temp gauge not functioning

[ncdoc0623414]

ok so i havent had time with my new bike to really dig into it. i have a wire diagram but untill i can repair or replace the temp gauge how can i be sure my max is cool so i dont damage it. this is my first water cooled bike. on my car i could at least open up the radiator cap and see that water circulated in the radiator. also its been cool here but ive not noticed the fan kick on either.

 

[SpecOps13]

I had the problem of both the Tach and the WT Gauge not working. When I smacked the top with an open hand, they would come on. I cleaned the connections on the back of the Gauge Pack and now they work. Just a thought..

 

[sdt354]

ok so i havent had time with my new bike to really dig into it. i have a wire diagram but untill i can repair or replace the temp gauge how can i be sure my max is cool so i dont damage it. this is my first water cooled bike. on my car i could at least open up the radiator cap and see that water circulated in the radiator. also its been cool here but ive not noticed the fan kick on either.

First,remve top cover and right scoop. Remove radiator type cap. You can now see if there's water/antifreeze. Under the water manifold you wil see sensors for the fan and gauge. Low water will screw up how they operate. Of course this may not be your problem, but it's a start to diagnose the problem. (this has happened to me)
The stock fan switch takes forever to come on and usually it's close to red lining when it does. The switch I use comes on at 194 deg. but stays on till around 172 I believe. So the fan runs a lot. An override switch is very popular and effective too.
Steve-o

 

[ncdoc0623414]

I ordered the lower temp sensor from the vmax outlaw site its also on the shelf with the new panasonic battery and the t boost mod

 

[KosRider]

"When I smacked the top with an open hand, they would come on."
LOL ... spoken as a true mechanic Dave !!! :lol_hitting:

 

[RaWarrior]

It's not that hard to install a real temp gauge either....I did this in about 2 hours.

The stock fan should come on around 195 degrees, which is pretty near the redline on the stock temp gauge. Manual fan switches are very popular, and also easy to install(just wire a switch in parallel with the temp switch's two wires).

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Note;

When your looking at the water manifold where the radiator cap is; The big sensor with two wires directly under the cap is the fan switch, the smaller one further back with only one wire is the guage sensor.

I'd start by just playing with all the connections to see if soemthing is loose, never heard of a temp sensor going bad???? connections ...Yes!

To do a fan switch all you have to do is splice into the two wires on the big sensor and run them to a switch mounted on the plastic neck cover on which ever side you choose. You are bypassing the auto switch with a manual one doing it that way, so the factory temp. switch will still bring it on too....

+1 on the fan not coming on, it usually won't till the bike is quite hot according to the guage. That's why so many install a bypass switch.

 

[sdt354]

I had the problem of both the Tach and the WT Gauge not working. When I smacked the top with an open hand, they would come on. I cleaned the connections on the back of the Gauge Pack and now they work. Just a thought..

I did that to my vboost sevo 6 years ago Dave, worked ever since. The California chopper fix....lol
Steve-o

 

[alorio1]

The temperature gauge sensor needs a ground to work. Your water manifold could have lost its ground connection. To verify wheather its a bad sensor or temp gage unplug the one wire that goes to the temp sending sensor and ground it to the frame, not the water manifold, and the temp gauge should peg out. If that pegs the temp gauge then you can assume the manifold has lost its ground or the sending unit is bad. The reason I say it could be a bad ground, just the other day I had my screws out of my water manifold and just happen to turn on the key and my temp gauge stayed on zero. After doing what I had to do I put all the screws back in my water manifold and temp gauge started working again. Make sure you are getting a good connection to the sensor from the single wire that plugs into it also. The engine has to be atleast warm so the needle will move while searching for the problem.

 

[RaWarrior]

If your temp sensor is bad, I can send you my old one, which was working fine when I removed it.

Or, just use an ohm meter/test light, put one lead on the - battery and the other on the manifold....should be a circuit. If not it won't ever budge. If there is, use the ohmmeter between ground and the sensor's post. Should be a circuit with some resistance. If it's an open circuit the sensor is bad.

 

[ncdoc0623414]

Thank you all i shall go thru it this weekend. how do know the water
pump is good

 

[RaWarrior]

The radiator gets warm while it's running?

Figure out why the gauge doesn't work, if it gets into the red zone or spends loads of time near it, your flow might be a bit low, which could be a lousy impeller or crapped up radiator. Otherwise, even on a hot day on the highway, mine would hang out like 1/3 to 1/2 way up the scale...needle liked to hover a bit below the one screw in the face.

 

[Pathfinderlrp]

My temperature guage is not working but my tachometer is working. Does anyone have any ideas about what could be going on?

 

[KJShover]

My temperature guage is not working but my tachometer is working. Does anyone have any ideas about what could be going on?

Pop your right scoop and see if the wire is still attached (and in once piece) to the sending unit. Or check the sending unit itself.

 

[AMechEng]

If anyone else is having problems with the gauges... Corrosion at the screws in the back of the gauges was my biggest problem. I cleaned the screw heads but the corrosion came back quickly. I found some M3 pan head screws in stainless steel and replaced the screws. Also, it took me awhile to figure out that the needle was sticking to the post for the temp gauge. I took the cover off, move the needle by hand, and the problem was fixed.

 

[KJShover]

I sprayed my connections with some battery corrosion protector I had left over from this "kit"

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...tml?feed=npn&gclid=CPGUwOmwgLoCFcF_Qgod21MAjA

 

[billy1ear]

Shout out to this post.
Temp gauge not moving.
Put a drop of WD40 on the terminals on the back of the gauge cluster and backed off and re-tightened terminal screws and BOOM, I had a working gauge again.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Bill Seward]

I've been smacking the temp gauge/tach for 20 or more years on my '85. Doesn't stick too often, but when it does, all it takes is a little slap to get working...

 

[ImCannibal]

Take the cluster off and clean the connections with fine sand paper or a wire brush, then put a little dab of dielectric grease on each one and reassemble, you can also re-solder the crimp connections before putting the grease on for a better connection. Mine was doing the same thing and I went through and re soldered the crimps and cleaned the contact points with 1000 grit, then added grease and haven't had an issue since.

 

[Mehrdad]

Hi guys,
I had a short in my electrical system and after using a multimeter I found out that there is a short in my pedometer and water temp gauge.
When I disconnect the connections of panel the short is gone.
Can anyone tell me what can be wrong with my pedometer or water temperature gauge ?all of them are working fine!
Thank you