Expectation on Analog Temp Gauge

[donnellpj]

Hey all,

I need a little advice on something. I will preface this post with some transparency. It was 105 degrees on the display on the ride home, and I know hot is hot. I just checked (and topped off) all my fluids this weekend. I use the BRP 50/50 coolant, and oil levels were good. Mechanically, the bike is still stock, except for the K&N drop in filter. I am running the Spyderpops top right block plate, cat guards, and grill covers (bottom right vent is still open air), skid plate, and all my under body plastics are gone (gutted). I have completed anything I could find for heat reduction and air flow through the front end Tupperware, so I guess I'm hoping for some validation that things are normal at these temps.

I have the analog needle style temp gauge that comes with the RT limited, and it has three red bars, then it sweeps up into the "RED" at the top of the gauge.

I consistently hover at about 2.5-3 bars, just under the top end of the third bar. I have never swooped into the "RED", but I have come close before.

I think I have read every post here about temp, and I know these machines run hot, but is this a typical spot for the temp needle to be sitting? My concern is I just dont want to do any harm to the bike because I am doing/or not doing something simple.

(Please excuse the crude representation of my temp gauge below, I should have taken a pic,...)

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Thanks in advance, I appreciate everyone's input, and for putting up with my kindergarten style, 8-bit theater above! Haha!

--PJ

[NancysToy]

It is normal. Don't worry unless the fan fails to come on at 6 marks (3 as you have defined them), or if the gauge goes into the red while moving, and you get limp mode.

[Cruzr Joe]

I have a 2012 RTLtd also and i am in Arkansas, currently upper 90s and i very seldom go above the bottom of third bar, similar mods. Hope this helps


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[DMENTR]

I live out near Dulles, so I 've been riding in the same heat you have been in and I have the same Spyderops mods you have. My bike has been running between the middle and top of the second white bar. I am still trying to hear exactly when the fan comes on in relation to the temp gauge, but when I stop in traffic or a light with the gauge near the top of the second bar the fan is running. I drive in heavy traffic, but not solid stop and go. Hope this helps a little

[MidLifeCrisis]

I'll still stick to my "the analog gauges are useless" story. Have had two sets, both read off the charts wrong in both directions, so I disconnected them, because they made me more nervous than anything. The digital readings on the MFD are much more truthful. I have the same mods plus FanCan and have been riding in Phoenix heat (118 on the dash) and the only issue I had was shutting the engine off too quickly and not allowing it to cool off a minute or so when stopping for gas (my bad) . Before stopping, we were on the road for three hours, two up and fully loaded with no issues. Gauge sat at 5 bars with an occasional 6 bars under heavy load. I was touching red on the analog gauge in 96 degree temps, when digital was reading 5 bars.

I wouldn't worry about the SpyderPops mods. They have been solid performers on this site.

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[Hokiev]

Agree with others about the stock gauges being inaccurate. I have an RT LTD and mine was always running what I thought was high. Pulled the plug to get the digital readings and it never has gone over the middle bar since.

Curious why they reverse the digital gauges and the analog gauges? Seems like they would have kept them on the same sides.

[TuckMiddle]

Agree with others about the stock gauges being inaccurate. I have an RT LTD and mine was always running what I thought was high. Pulled the plug to get the digital readings and it never has gone over the middle bar since.

Curious why they reverse the digital gauges and the analog gauges? Seems like they would have kept them on the same sides.

Being a pilot for over 50 years, I wondered the same thing. Particularly since Bombardier has built quite a few airplanes. But with all the MFDs in airplanes these days you never know where something is going to be on a different page. I also solved the problem by removing them and putting in digital voltmeter and oil pressure gauges.

I believe the air temp we are reading actually comes from the sending unit in the air box, therefore it's normally going to be 6 or more degrees higher than the real outside air.

Tuck

[Bob Denman]

Regardless of what the gauge says; isn't it the relative change in a reading that should warrant investigation? (Assuming that all was good before any changes!)

