the shop manager took in the bike and i had also ordered a new thermostat. the manager adviced me that if they didnt find anything that i would have to pay shop time etc....
to his surprise, it was bad, he had never heard of anything like that before.
but had heard that there were problems with parts that came from mexico.
my therostat was from mexico. ergo...needed replacing. upon finishing the job he called honda and they had no problem doing this under warranty. if your dealer is giving the run around head for a different dealer.to save leg work, even call around in your area or head out here for the valley.
but please keep us all posted as to your findings.
let me know if i can help, dean:tools1:

[long2rideST]

I changed the thermostat today and it was stuck open 3/8" which was more than I was expecting, darn that dealer! they didn't want to even look at it while changing out temp sensor when I told them.:mad:

When the service contract that I have with them ends this year I will be taking it somewhere else.:work4:

[murray56]

Replaced my thermostat this last week. Found it stuck in the open position. Ended up having a Yamaha/BMW Tech, who is a close friend and riding partner, do the work out of his home garage.

After discussing my options of submitting for a possible warranty claim, none of us trusted any of the local dealers enough to risk their participation.

By the way, between using the repair manual and the detailed information found on this site, this task became much easier to approach.

Regards,

[Xantee]

I told my dealer to change the thermostat and test the one they pulled out. If it was good I'd pay for the new stat and change out. If it was bad Honda would pay......
This tactic has worked and/or been recommended by a few of you here, but I personally don't advise it. My thermostat was also acting up, but when I pulled it I found it to be in the closed (normal) position. Must have been some type of intermittent problem. I didn't bother to test it out, just popped in the replacement thermostat from turbocity and it's running fine now.

[adamk]

Must have been some type of intermittent problem. I didn't bother to test it out, just popped in the replacement thermostat from turbocity and it's running fine now.
Mine was in the same state. I took it one step further and tested it on the stove. It even opened as it was supposed too. The problem wasn't consitent on the bike, so I guess it makes sense it <seemed> OK when tested.

[dmulk]

The thermostat is not fine if it drops to 1 bar during a ride.....

I've ridden in 30F weather and no problem maintaining 3 bars.

<D>

[adamk]

Right. The point I was trying to make was they don't always just break. Mine was working <some> times, then not, then good again. It tested fine, but obviously had issues. I changed it out for a TT stat.

[wjbertrand]

Adam, the old one you sent to me to aid my search for an aftermarket equivalent was just slightly open when I received it. There was just enough of a gap to slip a piece of paper in there and to see light through there if held just the right way in front of a bright lamp. The new factory one I broke down and bought after failing to find an automotive equivalent, was quite tightly closed by comparison.

Too bad I didn't find out about the Turbo City one sooner, though the replacement OEM factory one seems to still be working fine at about 27K since installation.

[STrep]

Mine is in the shop (dealer) at the moment. The tech/service lad seemed to understand my concerns about not having three bars while riding (down to one at 10 minutes of riding after initial warm up to three bars). Dealer will call when the bike is looked at tomorrow with their "evaluation".

[ST/SV]

Just replaced mine last week, stuck open 3/8", had to change my vote from no to yes.

[jdpfms]

I posted on another thread, so guess there are quite a few about the thermostat. I had just started noticing when cool weather started a couple of months or more ago that the temp bars went down to 2 and sometimes 1 when riding. I had just thought it was due to the cold, but after reading more on the forum, I decided to find out. Mine goes in this week to the dealer. It is an 04, but has extended warranty until mid 2011 :bow1: so guess I will have to have the OEM part and not turbo City replacement.

JDP

[Imrubicon]

My dealer in George town TX asked why I brought it in .
Was 29 at the time and I told him I warmed it up in the garage and soon as I hit the highway it dropped to one bar.after he ran it in the parking lot it warmed back up to three bars .I also told him my MPG droped by 30% so he said stuck thermo and replaced it no problem

[adamk]

Adam, the old one you sent to me to aid my search for an aftermarket equivalent was just slightly open when I received it.

Do you think that small opening would effect the temp? I'd think it would have to be stuck open more than that.

[mtbdiablo]

Sorry, I haven't updated. The original dealer I took it to said there was no problem with the thermostat. So I called Honda and they said to take it to a different dealer. So I made an appointment and was riding it the hour long ride to get there but it was maintaining temp fine. So I canceled the appointment. Then I rode it for two weeks in temps in the 40's and it still worked fine. But it has dropped to one temp bar two times since then after riding it at freeway speeds for fifteen minutes. So I think it's sticking open sometimes and working others. I also noticed that it takes a long time to warm up.

I'm going to have to take it to another dealer. I might try the one in Modesto that was suggested. Kind of a pain though if it starts working when I get it to the dealer and they deny there is a problem.

