[bullseye]

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I recently sent my 1985 Gold Wing with 21,000 miles to a Honda certified shop for a tune-up. The bikehas alwaysrun great, but needed new tires and the front forks leaked. After sitting for the winter, I noticed the bike die once and a while at intersections and wanted the fuel filter checked. Once at the shop they claimed the fan motor was always on and I needed a new switch. They figured the bike dieing was bad gas and to not worry about it. Idrive the bike homeand notice the fan was not coming on and the temperature gauge would go 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up.I jiggle the ignition switch and the fan turns on. I decide to take a trip to check it out. It dies 40 miles away from home. The wiring harnesswas melted under the left cover.

Now the Shop tells me the starter switch must have been bad, but the fan switch is fine. The gauge is still 2/3 to 3/4 up and the fan comes on late and shuts down too soon. Added to this the neutral light comes onevery timeI push in the cluch to shift gears. What is my next step?

 

[twisty]

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bullseye wrote:

I recently sent my 1985 Gold Wing with 21,000 miles to a Honda certified shop for a tune-up. The bikehas alwaysrun great, but needed new tires and the front forks leaked. After sitting for the winter, I noticed the bike die once and a while at intersections and wanted the fuel filter checked. Once at the shop they claimed the fan motor was always on and I needed a new switch. They figured the bike dieing was bad gas and to not worry about it. Idrive the bike homeand notice the fan was not coming on and the temperature gauge would go 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up.I jiggle the ignition switch and the fan turns on. I decide to take a trip to check it out. It dies 40 miles away from home. The wiring harnesswas melted under the left cover.

Now the Shop tells me the starter switch must have been bad, but the fan switch is fine. The gauge is still 2/3 to 3/4 up and the fan comes on late and shuts down too soon. Added to this the neutral light comes onevery timeI push in the cluch to shift gears. What is my next step?

bullseye, it could be coincidence or it could be shoddy work?



Lets take it one at a time--

Now the Shop tells me the starter switch must have been bad, but the fan switch is fine.

That sounds more like a failed or failing ignition switch than a starter switch.. Could also have a high resistance connection in the large red wires entering the starter relay.. (remove the two red wires from the starter relay, solder them together, also solder them to one pig tail of a 30 amp sealed spade fuse holder, then solder an eye ring on the other pig tail of the fuse holder, then fasten that eye ring under the battery's (+) cable bolt at the top of the battery. If your problem still exists you will have to verify the integrity of the ignition switch & wiring to it..

The gauge is still 2/3 to 3/4 up and the fan comes on late and shuts down too soon.

First, make sure the cooling system is full of coolant, then see what temperature the engine is actually running. You might have to pull the new fan switch & place it in a pan of water while heating the water on the stove, then monitor the switch's on & off point to verify it's operational points (could easily be adefective fanswitch)

Added to this the neutral light comes onevery timeI push in the cluch to shift gears. What is my next step?

That sounds like you have a shorted diode in the clutch/neutral safety switch circuit.. Either that or you have a shorted wire someplace in that circuit.

You are either going to have to trace these things down yourself or find a competent shop or mechanic that will.. That shop you used just doesn't understand the older Wings & their operational repair.

Twisty

 

[bullseye]

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Have just gotten done talking to the mechanic that worked on the bike. He claims the fan should not kick in until it is 1/8" from the red mark. The fan is supposed to kick in at 200 degrees. I am just wondering if he is correct on those 2 facts? this engine is running much hotter than it ever did in the 20 years I have had it.

He said the neutral problem is because this is an old bike and problems happen. I said there were no problems until he looked at it. "I have 25 years of experience andmy $700 labor is well worth it for whatI did."

 

[Redwing]

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Hey Bullseye :waving:Welcome to the best Goldwing Forum on the net. :clapper:

:leprechaun::18red::leprechaun:

 

[SilverDave]

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Well Firstly... your mechanic is wrong about his talents.../forums/images/emoticons/tongue.gif.    Secondly , It clearly sounds as if your starter key is defective, especially if wiggling helps  ....... if you can get another (Wrecker ??)... and  get the original out... any COMPETANT locksmith can key the "new" one to your old key..../forums/images/emoticons/big_grin.gif..........   Thirdly , I bet a lot of mechanics do not know that  a wing rad must be filled, heated to max  , "burped"  and filled again, and again... first ask if this mechanic /forums/images/emoticons/tongue.gifre-filled it with Silicate free... then remove your false tank, and see if the rad is indeed full... get some Silicate free, and re-fill it yourself... I just did my rad, about a month ago... and you have to top it up, and burp it  about 3 times before it settles down... then add the lid, and fill your overflow tank to the mark... a half full rad will certainly cause overheating. just as you describe ./forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif.......  Forthly... hard solder, and shrink wrap those three yellows under the side cover... and check out your stator  voltages (50 + ) and resistances (0 or infinite )  while you have the 3 yellows cut...  also check your battery  Voltage / charge................ especially   if it "Dies" 40 mi from home... These machines will not run, if the voltage falls to less than 9 volts../forums/images/emoticons/confused.gif. ...... Finally ... If you have the false tank off.... check all the wires around the rect / reg  (black box under tank )  if any even look suspicious... Get an EC harness, and cut out EVERY sliding connector  in all the battery circuits (Reg, Battery , 3 yellows , etc )./forums/images/emoticons/shock.gif..........................................(.If there are still overheating  symptoms at that point... THEN   look at fan sw, and thermostat, and Rad pressure ...) You should know.. That I am also a 1200 owner... and except that mine did not happen all at once... "Been there, Done That " to all these problems... all are fixable  by you , if you get a Clymer manual .. SilverDave/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif

 

[SilverDave]

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 The diode that causes the Neutral green  is easy to fix... hard to find on the bike, and hard to find at a dealer ,too... I wound up using one from a Much newer bike... and it works fine now... Must be installed right way,of course... Silver /forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif

 

[twisty]

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bullseye wrote:

Have just gotten done talking to the mechanic that worked on the bike. He claims the fan should not kick in until it is 1/8" from the red mark. The fan is supposed to kick in at 200 degrees. I am just wondering if he is correct on those 2 facts? this engine is running much hotter than it ever did in the 20 years I have had it.

