I have a Kuryakyn LED battery gauge on my bike and have never seen it drop below 12 volts when the bike has been idling, the fan running AND my aftermarket driving lights on.
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Cooling Fan Manual Override Switch
- Thread starter rleathen
- Start date
I have a Kuryakyn LED battery gauge on my bike and have never seen it drop below 12 volts when the bike has been idling, the fan running AND my aftermarket driving lights on.
At 12 volts the battery is not taken a charge, At ilde with my fog light's on [55w.] 13.40v= fog light's off at ilde 13.90v. Some times when the Spyder's battery is momentary low funny things will happen with the on board computer. Just my finding's, it's not gospel.
bjt
Very Helpful Member
The engine thermostat is operating properly. The issue is that when the Spyder temps get up over the thermostat opening temp, sometimes the fan has a hard time bringing it back down. The solution for some people is to turn the fan on sooner, not allowing the temps to get high in the first place. The Spyder still runs at the proper operating temperature while not climbing too high, too soon. Changing the fan control (thermostat) is more expensive than just adding an auxiliary "fan on" switch.
Bulldogger
New member
The switch is a good idea but now as a rider you have to constantly monitor engine temps and remember to switch the fan on. You can buy the programable SPAL fan controller. I set mine to come on at 195* and to full ramp buy 210*. This is more expensive then a switch but it is a set it and forget option. My wife rides the can-am and this is the carefree way.
Lamonster
SpyderLovers Founder
After reading lots I decided to follow rleathen and fit the on/off switch to the fan, I just finished the job and it works great, the temperature is 32C (89F) here today and doing a very slow stop and go test ride I let it get to 5 bars then flick the fan on and bring it back to 3 bars.
does not matter if I flick the switch to on before or after the the auto on at 5 bars+
I wont need to use it all that much but It's nice to know I can bring the temp down if and when I want to.
Thank's to reathen :thumbup: for the post and pics and other information posted by Lamonster and others.
Rob.
Brisbane Australia, It's summer here!
does not matter if I flick the switch to on before or after the the auto on at 5 bars+
I wont need to use it all that much but It's nice to know I can bring the temp down if and when I want to.
Thank's to reathen :thumbup: for the post and pics and other information posted by Lamonster and others.
Rob.
Brisbane Australia, It's summer here!
Big Arm
New member
Just installed mine yesterday. What I like about this mod is while pulling the trailer, I can bring the temp bars down to normal. (Rode this morning in 42 degree temp.)
Also nice to leave the fan run after pulling into the driveway or garage.
eddieshep999
Active member
I want to fit a Cooling Fan Manual Override Switch as per this thread on My Spyder RT -S 2010 SE5 Model
I would like to fit the switch in the Panel to match the existing switches e.g Heated Grips, Front Trunk release etc
I have one space left and want to get a switch to fit in and operate the fan - ON/OFF and if possible for the switch to have a light on
just to show when its running
Someone posted this ref Rocker Switches :-
Here's the Allied listing: http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...px?SKU=6830143
and the cheaper non-lighted: http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...0148#tab=Specs
Would the lighted switch work ok or is there another switch I should consider using
Any Information useful
Eddie Sheppard
Reading UK
I would like to fit the switch in the Panel to match the existing switches e.g Heated Grips, Front Trunk release etc
I have one space left and want to get a switch to fit in and operate the fan - ON/OFF and if possible for the switch to have a light on
just to show when its running
Someone posted this ref Rocker Switches :-
Here's the Allied listing: http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...px?SKU=6830143
and the cheaper non-lighted: http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...0148#tab=Specs
Would the lighted switch work ok or is there another switch I should consider using
Any Information useful
Eddie Sheppard
Reading UK
TuckMiddle
New member
Simple Fan grounding switch???
I'm an old guy, with mostly older bikes over my "life cycle span." If the fan isn't coming on soon enough, I guess you try to find a temp switch that will come on sooner. or put in a simple grounded switch. I have been the only rider on most bikes and I have put in many a grounded switch and turn it on when I feel the need. Is there some reason, or many reasons, I shouldn't do that with a Spyder? I have a pretty good scan, with 50 years of flying, and I'm not concerned with other riders on my bike. Just one word will make me remember what to do. YES meaning it's ok, hook up a single black grounded wire with a two pole switch. NO meaning I'm the village idiot and don't do the grounded switch thing. If there are multiple answers, please use NO. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, is a common phrase, but a very true one. My bike is fine, just thinking about simple solutions to use here and there in the future. I've heard "No, bad dog, don't do that" many times, so it's ok to use the two words I really understand.
