Need Thermostat, Coolant Help

[dakota7557]

Hi, I have a 2000 Nomad FI 1500...The coolant in my reserve was not even warm after a long ride today so I drained the radiator and took the thermostat out to see if it was working by placing it in some heated water. The thermostat opens and closes properly. Can anyone give me some direction on what to check next since I have it apart? Not sure how to check the hoses on the reserve to make sure they aren't plugged....Any assistance would be greatly appreciate, Thanks, Jody
P.S. If my thermostat opens and closes in heated water I assume that it's working properly.

[redjay]

I think so. Thats how I test them. If the system is full in the rad then the coolant in the reserve does not get warm as it is not drawn into the rad ? Not really my field of expertise.
Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[cnc]

I'm not sure if you have a problem at all. The way I understand a modern liquid cooled system the reservoir is an overflow tank. If the pressure in the system exceeds the working pressure as designated by the rad cap, it releases some coolant through the overflow to the tank. When the system cools it creates a vacuum and sucks the expelled coolant back in to the rad.
Older cars never had a overflow tank and just released the coolant on the ground, usually just before they boiled over.
So the question is do our bikes get hot enough and build enough excess pressure to send any hot coolant to the reservoir under normal circumstances? I personally have never thought to check.

[ringadingh]

Does the engine get hot? if it feels to hot the temp light should come on. See if the water pump is circulating the fluid.

[dakota7557]

What has me worried the most is that the engine was so hot last night after a ride that an hour after I got home I couldn't even touch the right side of it...Is that normal? Thanks for the replies, Jody

[dakota7557]

How do I tell if the water pump is circulating the antifreeze? I'll be checking out gadgets again, what a wealth of information, Jody

Originally Posted by Ringadingh

Does the engine get hot? if it feels to hot the temp light should come on. See if the water pump is circulating the fluid.

[cnc]

Originally Posted by dakota7557

How do I tell if the water pump is circulating the antifreeze? I'll be checking out gadgets again, what a wealth of information, Jody

As Ring Say's the temp light should go on if it gets too hot.
If the pump is not circulating coolant I would expect to find a large difference in temperature between the engine and rad. Do 1500's have a cooling fan?, if so, is it cycling on and off if you let the bike sit there idling for a while after a good ride? This would also indicate that the pump is circulating, as the fan cools the rad some, shuts off and restarts as more hot coolant passes through.

[macmac]

That plastic side bottle isn't supposed to get hot in the first place. No coolant cycles thru it to speak of.

What it does is act as a reserve, a place if there is a slight loss somewhere, not a serious loss, the coolant can be taken at cooling time when a partial vaccum is created.

This way there can more or less be a constant coolant level in the cooling system.

If the cooling system is flushed say, and you have drained it well at the rad drain, and the water pump drain bolt, a screwy way to drain the engine but thats the way they did it, then have also dumped out the bottle, you are ready to fill.

So you do install the water pump bolt and the rad drain plug and fill the system so far as you can. Open the bleeder at the filler neck and bleed off the remaining trapped air. Then you fill the bottle.

There is a minior problem then since you can't fill the hose between the cap and the bottle.

The engine is cold of course and so you fire it up. During the riding the coolant expands, which pops the filler cap a little, and some coolant under pressure blows back up the tubing hose to the bottle, and creates a full tubing line, now more or less a solid column of coolant.

The bottle fills a bit higher than you had filled it originally whilst riding. So long as you don't over fill the bottle there is room to contain the excess coolant.

Then you get done riding and the engine cools, and as it cools the coolant looses system pressure, and the coolant contracts. This causes that partial vacuum, and will draw coolant from the bottle into the engine, which keeps the cooling system full.

In no way does hot coolant reallu flow thru that bottle. One way in and one way out unless the over flow dump tube is used from over filling. That coolant is dumped on the road and not recoverable.

You have 0 problems.

[Cajunrider]

The level in my overflow tank rises from 1/2 way between the Full and Low lines to the Full line when the engine warms up and comes back down to 1/2 when the engine cools. I've never noticed if the overflow tank gets warm after the level rises. Usually after an hour of cooldown, I can rest my hand on the engine. You may have a blockage or buildup at the bottom of the radiator. Have you ever drained and replaced the coolant. I'd be curious to see if you get any crud settled at the bottom of the pan after draining the radiator.

[macmac]

If this is the only problem, """"" Hi, I have a 2000 Nomad FI 1500...The coolant in my reserve was not even warm after a long ride today so I drained the radiator and took the thermostat out to see if it was working by placing it in some heated water.""""

Then there is no problem.

[ringadingh]

Mac is more than likely correct, you probably don't have a problem. But if you tested the thermostat and looked over the rest of the system, including checking to see if you fan works you should be able to put your mind at ease.
My fan only comes on in very warm weather when Im stuck in heavy traffic and the bike is not moving. As soon as Im mobile it shuts off, and Ive never had the temp light come on.

[dakota7557]

Mac, I also flushed it according to Gadget's page. Using distilled water and vinegar, because the bike sat for 10 years, it needed it...I'm probably stupid for asking all these questions but I'd rather ask them now when the bike is in my garage and I'm able to work on it with the tools I have rather than when I'm a thousand miles away from home along side the road this summer...Guess I like to know how to work on what I ride...Thanks for the replies, Jody

Originally Posted by macmac

If this is the only problem, """"" Hi, I have a 2000 Nomad FI 1500...The coolant in my reserve was not even warm after a long ride today so I drained the radiator and took the thermostat out to see if it was working by placing it in some heated water.""""

Then there is no problem.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Remember Jody there are no stupid questions. I have a question if someone would care to answer and that is the vinegar. What is the purpose of that?

[VulcanE]

The vinegar is a mild acid, and like in radiator flushes, it is used to dissolve rust and corrosion build-up inside the system.

[dakota7557]

According to the Gadget site, that's what's recommended...I believe it's kind of like cleaning your coffee pot...Every so often when you run vinegar through it, it will clean some of the deposits so that the coffee will run through easier with no obstructions...That's how I took it anyway...Jody