He said the neutral problem is because this is an old bike and problems happen. I said there were no problems until he looked at it. "I have 25 years of experience andmy $700 labor is well worth it for whatI did."

Bullseye, I don't know about the fan coming on at 2 bars from the top but mine comes on at just above mid gauge reading.. The specfor the fan turn-on temperature is actually 208°F - 216°F..

One other thing I forgot to mention in my first post was to check the strength on the antifreeze on the cooling system.. If it is set real strong it won't carry the heat away as good (a 50/50 mix is about correct (or just set to about -20°F)..

Twisty

 

[enterocin]

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So how does one "burp" a rad? I am getting ready to flush my system. Thanks,

 

[exavid]

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enterocin wrote:

So how does one "burp" a rad? I am getting ready to flush my system. Thanks,

Fill it up, put the cap on, run it up a few minutes, shut down and check to see if the coolant level has dropped. Top it off and repeat. If it stays full, fill the expansion bottleto aroundhalfway between the maxhot level and the cold level. It's a good idea to check the level in the expansion bottle after a ride or two to see if the level stays okay in the bottle, it might burp a bit again and need a little more in the bottle. Make sure the antifreeze is silicate free and a 50/50 mixture.

 

[enterocin]

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Thanks, Also, do you guys recommend a aluminum engine coolant flush, or just flush with distilled water, or is it worth it to boil the rad? Thanks again.

78' Gl1000 36K miles

 

[exavid]

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enterocin wrote:

Thanks, Also, do you guys recommend a aluminum engine coolant flush, or just flush with distilled water, or is it worth it to boil the rad? Thanks again.

78' Gl1000 36K miles

I'd just flush it with tap water unless you have bad water. I use distilled water to mix the coolant, but don't think it's necessary for a flush since it isn't in the engine and little of it is left after being drained. But that's just my opinion which is valued mostly by me!

 

[enterocin]

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Good enough for me , I'm just a puppy still learning.

 

[Patch]

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[align=center]:waving:WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME:waving:[/align]
[align=center]to both[/align]
[align=center]BULLSEYE & ENTEROCIN[/align]
[align=left]Bullseye, I have an 84 Aspencade and the fan does not kick on until thetemp gauge gets to 6 bars. It will run and kick offwhen it drops to 5 bars.(4 bars is 1/2 way on the gauge)I thought mine was running hot at first, but after talking to several people on here, I have just accepted it as normal.[/align]

 

[hockeydad33]

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I agree with 1984gl1200a. I have an 84 Aspy and it runs at 6 bars all day long and sometimes even as low as 5 bars, but it runs like that all day long. I just accept it as normal and I have had any problems. Randy

 

[tdsnuggs]

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SilverDave wrote:

The diode that causes the Neutral green is easy to fix... hard to find on the bike, and hard to find at a dealer ,too... I wound up using one from a Much newer bike... and it works fine now... Must be installed right way,of course...Silver/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif

My neutral indicator is doing the same thing. Where on the bike is the diode located?

TDS

 

[travelinmays]

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tdsnuggs wrote:

SilverDave wrote:

The diode that causes the Neutral green is easy to fix... hard to find on the bike, and hard to find at a dealer ,too... I wound up using one from a Much newer bike... and it works fine now... Must be installed right way,of course...Silver/forums/images/emoticons/emoticonsxtra/cooldj.gif

My neutral indicator is doing the same thing. Where on the bike is the diode located?

TDS

Both my my old 84 and my new 85 do this. I figured that it was the way the bike is suppose to work. I assumed it had to do with the bike being able to start in gear buy pulling the clutch.

 

[Renegade]

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Bullseye.. I have to agree with Twisty.. Seems you've got multiple problems.. Focus on fixing one at a time. Cold weather is settling in now, so it's a good time to get into the repairs

The cooling fan should come on approx., 4 bars up from the bottom. With the stock thermostat in the engine, that's about the temperature range Twisty mentioned.. Wiggling the ignition switch indicates a loose or disconnecting wire in the main harness to the switch..

I'd look around for another mechanic.. The guy you had might have a lot of experience, but doesn't seem to know much about these GL1200's. They don't fit the normal motorcycle repair guidelines because they're very complicated machines.

Which harness was melted under the left cover? Stator or starter relay? What do you mean by "starter switch"? Did you mean the ignition switch? Starter relay? Can you give more detailed information?

Thanks... Renegade

 

[bullseye]

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Since I last wrote I contacted the Store Owner. He repaired the diode at a cost since that was a separate problem, though at a 'lower' cost since it had not even gone a mile from their store before it started to happen. He was still insisting the temperature gauge was OK. After talking with him he has agreed to personally ride the bike for a few weeks to see if the problem can be seen. Our Wisconsin weather has gotten cooler, so it will be harder now. It feelslike the engine is getting so hot that a piston may go. Every problem I have had could go back to electronics being exposed to excess heat. The harness that burnt was the starter.



thanks everyone for giving me ideas and encouragement!