Two weather related questions (ST1100)

Hello guys,

I have two concerns riding my ST1100:

1. In cold weather my turn signal switch does not work properly. It either does not work at all or start working after a long delay (10-15-20 sec). What could be the reason and how to resolve the problem.
2. In hot weather the temperature gauge shows 3/4 of the scale or higher when in congested traffic. Someone told me it should be in the middle. I suspect that fan is not working. How to check it out?

I have limited technical background and need some guidance, hope that you can help. Thanks.

@1: try to clean the switch. Beware of the small ball behind the spring....
@2: absolutely normal, as long as the needle doesn't go much furter or hits the right side. Park your bike on the center stand and let it idle. You'll see temp rising to about 3/4 and the fans will kick in.

Martin.

Portupan is right. The grease in the switch housing is likely old and dirty making it thick and even thicker when it's cold.
Likely your temp would be higher most of the time if fans were not working. Next time you are out riding just pull over with the engine running, sit down beside the bike and you should hear the fans go off and on for a few minutes each way.

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Thank you Portupan and Dave. Is it possible to find a sketch of the switch parts here or elsewhere? Should I put there some fresh grease after cleaning, any type goes?

epir said:

Thank you Portupan and Dave. Is it possible to find a sketch of the switch parts here or elsewhere? Should I put there some fresh grease after cleaning, any type goes?

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There is a special grease for electrical and I'm sure someone here will state that name , I can't recall it right now. Many dealerships and some bigger motorcycle shops so what we call a fish of the parts in most every bike. If you're not aware of them I can p.m. you a few links in the US.

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Dave.David said:

There is a special grease for electrical and I'm sure someone here will state that name , I can't recall it right now. Many dealerships and some bigger motorcycle shops so what we call a fish of the parts in most every bike. If you're not aware of them I can p.m. you a few links in the US.

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Thanks for your help, I am sure I find it now.

Dielectric grease: put some in the switch after cleaning it (I used acid brushes and spray cleaner that was okay for electric parts). I did not take apart the switch and it has worked for years.

I have read that to test the fan; 'earth' it and it will start if it is working.

All that being said: if the temp does not rise more than 3/4 you are fine.
You can top up the radiator fluid.
You can also check the overflow bottle: if the over flow bottle is full you probably have cracks in the 1st inch of overflow tube at the radiator connection. You'll need to cut off an inch and reconnect the remainder. Obviously if an inch has be removed before you might need new overflow tubing.

Re your switch problem matey, there is loads of advice re clean it, grease it blah blah blah.
I did all that last year and the fix was short lived i suspect the switch is probably tired.
Just replaced it for about 80 quid with NOS.
If you do have the switch off, it's worth a go to see if a clean works then when you put it back on be sure to locate the pin on the underside of the switch in the handlebar hole. If you don't it'll be swear time, i know.
Re your fan, run the bike up to temp and listen to the fan kick in. I suspect yours is working but seems a little hot when it does. But three quarters is nothing to really worry about.
Hope it helps.
Upt'North.

Well, I'd like to think that with your help problem #1 resolved. Opened and cleaned the switch today, it was full of sticky grease, as all of you have said. Spring under copper contact did not work properly even after I removed the white holder from its place. It feels much better now, should try it tomorrow early morning when it is still cold and see if it works any better. But should be good. Many thanks to you all.

When I used di-electric grease from a tube I had problems with the switch. Now I use an electric contact cleaner spray and then use a dielectric grease spray which leaves a thin film on the moving parts.

To test the fan motor function, you can pull the wire off the spade terminal on the thermoswitch on the back left side of the radiator, and then ground that wire to somewhere on the frame. If the ignition switch is on, that should fire up the fan motor. The thermoswitch on the radiator closes to complete the normal ground path when hot.

mcthorogood said:

When I used di-electric grease from a tube I had problems with the switch. Now I use an electric contact cleaner spray and then use a dielectric grease spray which leaves a thin film on the moving parts.

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Well, I used what I had at hand: toothbrush, alcohol and vaseline... Will see...

TerryS said:

To test the fan motor function, you can pull the wire off the spade terminal on the thermoswitch on the back left side of the radiator, and then ground that wire to somewhere on the frame. If the ignition switch is on, that should fire up the fan motor. The thermoswitch on the radiator closes to complete the normal ground path when hot.

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Thanks, do you mean this wire on the pic? I grounded it to the frame there with ignition on and it did not work. I reached to the blades, the fan is moving freely. Do I do something wrong or fan is not working? I think replacing it could be time consuming and expensive, are there any fuses or something to check beforehand?

Yes that is the correct wire; connect the wire (not the spade terminal on the thermoswitch) to ground. Fuse G is specific to the fan motor.

The fuse is good. It seems I have to take it to a workshop to find out what is the problem.
Does anybody know if it is possible to replace the fan without dissembling the radiator?