Honda ST1300 Section > Ask A Tech about your Honda ST1300

Overheating issue

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Langers:
I seem to have a significant overheating issue. The other day, getting back onto the freeway after a mild ride through the hills, the engine started surging and wouldn't hold speed. I pulled over and turned the motor off (actually, I think it stalled). I turned the key off and then back on again and noticed the air temp gauge read 50+ degrees. I waited a couple of minutes and tried to head off but the surging returned immediately. The outside temperature was around 33 and I was riding up an incline.
I pulled over into the shade and called the RAA. About an hour or so later the RAA turned up, we chatted about the possibilities and we settled on overheating causing fuel surging. The chap suggested I ride through to Crafers and he'd follow and if no issues we'd leave it at that and I'd head home (a downhill run all the way). There were no issues and I got home ok.
Today I've stripped off all the fairings and found a pretty obvious leak from the water pump inspection hole. I opened the radiator cap and it was full. The overflow tank was empty.
I ran the bike (it idled as per normal) until 3 bars showed on the gauge - I noticed the fans did not come on. I turned it off for a few minutes for things to heat up and then fired the bike up again, ran it for another 5 minutes - again no fans operating.
Any thoughts on this will be appreciated - I'm suspecting the relay may need replacing (the 30amp fuse is fine). I'm also suspecting a new water pump may be in order.
Thanks ... Mark

Brock:
The thermal sensor could have failed, or the bike actually wasnt getting hot...  Did you try opening the fuel cap, there may be a pressure /vacuum relief failure, and the bike wasnt getting fuel through the pump

Langers:
Sorry, I should have mentioned, the first thing I did when I first stopped was open the fuel cap because the surging felt like fuel starvation. Opening the cap made no difference when I took off a few minutes later, the surging started almost immediately. I was looking at the oil level window this afternoon and didn't much like the look of the oil colour. The last oil change was about 6,000 km ago and the oil seemed a bit darker/khaki colour - I do hope I don't have a blown head gasket. When I started the bike up this afternoon with the radiator cap off there was no bubbling but the engine was cold and perhaps the thermostat prevented that disheartening symptom. I'm going to drop the oil tomorrow and have a closer look.

StinkyPete:
Good Luck with that.  :eek    I sure hope your oil is not water contaminated.   :popcorn

Jdbiker:
Hi Langers, sorry to hear of your ST issues. The air temperature gauge on the 1300 only shows the ambient temperature and has no relation to the coolant temperature, the high temperature indicated is quite normal on a hot day, it’s just the radiant heat from the road surface and engine. Did the coolant temperature gauge go past 4 bars or into the H ? Although overheating could have caused the surging and stalling, there are any number other reasons, fuel starvation being the most common. It’s is very unlikely to be a blown head gasket seeing that the radiator was full. Top up the reserve tank and take it for a run, if coolant temperature remains at 3 bars while on the move then overheating is an unlikely cause. A slight leak from the weep hole on the water pump is normal on older models. Hope you have it sorted with no major issue ( not head gasket 😳)
 
Cheers.
JD.

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