[NancysToy]

I believe the air temp we are reading actually comes from the sending unit in the air box, therefore it's normally going to be 6 or more degrees higher than the real outside air.

Tuck

The air temp on the display comes from the AAPTS (Ambient Air Pressure & Temperature Sensor). It is located inside the bodywork, near the right front suspension bracket. It is still inside the bodywork, and is close to the radiator, so it does have a lot of trapped heat, and can read 4-10 degrees or more above actual air temperatures.

[Bob Denman]

So I'm gathering that if you move it; you'll monkey up the readings that the computer needs to set the mixtures??

[NancysToy]

So I'm gathering that if you move it; you'll monkey up the readings that the computer needs to set the mixtures??

I doubt the lower temp would hurt anything except maybe the emissions. I expect that moving the sensor into the airstream might screw up the pressure reading, however. There might also be trouble if the wiring harness was extended. The RTs are very sensitive to APPTS harness issues.

[donnellpj]

Ok, so it sounds like I could be getting false positives, and at the very least, the analog gauges suck.

Is there such a thing as a true remove/replacement that uses the factory wiring and such that is already in place?

How hard is it to wire up the temp gauge to the digital display? Is that a dealer thing, or can I do that fairly easy in my own garage? Is that even something I should do, or should I just add new digital gauges to those side locations for fuel and temp?

Thanks again, all great input.

[Luckyme]

I had my RT Ltd.min this week for a service check. They told me there was some updates to software, one of which more accurately states the temp. on the analog gauge. That was the only update i would notice, I was told it will be slightly higher, which it is now. Usually, in temps over 90, my analog gauge would be a tick over 1/2 way mark. When cooler temps, it sat at 1/2 way mark.
After update, it is just a tick higher, a bit above 1/2 still in 98 degrees.

[donnellpj]

Good morning,

Please forgive me if this has been covered in the past.

Does the dealer have the ability to adjust the temps at which the fan kicks on? There has to be a way to cool this thing down a little. It was only 78 this morning on the ride into work (which was awesome btw,...just saying), and I was still tapping the red line on the temp gauge. It's never gone up and over into the red, yet,... but its entirely too high based on what everyone else is telling me. If I'm running that tight to the 'shutdown' threshold, it doesn't leave much room for variables. I'm just one small temp change away from a possible Limp Mode. I'm really beginning to get concerned.

I was thinking about installing a small inline LED (the same style that would come with a car alarm) up on the dash plastics somewhere so I can see when the fan is kicking on.

I saw the posts about the KewlMetal Air Intake mods to the throttle body,...I wonder if that's something that might help, though I must admit, its not something I'm crazy about doing. The bike is still under warranty, and they will most certainly complain about that if I need something fixed.

Any advice you guys can throw me would be greatly appreciated, or any thoughts on the indicator light.

Thanks guys.

[Arr MiHardies]

Ok, so it sounds like I could be getting false positives, and at the very least, the analog gauges suck.

Is there such a thing as a true remove/replacement that uses the factory wiring and such that is already in place?

How hard is it to wire up the temp gauge to the digital display? Is that a dealer thing, or can I do that fairly easy in my own garage? Is that even something I should do, or should I just add new digital gauges to those side locations for fuel and temp?

Thanks again, all great input.

Getting the digital display is insanely easy. Simply unplug both of the analog gauges.

[NancysToy]

Good morning,

Please forgive me if this has been covered in the past.

Does the dealer have the ability to adjust the temps at which the fan kicks on? There has to be a way to cool this thing down a little. It was only 78 this morning on the ride into work (which was awesome btw,...just saying), and I was still tapping the red line on the temp gauge. It's never gone up and over into the red, yet,... but its entirely too high based on what everyone else is telling me. If I'm running that tight to the 'shutdown' threshold, it doesn't leave much room for variables. I'm just one small temp change away from a possible Limp Mode. I'm really beginning to get concerned.