[STindy05]

Think I may have to move my NO to a yes on my 05. Rode the bike today and it was about 45 this afternoon, got to three bars and then when I started to move it went down between one and two. Will call the Honda dealer Tuesday and see what the service manager says. They do my service and know that I know the bike and common problems with it. They just replaced a bad water pump seal under warranty. So I hope they take car of the T-stat no questions asked.

[Highrider]

I became the proud owner of a stuck thermostat last Sunday. I thought I might have dodge the bullet up until then, considering the miles and age of the bike.
I replaced it today along with some odds and ends I need to do to get ready for Moonshine, it wasn't as much work as I anticipated.
- Honda definitely has a problem with these pieces, I think it is time to write a letter.

[Gem STate ST]

Well it looks like I get added to this list.This morning temp. bar stayed at one bar almost all the way to work.Bike hasn't sat as I have 2600 miles since Jan.Will call the dealer when he opens and see what he has to say.Can we get everyone to update on this poll so we can have a printed copy for Honda and our dealers?

[Gem STate ST]

Update: The dealer just called me and and said nothing is wrong as the temp. bars came up to three and the mpg guesstimator read 37mpg.So it will be a do at home job.It is also the last time at that dealer for anything.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Update: The dealer just called me and and said nothing is wrong as the temp. bars came up to three and the mpg guesstimator read 37mpg.So it will be a do at home job.It is also the last time at that dealer for anything.

Hey, Gem. Take it back to the dealer. There is no spec in the manual regarding the temperature bars as a diagnostic tool. If this is how your dealer is diagnosing it, he's doing it incorrectly. Read this.... http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39941

[Gem STate ST]

Hey, Gem. Take it back to the dealer. There is no spec in the manual regarding the temperature bars as a diagnostic tool. If this is how your dealer is diagnosing it, he's doing it incorrectly. Read this.... http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39941

The bike is still there and that was handed to them this morning when I dropped it off.Dealer does not believe in internet forums.So be it I can buy elsewhere.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

The bike is still there and that was handed to them this morning when I dropped it off.Dealer does not believe in internet forums.So be it I can buy elsewhere.

Give me the phone number for the dealership and the service writer or service manager's name.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

If they're closed tonight......I'll call them tomorrow. Just PM me with your name and if possible the vin# of the ST.

[killerST6]

Mine is stuck open right now, I have been needing to call the dealer I got it from with the maintenance plan to get it in, but I have not had the time.

Oddly.... I wonder,
I have never been one of those that complains or thinks my bike has excessive heat, wonder just how long mine has been stuck open and if it will get HOT after I get it fixed???

[Gem STate ST]

THANKS TOTO, the dealership just called and said they would replace the t-stat. If it is bad it is warranty, if not I pay the 1.3 hour labor and part.Will have the dealer do it so it can be documented to maybe help others coming down this road.

[Finewest]

I am only reading between the lines here, but what I can "read" is that Toto helped by calling the dealer to resolve Gem State ST's thermostat warranty issue. I for one wish to thank Toto for standing up for us ST Riders! Bravo!

:clap2: :STOC: :clap2:

[ToroGuy]

Hey Gem, call him back and make sure (when he discovers the STuck t-STat) that he FLUSHES THE COOLANT and INSTALLS NEW HONDA SPEC COOLANT. The old coolant likely has lots of little paint chips in it and, IMHO, that is a major contributor to t-STat failures.

[Gem STate ST]

Yes Fred you are correct Toto did call.Toro will not push the issue with them as all I wanted is to have this in Hondas record as a problem.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

I am only reading between the lines here, but what I can "read" is that Toto helped by calling the dealer to resolve Gem State ST's thermostat warranty issue. I for one wish to thank Toto for standing up for us ST Riders! Bravo!

:clap2: :STOC: :clap2:


I really didn't do anything except just let the dealer know that we've had similar problems at our dealership and that the temp bar can't be trusted as a diagnostic tool. They made the choice to look into it further.

Let us know what they find, GemStateST.

[Spacecom]

Thanks to ToTo as well... It helps that he is a service writer for Honda...

Just replaced mine last weekend, 2005 with 17k on it... Did the work myself because I wanted it done sooner than later... The Dealer said 2 1/2 weeks to even look at the bike... Found the deposits on the stem, the crusty green stuff... Put "Engine Ice" in it with the T-Stat...

Thanks to all of the information on this site, it made the job much easier...

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Thanks to ToTo as well... It helps that he is a service writer for Honda...

Just replaced mine last weekend, 2005 with 17k on it... Did the work myself because I wanted it done sooner than later... The Dealer said 2 1/2 weeks to even look at the bike... Found the deposits on the stem, the crusty green stuff... Put "Engine Ice" in it with the T-Stat...

Thanks to all of the information on this site, it made the job much easier...

A word of caution with using "Engine Ice". My boss says he spoke with the creator of "Engine Ice" and was trying to clear up a rumor where using it in street motorcycles was said to be a bad idea. The owner said it was fine but while it works excellent in cooling, it has a tendency to start freezing should the temps drop below 0 degrees whereas normal coolant with the glycol stuff starts freezing below -45 degrees. I doubt you'd be riding in 0 degree weather, but due to your location, if you're storing the bike during the winter, this is worth knowing.

