Worlds Fastest Thermostat Failure!

[Mark]

This is the first Motorad ST1300 replacement TStat that I recall hearing about as failed.

I believe TurboTom found one of his offerings had failed...

[Scooter]

My personal OPINION is that alot of the OEM units failed because of paint debris in the system from the radiator paint etc.

Unfortunately this mantra has been repeated so often on this site that it has taken on almost mythical proportions. Look at the photos in this thread and try to convince me that some black paint chips caused the galling on that shaft.

Not trying to knock you at all IGF because I think many have fallen in to the same trap.

For the record, I have also replaced one bad thermostat out of my '04 almost 6yrs and 88K miles ago. Yes, there was some gunk in the overflow tank but the coolant didn't look that bad. Replacement OEM stat has been fine.

[Igofar]

Unfortunately this mantra has been repeated so often on this site that it has taken on almost mythical proportions. Look at the photos in this thread and try to convince me that some black paint chips caused the galling on that shaft.

Not trying to knock you at all IGF because I think many have fallen in to the same trap.

For the record, I have also replaced one bad thermostat out of my '04 almost 6yrs and 88K miles ago. Yes, there was some gunk in the overflow tank but the coolant didn't look that bad. Replacement OEM stat has been fine.

Great photo's, thanks for taking the time to post those on this thread. I'm not one to chant mantra's myself. I was only going by my personal experience, and what I found when I opened them up.
I agree 100% with the corrosion on the body causing most of the problems. Thats why I replace my thermostats yearly as a precaution.
However....the aftermarket replacement, that lasted only 1 week, didn't have any corrosion on the body. It only had scrape marks that indicated binding between the moving parts.
It also appeared to be a completely different design. It had a bleed hole next to the vent, the base was swedged instead of a plate and a circlip, the moving parts of the body were copper, etc.
For whatever reason this one failed, it wasn't due to corrosion, paint, or installation. It simply went bad, real quick

[BakerBoy]

I would urge you to go on line and google Motorad Thermostat failures, etc.
You'll find more than enough reading on the topic, both in the Automobile threads as well as the motorcycle threads.
I found several related threads with failures very early after replacement.

I don't understand why folks think they know more about the design and function of vehicles built by the factory then they do...
Why do we spend all our hard earned money on a very expensive bike, then try and save pennies with a cheap aftermarket part
that was cross referenced to an early 1980's VW Beetle, and was made in India?
just sayin.

Fair warning IGF, we all take our chances. (BTW, I can find links to Honda Tstat failures too).

For perspective, 3 to 4 years ago the number of failures of the Honda OEM Tstat reported here were very high--an alternative supplier is a good thing. Perhaps we know of 2 or 3 Motorad ST1300 Tstat failures reported on this forum ... amongst many Honda OEM Tstat failures reported in this forum over the years? Many dozens, perhaps hundreds.

[Mellow]

Just one question.... Was the OEM thermostat sticking?

[Coucours Grad]

I would urge you to go on line and google Motorad Thermostat failures, etc.
You'll find more than enough reading on the topic, both in the Automobile threads as well as the motorcycle threads.
I found several related threads with failures very early after replacement.
I don't understand why folks think they know more about the design and function of vehicles built by the factory then they do...
Why do we spend all our hard earned money on a very expensive bike, then try and save pennies with a cheap aftermarket part
that was cross referenced to an early 1980's VW Beetle, and was made in India?
just sayin.

Well said I might add....

[Igofar]

The one we replaced was the original and was three years old. It had the common corrosion on the body, and was stuck in the open position.
I also cleaned and flushed out ALOT of black paint pieces in the coolant, radiator, on the fittings, and in the thermostate housing. As witness by
the owner of the bike.
so.....lets move along folks....nothing to see here.

[Mellow]

It's quite possible there are two reasons for t-stat failures...

- Paint over spray during the manufacturing process

- Defective thermostats

Either one or both of the above situations may result in the replacement of a t-stat.

[Kevin_56]

Having replaced two in two different bikes personally. My bike had some paint flakes, but not so many that I would say it was THE culprit. My son in laws coolant and radiator was as cleans as could be. Non - nada - zero paint flakes. His filler neck looked like it had been sanded clean and prepped right when we pulled it off to drain all the coolant out. I was able to get his tstat to function by placing in a pan of boiling water, then cool it, repeat. Wiped the shaft when HOT and it went to working. Would I put it back in a bike, NO. Just saying that not all fail due to paint and they were OEM's. Mine is a 2003 and his a 2006. I did mine in 2007 at 17,500 miles. That was 64k miles ago and I put in the TT replacement. So far so good for me and him. Nothing to see here either, except, that they fail, and when you get the dance, it is stuck. Time to replace.

[STefani]

The one we replaced was the original and was three years old. It had the common corrosion on the body, and was stuck in the open position.
I also cleaned and flushed out ALOT of black paint pieces in the coolant, radiator, on the fittings, and in the thermostate housing. As witness by
the owner of the bike.
so.....lets move along folks....nothing to see here.

While it may *technically* have been a 3 year old T-Stat (Gigolo is an '09)... the bike has only been ridden for 1 year and 9 months - not 3 years

But the oem T-Stat was definitely failing with the classic symptoms of the the 2-3-2 bar shuffle and bad gas mileage. Too bad the aftermarket one didn't cost me only .95 cents! I saw it doing the 2-3-2 bar shuffle the second day I rode it after we installed it

Igofar really wanted me to let him install one of his spare oem ones but I was trying to use what I had and not use up his stuff. Next time I will politely listen and accept his advice.