I was thinking about installing a small inline LED (the same style that would come with a car alarm) up on the dash plastics somewhere so I can see when the fan is kicking on.

I saw the posts about the KewlMetal Air Intake mods to the throttle body,...I wonder if that's something that might help, though I must admit, its not something I'm crazy about doing. The bike is still under warranty, and they will most certainly complain about that if I need something fixed.

Any advice you guys can throw me would be greatly appreciated, or any thoughts on the indicator light.

Thanks guys.

There is no way for the dealer to adjust the fan kick-in point. There is no need, anyway. These gauges read high, that is in the upper portion during warm ambient temps. It's just the way they are. If you are running all the time with your fan on (hold your hand down near the vent), you may have a problem. If your fan doesn't run at all, you have a problem. If you get limp mode and a warning, you have a problem. Otherwise, just ride the darned thing and quit looking at the gauge. Most owners would be more comfortable with a gauge that read in the bottom half at normal temps, but the spot where it reads is really irrelevant. BRP chose to calibrate the gauge as they did, so we need to learn to live with what they provided.

[donnellpj]

After seeing the responses above, I did some digging, and found this thread buried on the site.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...20fuel%20gauge

Gonna disconnect these pieces of tonight and roll digital for a while.

Now,...what to fill those holes with,... I think my wife would rather I take up golf, it has to be cheaper! Haha!

Thanks to everyone that responded. It's greatly appreciated.

--Pete

[ARtraveler]

The analog temperature and gas gauges are what they are. I am not happy with either.

Yesterday, akspyderlady had me disconnect the auxillary temp and gas gauge from her new RT. We are now running the built in digital gauges.

I find the digital gas gauge to be much more accurate. No needle bouncing and wondering exactly how much gas do I have in the tank any more. The low gas light indicator goes on at two bars left and it takes four to five gallons to refill the tank--depending on how long I am willing to drive with the light on. One bar left takes 5 plus gallons to fill the tank. This is what is happening on my RT. I will see how it goes on akspyderlady's after the weekend rides.

My usual rant: BRP put some other gauges in the panel to spiff up the deluxe models. Use the digital gas and temperature gauges. How about voltage or oil pressure gauges instead?

[Shaku]

I got tired of "guessing" what the temps might be so I put in an aftermarket temp gauge. Short of pulling into a high-tech research lab, I've given up on getting the exact temps. I will say that at least I can read the aftermarket unit and the temps are close to what my infrared gauge reads. Yeah... so? The infrared gauge could be off one way or the other, the voltage to the gauge probably varies (would that make a diff?) and lots of other variables. However, as I've said before, at least I can see the aftermarket gauge. Yellow blocks against whatever color the background is, require me to stop to figure out where I am on the scale. Whats wrong with a meter scale? One that works...of course.


P.S. Since putting on Elkas, I have been bumping into the WOT stop on the freeway. "Too much HP is never enough" Hey, BRP, slide another cylinder or two in there. The Aprillias have them.:-)

[Fire Bike]

Is a replacement plug or blank available to cover the holes if the analog gauges are removed?

[Shaku]

Yes, they do make such a thing. Mine came with blanks on both sides. They now are just lying in the garage. I don't suppose you get by here much. Surely somebody local to you, or the shop, has a pair. They just snap in.

[MidLifeCrisis]

Is a replacement plug or blank available to cover the holes if the analog gauges are removed?

Why blanks? There are dozens of things you could do with the spots. Different guages, phone mount, charger ports. I just can't decide which way to go, so the factory guages are acting as blanks at this point.

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[Fire Bike]

Why blanks? There are dozens of things you could do with the spots. Different guages, phone mount, charger ports. I just can't decide which way to go, so the factory guages are acting as blanks at this point.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

I


If I get some blanks I would add a cig lighter plug to charge my GPS.

[NancysToy]

Is a replacement plug or blank available to cover the holes if the analog gauges are removed?

P/N 705003421 - Gauge Cap. RT (STD) MSRP $7.49 ea.