[Finewest]

I really didn't do anything except just let the dealer know that we've had similar problems at our dealership and that the temp bar can't be trusted as a diagnostic tool. They made the choice to look into it further.

Let us know what they find, GemStateST.

So! That's the trick then! Just go back home after going to your service dealer and called them in a different voice telling them you are a out-of-town service dealer having similar issues and WAA LAA! They will then magically accommodate you! :rolleyes: :crackup

[Highrider]

I think we need to rerun this poll - there have been a lot of stuck t-stats since this started a year ago.

[Spacecom]

A word of caution with using "Engine Ice". My boss says he spoke with the creator of "Engine Ice" and was trying to clear up a rumor where using it in street motorcycles was said to be a bad idea. The owner said it was fine but while it works excellent in cooling, it has a tendency to start freezing should the temps drop below 0 degrees whereas normal coolant with the glycol stuff starts freezing below -45 degrees. I doubt you'd be riding in 0 degree weather, but due to your location, if you're storing the bike during the winter, this is worth knowing.


Thanks for the info... I was looking at it's freeze point, -26 stated on the bottle, and wonder if that was enough for Colorado... but, I keep the bikes in a 55 degree garage during the winter so I should be okay...

Again... Thanks for info...

[SoloTotoCoyote]

So! That's the trick then! Just go back home after going to your service dealer and called them in a different voice telling them you are a out-of-town service dealer having similar issues and WAA LAA! They will then magically accommodate you! :rolleyes: :crackup


:crackup Yup, guess so. I guess I should add that to my "Dealing with the Dealer" post, huh?

Step1: Take bike to dealer

Step2: When dealer says it's normal, have friend call dealer and pretend to be out of state dealer.
Optional: Suck on a helium balloon or use your best Barry White impression and make the call yourself.

Step3: Pick up repaired motorcycle.

[Finewest]

:crackup Yup, guess so. I guess I should add that to my "Dealing with the Dealer" post, huh?

Step1: Take bike to dealer

Step2: When dealer says it's normal, have friend call dealer and pretend to be out of state dealer.
Optional: Suck on a helium balloon or use your best Barry White impression and make the call yourself.

Step3: Pick up repaired motorcycle.

Exactly! It worked when the school would call my house when I was 11 years old and asked to talk to my Mom because I was ditching school for the day. ...Ring-ring. "Hello?" "May I speak with Mrs. Adams?" "Sure! Just a minute." "MOM!" stamp feet on floor... then in high voice... "Yes. Freddy has my permission to be home today stuffing his face with ice cream and watching The Flintstones." ;)

YABA-DABA-DOO! http://www.bobleroi.co.uk/ScrapBook/SutchCityPics10/fredflintstone221a.jpg

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Exactly! It worked when the school would call my house when I was 11 years old and asked to talk to my Mom because I was ditching school for the day. ...Ring-ring. "Hello?" "May I speak with Mrs. Adams?" "Sure! Just a minute." "MOM!" stamp feet on floor... then in high voice... "Yes. Freddy has my permission to be home today stuffing his face with ice cream and watching The Flintstones." ;)

YABA-DABA-DOO! http://www.bobleroi.co.uk/ScrapBook/SutchCityPics10/fredflintstone221a.jpg


:crackup

[SupraSabre]

I think we need to rerun this poll - there have been a lot of stuck t-stats since this started a year ago.

I can see where you can "Withdraw your vote" in the banner. Does that mean you can re-vote after you withdraw it? :confused:

[Mellow]

I can see where you can "Withdraw your vote" in the banner. Does that mean you can re-vote after you withdraw it? :confused:

Yes...

[SupraSabre]

Yes...

Dang you're quick! Got a computer on that new ST1300 do you? :D

[Mellow]

Dang you're quick! Got a computer on that new ST1300 do you? :D

No.. but, I'm quickly finding the wrong thing to do to a new bike is send the seat off to Spencer... while you're waiting, you start ordering stuff and putting other stuff on and it just never STOPSSS!!!!!

[SupraSabre]

Yes...

Okay guys, if your thermostat has stuck since you voted, and you voted "No", then Withdraw your vote and re-vote! :usflag1:

We need Every Vote to count you know! :p:

[SupraSabre]

No.. but, I'm quickly finding the wrong thing to do to a new bike is send the seat off to Spencer... while you're waiting, you start ordering stuff and putting other stuff on and it just never STOPSSS!!!!!

LOL! You sould have found some one with an extra saddle and used that while your's is getting taken care of, so you could keep riding...:D

[Mellow]

LOL! You sould have found some one with an extra saddle and used that while your's is getting taken care of, so you could keep riding...:D

I didn't quite think it all the way through.. LOL.. oh well, it should be here thursday so yaaaahoo.

