Overheating

[ShaunDW]

Last night my TT overheated while crawling through the rush hour traffic into the centre of Bristol (it was 30 deg C). The warning light came on and the dash started flashing an coolant temp high message, however I couldn’t pull over immediately in such heavy traffic. Eventually something went pop and the front of the bike was covered in steam and coolant. It turns out that the reservoir cap had blown off presumably due to excess pressure. I walked 2 miles to Halfords to get some more OAT coolant by which time it had cooled down enough for me to top it up (what a pain that is! I used a small plastic bottle to transfer the coolant into the reservoir, but still spilt loads). Anyway, it still couldn’t cope with the milder 25 degrees later on, so this morning I checked the fuse which had blown. I also checked the fans, and one was rotating freely when pushed with a long screwdriver, but the other fan has seized solid. When I replaced the blown fuse, and started the bike, it just ticked over and overheated again. The fans didn’t come on, and the fuse blew again. I’m thinking it’s the seized fan (there are no error codes though).

So, some advice please fellow members:
Has anyone been here before? Will I be able to ride the 200 (motorway) miles home without getting this sorted - say I wait until the early hours when it is cooler?
How easy is it to change the fan?
Is there an easy way to disconnect the faulty fan, but leave the good one still in circuit?
Anything else I should know, or any other advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks all.

[earthman]

I would have thought that there would be a connector block to pull to the fan (s) but maybe it's in series so you would have neither fan working??
Riding in cool weather, I never hear the fan come on so I'm guessing that you should be OK.

If you have breakdown cover, I'd get them to take it home for you, that's probably the safest option.

[earthman]

Oh, that fan seizing/blowing the fuse, you may find a stone jammed between a blade and it's housing, this were a common problem on my previous Honda.

[ShaunDW]

Originally Posted by earthman

Oh, that fan seizing/blowing the fuse, you may find a stone jammed between a blade and it's housing, this were a common problem on my previous Honda.

Worth checking before paying £106 for a new fan. Thanks.

[SprintST1050]

Just WOW!  I carry transport insurance through AMA (standard) and AAA RV (Platinum) so ANY motor vehicle I own won't be stranded anywhere.  My preferred Triumph dealer is 120 miles from my house - I avoid the local dealer due to past experience.  Can't imagine a difficult solution.

[ShaunDW]

Well the ride back North was fine - despite one stretch of 30mph roadworks on the M5 (real speed about 26-28) the temperature never budged above 4 bars even with no fans working and with 28 - 30 degC showing on the dash.
So after following Coconuts excellent fairing removal guide, I was able to get access to the fans. The right one could be persuaded to move, but was very stiff (there were no stones or other blockage of the blades) whereas the left one spun freely. Without the fairing, I could see that each fan was connected to the bike harness by individual connectors, so after disconnecting the right hand fan I fitted a new fuse and started the bike. Just as the temperature readout went from 5 to 6 bars, the left fan switched in, which confirmed that it is the right fan that is blowing the fuse. Its a shame you can’t get to the wiring connectors without first removing the left fairing (they are just above the left fan), but at least I know where they are now.
Time to order a new RH fan then.

[earthman]

If there's no damage marks on the blades/housing of a stone being stuck at some point, has the bearing in the centre gone do you think?

If the fault lies within the motor itself, that's poor show,....if like mine, I've only heard them working a couple of times in years, mine don't get much use.

[ShaunDW]

There are no obvious signs of damage. The blades can be turned by hand, but are very stiff, and it feels rough to turn. I will try to pull it apart at some point to see whether it’s corrosion inside or some other cause.

Unfortunately, it is the type of failure that one is unlikely to identify until it is too late, but I’ve not heard of any other failures through the forum, so perhaps it is rare?