Thanks for your time and helping to keep me out of the electrical shock ward at the nearest hospital and "Big Red Bug" out of the shop with 35 Nanny codes!!
TuckMiddle
I'm an old guy, with mostly older bikes over my "life cycle span." If the fan isn't coming on soon enough, I guess you try to find a temp switch that will come on sooner. or put in a simple grounded switch. I have been the only rider on most bikes and I have put in many a grounded switch and turn it on when I feel the need. Is there some reason, or many reasons, I shouldn't do that with a Spyder? I have a pretty good scan, with 50 years of flying, and I'm not concerned with other riders on my bike. Just one word will make me remember what to do. YES meaning it's ok, hook up a single black grounded wire with a two pole switch. NO meaning I'm the village idiot and don't do the grounded switch thing. If there are multiple answers, please use NO. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, is a common phrase, but a very true one. My bike is fine, just thinking about simple solutions to use here and there in the future. I've heard "No, bad dog, don't do that" many times, so it's ok to use the two words I really understand.
Thanks for your time and helping to keep me out of the electrical shock ward at the nearest hospital and "Big Red Bug" out of the shop with 35 Nanny codes!!
TuckMiddle
Sorry to dig up an old thread...but
I found this via google search, and figure others might as well.
First off, thanks to rleathen for the original post. I had been looking at doing something like this, and his idea is perfect for what I was looking for. First a little background. My wife rides an 08 GS, that has had periodic overheat problems. The first seems to have been due to either a defective or improperly installed cap. While looking at the system, though, I really didn't like the way the fan control was handled by the ECU, so I went with the SPAL fan controller. Two days ago, I removed it, and went back to the factory system with the addition of a switch. Here's why...
We've had two 'failures' with the SPAL device. On two different occasions, several months apart, it failed to turn on the cooling fans, allowing the scoot to go 'limp home mode'. I have no idea what the issue was...the device was powered on, and the indicator light was flashing, but said flashing did not seem to correspond to any of the published error code information. Each time, turning off the scoot, waiting for the device to power down, and restarting the scoot fixed it...fans worked, no further issues. I should note that each time it did this was when she was coming off of extended highway riding...we were pulling into gas stations each time, and as the forward motion stopped, the heat rose, as would be expected if the fans were not working. Also, no other mods were done, no wiring tampered with, no set points adjusted...nothing I could tie to the failure.
After this last episode, I started looking into a way to know this was happening, and a way to address it. The SPAL does have a lead which will ground a status light, so condition is available, sort of...when everything is normal, and the fans are not running, the light will be in the off state. Unfortunately, this same state would exist if the device failed to power up, had lost power, etc. Not overly useful.
My biggest goal here was to add in some sort of override though, which is when I came across the original post. Unfortunately, with the SPAL wired in, Rleathen's fix doesn't work...the factory wiring harness provides a ground for the fan, so when his method adds power to the other side, the fan runs. The SPAL, however, does not provide a ground until the unit wants to power the fan up. SPAL does provide a lead to force the fans on (like for use with AC in a car) but if the unit is malfunctioning, that likely will not work.
I also could have wired in a DPDT relay, which would isolate the SPAL, allowing me to do a modified Rleathen bypass, but that added another level of complexity. So, I wired the fan back to the factory harness, and added in the Rleathen bypass.
What I really like about this method, vs. others I have seen, is that it effectively isolates every possible source of failure in the factory system except a few feet of wire, and the fan itself. Other bypass methods I've seen use the factory relay (basically providing the same input to it the ECU would have) but that leaves the relay in the system, which has been known to fail.
Here's our new riding protocol: The fan switch remains in the off position most of the time, which allows the ecu to do its thing. On the highway, we seldom see above 4 bars. My wife scans the dash regularly, and if she sees 5 or 6, she flips the switch. Along the same lines, when we know that we will be in stop and go traffic, she also flips the switch. I used a 'keyed power source' so that the fan cannot be left on while the bike is not running, which prevents battery drain. A lighted switch also reminds her to shut it off before starting, just in case she doesn't hear the fan noise. Probably doesn't hurt to have it running during startup, but why put extra strain on the battery.
So far, so good.
And lastly, to anyone thinking of doing the 'grounded switch' like TuckMiddle, it won't work in this application. The Rleathen bypass requires 12v to be sent to the fan...the factory provides the ground. You probably could switch a ground to the factory fan relay, but that leaves the relay in place, and could possibly (though I doubt it) send some sort of error code or cause other ecu issues. With the Rleathen method, the ecu is completely isolated behind the factory relay...it has no way of knowing that the fan has been powered on.