[SupraSabre]

I didn't quite think it all the way through.. LOL.. oh well, it should be here thursday so yaaaahoo.

Your :butt1: will thank you! :p:

[hscoggin]

I'd be interested to know what percentage of these are ST1100 vs ST1300.



I'm currently having an exchange with my dealer about this; mine started showing signs of being stuck a bit more than three weeks ago with ~17k miles on the bike. I just got this response from him:i just talked with honda tech-line and read your description of your concern to them. they have heard much about this observed condition, verified it and determined that this is a normal condition. replacing the thermostat will have no effect , these bikes run a cool engine temperature. they documented the call with your vin in the event of any future issues .No fault of his - he's just going by what Honda tells him, which is about all he can really do for warranty issues. I'm going to let him know about the experiences of the members here, as well as give him a link to this poll.


The stuck T-stat probably won't be a problem for the next few months, but I may be forced to change it myself when the weather begins to cool down again in the Fall.

[coty_jim]

All of them are ST1300's. This poll only involved model years of ST1300 production. There are some 2002's in Europe, they get the good stuff first.

[SupraSabre]

I'd be interested to know what percentage of these are ST1100 vs ST1300.



I'm currently having an exchange with my dealer about this; mine started showing signs of being stuck a bit more than three weeks ago with ~17k miles on the bike. I just got this response from him:i just talked with honda tech-line and read your description of your concern to them. they have heard much about this observed condition, verified it and determined that this is a normal condition. replacing the thermostat will have no effect , these bikes run a cool engine temperature. they documented the call with your vin in the event of any future issues .No fault of his - he's just going by what Honda tells him, which is about all he can really do for warranty issues. I'm going to let him know about the experiences of the members here, as well as give him a link to this poll.


The stuck T-stat probably won't be a problem for the next few months, but I may be forced to change it myself when the weather begins to cool down again in the Fall.


Replace it yourself with a TurboTom Thermostat, you'll be glad you did! Less hassle and you know it will be done right...then take the Stuck thermostat into him and let him know what he missed out on! :p:

[killerST6]

Took mine to the shop I purchased my bike from today,
they looked at it and said the inlet and outlet temps where the same then rode the bike and they changed, they showed the same again.......

Thus: they said that it appeared to be working, but they did believe me about the bike going from 3 bars to zero bars on my commute to work each day with the cold mornings.


They said they will order me one and let me know when it gets in.
Just keeping you all in the loop.

[SupraSabre]

Now that the warmer weather is coming, it will be less noticable since out side temp has a lot to do with whether the bike warms up or not. :o:

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Took mine to the shop I purchased my bike from today,
they looked at it and said the inlet and outlet temps where the same then rode the bike and they changed, they showed the same again.......

Thus: they said that it appeared to be working, but they did believe me about the bike going from 3 bars to zero bars on my commute to work each day with the cold mornings.


They said they will order me one and let me know when it gets in.
Just keeping you all in the loop.

Nice to see that they are taking your concern seriously.

[st11ray]

Just got my '06 back from the dealer today. They had ordered a t-stat for me so that they would have the parts when I brought the bike in. After they got into the bike they determined that I needed a temperature sending unit also. All was done under warranty.
They did not diagnose the t-stat problem, as I told them what it was doing and he ordered me one. I think it is more of a dealer issue than a Honda issue concerning warranty work.
If this t-stat sticks, I will take it back for warranty again, and any more that suffer the same fate, just to make Honda more aware of the problem.
I hope TT still sells t-stats when my 7 year warranty runs out!

[Finewest]

...I hope TT still sells t-stats when my 7 year warranty runs out!

He will be, but they'll be more expensive. I'd buy one now if I were you.;)

[Gem STate ST]

I am still waiting for my dealer to get a thermostat.Bike has been in the shop since Mon. its appointment day and they said they will get to it this coming Mon.In 18 years with my old HD it was never in the shop for longer than one day.And that includes a top end rebuild.Honda has broke me from ever buying something new from them again.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

I am still waiting for my dealer to get a thermostat.Bike has been in the shop since Mon. its appointment day and they said they will get to it this coming Mon.In 18 years with my old HD it was never in the shop for longer than one day.And that includes a top end rebuild.Honda has broke me from ever buying something new from them again.

Honda has at least 3 warehouses; 1 west coast, 1 east coast, & 1 in the central plains. Considering that they said last Friday they would order it, the order should have gone in on Monday. If they ordered it on Monday, the max for your location would be 4 days; ie Friday. If they don't have it today, then they didn't order it on Monday.

[BlaSTr]

Mine finally went open on a ride a few months ago at 19k miles. I've been to the dealer twice now and been told it's normal. I gave them the exact symptoms the shop manual uses to determine a stuck thermostat and was told by one tech that it was a clogged air filter. I really had to bite my tongue on that.

[rant on] Finally, yesterday I was able to convince the service writer to order a replacement thermostat and we'll install it at the 20k service. If the thermostat is bad, it's covered by warranty, if not it's 1.3 hours and the cost of the thermostat. I'm heading for the stealer tomorrow to talk to the service/GM about this acknowledged problem and how I can get it resolved for myself and other ST owners.

They can't make it fail, they say. I say when the morning temps are 75F, it's not going to fail and the only indication you'll see is a very long warm up time - which only an ST owner would know about. Very frustrating! [rant off]

We'll see tomorrow.

[hoowasat]

I was watching Phillyrube dismantle his bike a few weeks ago in order to replace the thermostat. Not at all difficult. When he pulled the old one out and we compared it side by side with the aftermarket unit, I decided right then and there that I do not want a Honda thermostat in my bike. The Honda unit was very "wimpy" in comparison. Being that I'll have all my tupperware off for some other farkles (someday soon), I'll replace my thermostat then. I'm not going to wait for it to go. So, my vote will remain a "no" simply because I won't wait for it to fail.

Ordering the thermostat now also allowed me to spend more $$$ with Turbo City ... got a radiator guard and a pair of under-mirror light mounts, too.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

........[rant on] Finally, yesterday I was able to convince the service writer to order a replacement thermostat and we'll install it at the 20k service. If the thermostat is bad, it's covered by warranty, if not it's 1.3 hours and the cost of the thermostat. I'm heading for the stealer tomorrow to talk to the service/GM about this acknowledged problem and how I can get it resolved for myself and other ST owners.

They can't make it fail, they say. I say when the morning temps are 75F, it's not going to fail and the only indication you'll see is a very long warm up time - which only an ST owner would know about. Very frustrating! [rant off]

Good job, sir. You're doing exactly what you should. I know it can be a pain to deal with some of these dealers out there who don't seem to take us seriously and seem to just be sweeping us aside, but we have to stay on it. By us going back to the dealer consistently and them having to process the warranty claims, we send the biggest message to Ma Honda by hitting them in the pocketbook. When a dealer files a warranty claim that gets approved, Ma Honda has to reimburse the dealer for the parts and labor. If enough ST's get their thermostats warrantied, you can imagine that somebody at Ma Honda is going to take notice when the have to write all those checks to the dealer.

And as one who is a service writer at a Honda dealer, I send out a general apology for the way you all have been treated by a majority of the industry.

[Gem STate ST]

If enough ST's get their thermostats warrantied, you can imagine that somebody at Ma Honda is going to take notice when the have to write all those checks to the dealer.

This is why mine is at the dealers instead of being out riding today.

[Gem STate ST]

Just got home from picking mine up tonight.From the repair order Resolution:Test ride showed coolant temp guage running at 3 bars and average mileage at 37.7 mpg (bike warmed and run 8.8 miles) Contacted AHM DSM,he advised they would not cover this job as wnty unless we could verify temp not coming up.Installed new thermostat and submitted for wnty. at customers request(5/6/08).If debited total due will be $110.27

Upon riding home my avg. mpg stayed at 37.7(see above) for 20 miles until I manually reset it.Will check my mileage this weekend.This dealer sold 3 08ST1300's and won't be getting anymore this year.Usually the ST's sit here for awhile but since our local PD's are using them I bet some of them bought them for personal use.They do have a RWB 07 VFR asking $10,400 non ABS.

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Just got home from picking mine up tonight.From the repair order Resolution:Test ride showed coolant temp guage running at 3 bars and average mileage at 37.7 mpg (bike warmed and run 8.8 miles) Contacted AHM DSM,he advised they would not cover this job as wnty unless we could verify temp not coming up.Installed new thermostat and submitted for wnty. at customers request(5/6/08).If debited total due will be $110.27


Wow, Gem STate St. I'm really sorry, man. That dealer just doesn't seam to want to help you and the minute they decide to go a little ways out on a limb, they're pushing you out ahead of them. Unfortunately, as I read through the notes they put on your repair order, I can tell they already handled it incorrectly and explained it to Honda incorrectly as well. That's extremely disappointing. You deserve more from your dealer.

[kevin2849]

Well just to keep the stats up to date, mine has gone south at 24k.

[Krynn]

Bleh. 10,500 miles on my '05, and my thermostat just went nuts. I guess I've got a new project for next weekend.

[Hotel 179]

37000 miles on a 2005...slow to warm past 1 bar when the temp is in the 40s. The other problem is the fast idle is around 4000 for several miles until it drops back to 2500. It will come up to three bars if I'm around town but drops back when I hit the open road.

When the temperatures are upper 60s or higher it is fine.

[thunderfootblue]

Changed thermostat today, was stuck open--20k.