Again, I appologize for grave digging this post, and for the lengthy reply, but hopefully it helps someone down the line.
Toby J
Proud Member of Bikers Against Child Abuse
Maricopa County Chapter, AZ
www.BACAworld.org
I found this via google search, and figure others might as well.
First off, thanks to rleathen for the original post. I had been looking at doing something like this, and his idea is perfect for what I was looking for. First a little background. My wife rides an 08 GS, that has had periodic overheat problems. The first seems to have been due to either a defective or improperly installed cap. While looking at the system, though, I really didn't like the way the fan control was handled by the ECU, so I went with the SPAL fan controller. Two days ago, I removed it, and went back to the factory system with the addition of a switch. Here's why...
We've had two 'failures' with the SPAL device. On two different occasions, several months apart, it failed to turn on the cooling fans, allowing the scoot to go 'limp home mode'. I have no idea what the issue was...the device was powered on, and the indicator light was flashing, but said flashing did not seem to correspond to any of the published error code information. Each time, turning off the scoot, waiting for the device to power down, and restarting the scoot fixed it...fans worked, no further issues. I should note that each time it did this was when she was coming off of extended highway riding...we were pulling into gas stations each time, and as the forward motion stopped, the heat rose, as would be expected if the fans were not working. Also, no other mods were done, no wiring tampered with, no set points adjusted...nothing I could tie to the failure.
After this last episode, I started looking into a way to know this was happening, and a way to address it. The SPAL does have a lead which will ground a status light, so condition is available, sort of...when everything is normal, and the fans are not running, the light will be in the off state. Unfortunately, this same state would exist if the device failed to power up, had lost power, etc. Not overly useful.
My biggest goal here was to add in some sort of override though, which is when I came across the original post. Unfortunately, with the SPAL wired in, Rleathen's fix doesn't work...the factory wiring harness provides a ground for the fan, so when his method adds power to the other side, the fan runs. The SPAL, however, does not provide a ground until the unit wants to power the fan up. SPAL does provide a lead to force the fans on (like for use with AC in a car) but if the unit is malfunctioning, that likely will not work.
I also could have wired in a DPDT relay, which would isolate the SPAL, allowing me to do a modified Rleathen bypass, but that added another level of complexity. So, I wired the fan back to the factory harness, and added in the Rleathen bypass.
What I really like about this method, vs. others I have seen, is that it effectively isolates every possible source of failure in the factory system except a few feet of wire, and the fan itself. Other bypass methods I've seen use the factory relay (basically providing the same input to it the ECU would have) but that leaves the relay in the system, which has been known to fail.
Here's our new riding protocol: The fan switch remains in the off position most of the time, which allows the ecu to do its thing. On the highway, we seldom see above 4 bars. My wife scans the dash regularly, and if she sees 5 or 6, she flips the switch. Along the same lines, when we know that we will be in stop and go traffic, she also flips the switch. I used a 'keyed power source' so that the fan cannot be left on while the bike is not running, which prevents battery drain. A lighted switch also reminds her to shut it off before starting, just in case she doesn't hear the fan noise. Probably doesn't hurt to have it running during startup, but why put extra strain on the battery.
So far, so good.
And lastly, to anyone thinking of doing the 'grounded switch' like TuckMiddle, it won't work in this application. The Rleathen bypass requires 12v to be sent to the fan...the factory provides the ground. You probably could switch a ground to the factory fan relay, but that leaves the relay in place, and could possibly (though I doubt it) send some sort of error code or cause other ecu issues. With the Rleathen method, the ecu is completely isolated behind the factory relay...it has no way of knowing that the fan has been powered on.
Again, I appologize for grave digging this post, and for the lengthy reply, but hopefully it helps someone down the line.
Toby J
Proud Member of Bikers Against Child Abuse
Maricopa County Chapter, AZ
www.BACAworld.org
garb55
New member
You are spot on here...the cooling system was not designed very well. I have looked at options several times, but usually stop before I spend a bunch of time and money on it. We've had it 4 years, and for the most part it has been great, but I know my wife will want something newer before too much longer.
I am glad to see that one of those 'stuff the sensor in the fins' devices is working for you...I considered that as well, and might have to look at it again. Some sort of adjustability, while still having an emergency switch, is likely the way to go.
Toby J
Proud Member of Bikers Against Child Abuse
Maricopa County Chapter, AZ
www.BACAworld.org
wickedicey
New member
Can anyone please provide the install pics for the fan bypass install
40Xshooter
New member
I don't see any pictures!
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