[Lead_Deficiency]

my 05 crapped out last week, taking it to the dealer for some "hopeful" warranty work,

he checked with the honda techie line and they've never heard of a t-stat being a prob on an ST (insert joke here)
:BDH::please1:

oh ya 25,000km

[glevar]

The past weekend was my first time out with the "new to me" 2005 model in lower temperatures. I was out riding last week Thursday through Sunday night, going from Chicago to Clarksdale, MS and back. I now know that I have the dreaded thermostat problem.

Every morning it was about 42 degrees and warmed up as the day went on. The bike would stay at one bar until air temp got to about 48, then two bars until air temp of about 57, then three bars after that. Bike has just under 25,000 miles.

I have it in the shop now for tstat replacement. So far this shop has done warranty replacement on my secondary master cylinder, headlight motor, and water pump o-rings. All in the last two months. Guess I am getting all the "usual" issues that crop up around this mileage. I am very thankful that previous owner bought an extended warranty. I sure hope this is the last time the shop will see my bike for a while.

George

[Radar]

Had to withdraw and revote. Mine went south about 2 weeks ago. Took it to the dealer had a bad experience and they told me it was fine. Took it home tore it down myself. Low and behold the t-stat was stuck open. Order on from turbocity and took the old one to dealership to have order me a new one. Received and installed the one from turbocity and all is well. still waiting for the one from the dealer to come in. Those guys at Craven County Motorsports are bums and I will never do business with them again. The only reason I took it back to them for a replacement under warranty is so they know they were wrong and maybe they should listen to their customers. I did this in a civil manner.

[stickman]

My '06 just started doing it this week when temps are now consistently below 50. I have 24k miles on it.

It gets to temp fine, and when I'm stopped it's at 3 bars. But when I start moving, it drops to 2 bars.

Will replace it myself, and flush the coolant while I'm at it. I guess I'll buy the Turbo one, no sense in getting another crappy one from honda.

[hscoggin]

I have it in the shop now for tstat replacement.

Wow! Wish my dealer would replace mine on warranty - they insist that it's not a problem. Maybe I should go talk to them about it again. It was about 6 months ago that I last discussed it with them, and the weather's starting to cool down, so the problem's starting to show up again.

[l3194ff]

Mine's showing symptoms at 11,500 miles. I'm about to lose my mind over dealing with the dealer. 2 dealers in 2 weeks and neither of them seem to know what I'm talking about or what they are doing. Called today and the dealer told me the problem was the dash and they were going to order a new mind. I freaked. Of course they said the bike warmed up fine and the fan cut on. They didn't ride it an I had to explain to them the temp drops while riding the bike. The answer I got next was I'll call honda on Tuesday and call you back. So I'm probably screwed an end up do the repair myself. This has been so frustating an a waste of my time.

[hondast1300]

I told my dealer to change the thermostat and test the one they pulled out. If it was good I'd pay for the new stat and change out. If it was bad Honda would pay. They agreed and it was bad. When the second one went bad I put a TT stat in myself flushed system and filled with Honda type 2 coolant. Dealer had green stuff in the bike. I'm still chasing a coolant leak. What good is the long warranty if Honda service is so poor?

Exactly on the warranty's worth. Of course, a stuck thermostat is not as major as some repairs might be. I assume Honda coolant goes in all the models. I wonder if the thermostat problem is isolated to ST's. Surely the thermostat is not specific to the ST.
robert

[Tor]

Mine failed a good while back at around 16K. Replaced with one of Toms stats. Still going at 40K.

[jangalang1]

Well, yes my theromostat recently stuck open on my 2005 at 11550 miles and I will be replacing it with other than Honda part.

[Pall]

What i would like to know,
is how many people have had the 3 bars problem
but it was not cause by the T-Stat...?

Was it cause by the coolant or the black debris or both...?

In my case, i was getting 1-2 bars last year. I flushed and cleaned the system, and i did not replace the T-Stat because it was not stuck in open condition.

Its working great in near freezing temp as of yesterday (3 bars).

As Mellow did mention in an older post, there seem to be different situation to the problem.

Pall.

[Mellow]

Pall, there has yet to be a definitive across the board acknowledgment of the true cause. I'm on the side of the house that says it's due to the paint overspray... however, we have a two other possible causes which are the coolant or the thermostat itself.

We'll see... there are a few looking into the construction of the t-stat to see if it's got some type of design issue which might be an actual cause.

At lease we know a good solution - replace with new T-stat and do a good flush and replace of the coolant. So, regardless of the cause, the solution is easy enough.

[purdy75]

Mine stuck for the first time today at 15,211 - 2007, 1 year old on mileage Nov. 1.

One thing I have not seen anyone mention is an idle problem. It idled rough and then died on startup. I immediately knew it was T-Stat. Fired back up and it did the same thing. Held throttle open a crack to keep RPMs around 1000-1500 for a couple of minutes, and no bars. Decided to ride it out CAREFULLY. Bar 1 popped at about 2 miles, bar 2 about 3 miles, then bar 3, then 2 (flicker), then 3 steady. Wanted to shut off everytime clutch was pulled in at a stop. By 5 miles I was at work, and idle was fine. Shut off, cranked back up and all was good. Called dealer, told them story, said they would replace with OEM, and asked if they would replace with Tom's if I bought it and brought it in. Nope, only Ma-Honda's. Called Honda, same old story. Said they haven't had enough issues, blah, blah, blah. Left work 5 hours later and it fired right up, warmed all the way to three bars with no problem before putting it in gear. Running like a top for now. Hope it will last through Thanksgiving, have to call Tom for the FPR and T-Stat, and that will be a good time to strip her.

Is an extremely low-idle to cutoff a part of this issue?:rolleyes:

[Hotel 179]

Mine stuck for the first time today at 15,211 - 2007, 1 year old on mileage Nov. 1.

One thing I have not seen anyone mention is an idle problem. It idled rough and then died on startup.

Is an extremely low-idle to cutoff a part of this issue?:rolleyes:

Hello All,

I called 3 dealers today in regards to my 05 ST1300 being slow to warm up, indicating 1 or 2 bars at highway speeds, gas mileage being down considerably, and a very high speed idle (3500-4000) when the temperature dropped into the 40s. Not one had a thermostat in stock.

Service guy at dealer number one said that his R1 was also slow to warm up and would drop to 120 degrees in cold weather...it's a normal condition. I told him, "Buddy, you've got a stuck thermostat too!" He's an acquaintance so I could joke with him like that. He also said that Honda considers the thermostat to be a consumable item, the same as a battery or brake pads. Guess where my bike is NOT.

Dealer number two heard my explanation and said, "Thermostat is bad. We have fixed several on the STs. Honda will warranty the job, but we don't have the part. Would you like us to order it for you?" They are the fartherest away from me and I had one more call to make.

Dealer number three said, "Sounds like a stuck thermostat. Would you like to bring it in for a diagnosis? If you can leave it with us we have a day and a half turn-around time right now. It is a warranty repair." They are near to home so I took the bike there today.

I learned today that I have an Extended Warranty until December 2012...that was good news.

Denise went to the dealer with me when I checked the bike into the service department. I asked for her opinion of the place since she hasn't been to a bunch of bike shops. She liked the appearance of the place, the people were prompt, the other customers were friendly and talkative...one guy said to me, "Hey, you're a stranger to these parts." I thought for a minute that I had time-warped to the Wild West.

Keep your fingers crossed with me that all will be well in a couple of days.

See you on the road!

[bikotic]

My '04 ST13 started failing around 15,700. It is intermittent, getting 3 bars sometimes while riding and sometimes when idling and then back to 2 bars when riding again. At times it gets 3 bars when temps are in the 40's but other times has trouble getting there when temps are in the low 50's. I'm looking for a procedure that tells how to change and have run into this http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9259 which apparently was lost or removed (think it was a leo article). Is there a procedure here that I am overlooking? Thanks.

[Gonzo]

I'm always expecting mine to fail so I keep reading these posts. So far, so good. I have a 2006 with 29094 miles on it, most of it done in 2007. At the 16K service, STealer told me I had a slight coolant leak (which I hadn't seen) and was fixed under warrantee.

[Blrfl]

2 dealers in 2 weeks and neither of them seem to know what I'm talking about or what they are doing. ... So I'm probably screwed an end up do the repair myself. This has been so frustating an a waste of my time.

You know, if I had a day to kill and was in a condition where I could ride, I'd ride down there and help you do it. It's a messy job, but it's easy.

--Mark

[l3194ff]

You know, if I had a day to kill and was in a condition where I could ride, I'd ride down there and help you do it. It's a messy job, but it's easy.

--Mark

I appreciate the offer. I am picking the bike up tomorrow still no luck from the dealer or Mother honda. Harold lives close by so I'm thinking about a "tech day" one weekend and do the coolant flush and thermostat change.

[Hunter]

Mine just went at about 18,000 km. I had difficulty with the dealer as they indicated that 95% of all the thermostats that are replaced on warranty are OK and that it was just the sensitivity of the gauge. BS .... as why would it start all of a sudden! Then they would not install the TurboCity thermostat on warranty so I am running another factory unit. I hope I have better luck with this one.

[Hotel 179]

My '05 is in the shop right now for a temperature problem. The front desk called to say that they had diagnosed a temperature sending unit that was not working properly due to clogged openings. They attribute this to improper maintenance of coolant fluid.

I have not stopped by the shop to talk to them directly to see what the thermostat looked like, or if they pulled it. Since this is an owner's responsibility Honda will not warranty the work.

More to come, I'm sure. I'm the third owner having purchased the bike in late March. Fluid level was good so I figured I'd get the service done when winter came but I can't help but believe the story would be the same had I done it earlier.

What's $750.00 among friends?

[l3194ff]

I will be taking my bike to the 3rd dealer this coming weekend. This is per Honda customer service. I did talk to that dealer and they seemed willing to help. I just hope I can get them to pull the thermostat. I rode in temps in the low 30's and registered no bars.

[STPaulK]

My '05 is in the shop right now for a temperature problem. The front desk called to say that they had diagnosed a temperature sending unit that was not working properly due to clogged openings. They attribute this to improper maintenance of coolant fluid.

I have not stopped by the shop to talk to them directly to see what the thermostat looked like, or if they pulled it. Since this is an owner's responsibility Honda will not warranty the work.

More to come, I'm sure. I'm the third owner having purchased the bike in late March. Fluid level was good so I figured I'd get the service done when winter came but I can't help but believe the story would be the same had I done it earlier.

What's $750.00 among friends?


What??? "Improper maintaintenance" as in....what??? Are they concluding the fluid has never been changed? Did you tell them this? I'd like to understand how they could conclude "improper maintenance". If the fluid was changed with Dexcool orange, maybe. But if it's the same green stuff that was OEM then it sounds like they are coming up with an excuse to screw you.

[mjblair]

I will be taking my bike to the 3rd dealer this coming weekend. This is per Honda customer service. I did talk to that dealer and they seemed willing to help. I just hope I can get them to pull the thermostat. I rode in temps in the low 30's and registered no bars.

Tell them to pull the thermostat and if it's stuck they pay if it's ok you pay. But I think I would be there when the pull the cover.

[mjblair]

I did some searches on the VTX and VFR forums.

VFR's have the same problem as the ST. The forum is full of stuck thermostat issues.

VTX's - both stuck open and stuck closed but not as obvious to the owners since the VTX doesn't have a temp gauge. Not nearly as obvious as the VFR's but the problem is there.

So, this seems to be a problem that is more wide spread than the ST's.

[STPaulK]

I did some searches on the VTX and VFR forums.

VFR's have the same problem as the ST. The forum is full of stuck thermostat issues.

Well, you need to read into some of those "failures". Remember that the VFR board represents 25 years of 6 generations. Most don't even use a wax pellet design that is used on later generations (and the ST.) When you search "thermostat" you get all sorts of hits for a variety of issues. As an owner of the latest gen VFR, I hung out on the biggest VFR forum (http://www.vfrdiscussion.com) and while there were some stuck thermostats, there was nothing on the order of what you see on this ST forum. Some of those "stuck thermostats" were later found to be a failed wax idle unit, which seemed to fail more on the VFR than it does on the ST1300. Furthermore the thermostat part number is different between the ST and the VFR. I'm not saying there was not an issue on the VFR with thermostats, just that it's not on the same level that I see here.

[Hotel 179]

Well, you need to read into some of those "failures". Remember that the VFR board represents 25 years of 6 generations. Most don't even use a wax pellet design that is used on later generations (and the ST.)

I received a call from the dealer regarding my thermostat repair. They told me that the wax in the temperature sensing unit was gone. I have not been by there to talk to them in person.

If the temp sensing was bad, wouldn't it be bad all the time and not just when the outside air temp dropped? Temperature bars were normal as long as the OAT was warm.

[mjblair]

I received a call from the dealer regarding my thermostat repair. They told me that the wax in the temperature sensing unit was gone. I have not been by there to talk to them in person.

If the temp sensing was bad, wouldn't it be bad all the time and not just when the outside air temp dropped? Temperature bars were normal as long as the OAT was warm.

I agree with you. I'd bet it's a stuck open thermostat.

[mjblair]

Well, you need to read into some of those "failures". Remember that the VFR board represents 25 years of 6 generations. Most don't even use a wax pellet design that is used on later generations (and the ST.) When you search "thermostat" you get all sorts of hits for a variety of issues. As an owner of the latest gen VFR, I hung out on the biggest VFR forum (http://www.vfrdiscussion.com) and while there were some stuck thermostats, there was nothing on the order of what you see on this ST forum. Some of those "stuck thermostats" were later found to be a failed wax idle unit, which seemed to fail more on the VFR than it does on the ST1300. Furthermore the thermostat part number is different between the ST and the VFR. I'm not saying there was not an issue on the VFR with thermostats, just that it's not on the same level that I see here.


Check this out: Form your own opinion.
http://vfrworld.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/2984/ppuser/931. This is a VFR, same type of failure. Mine looked identical.

Looks idential to the ST. Part number looks the same except one letter difference.

[STPaulK]

Check this out: Form your own opinion.
http://vfrworld.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/2984/ppuser/931. This is a VFR, same type of failure. Mine looked identical.

Looks idential to the ST. Part number looks the same except one letter difference.

I don't doubt they are similar. The Ron Ayres part numbers varied between the ST and the VFR. I'm just passing on my observation that the fifth and sixth gen's, which use the wax pellet design, are not failing at the same rate as they are here. Just seat of the pa