[basstodave]

I live in the AZ desert. I have noticed a couple of drips of what I think is coolant on the bash plate from the overflow hose? First time in 29000 miles on my 2007 Wee.
The temp gauge never goes above 3 bars. Coolant tank full. Flushed and filled about 5000 miles ago.
When will the radiator cooling fan come on?
How can I tell if it is on if I am riding and not at a stop light?
I remember hearing it once 3 years ago at a stop light in traffic at temps above 100 degrees F. It was quite noticeable.
How can I test the performance of the fan without dissasembly or sophisticated tools? I realize the fan has a temp sensor (2) and there are a couple potential issues if it isn't working properly. Can I *force* the fan to come on by some simple method to make sure it is operational?
Thanks for any help.

 

[farmerlou]

My fan seldom comes on and it gets to 100 plus here in the summer. I doubt that the fan ever comes on when at speed. For the drip I would make sure all the hose clamps are snug, but not over tight. I would also inspect all the hoses.

 

[BruceP]

There is also a 'drain' leading from the waterpump down.... are you sure it is not this hose which is weeping?

Waterpump is on right side of engine towards front. The weep hose runs along the bottom of the pump-housing and down beside the oil-filter.

 

[basstodave]

There is also a 'drain' leading from the waterpump down.... are you sure it is not this hose which is weeping?

Waterpump is on right side of engine towards front. The weep hose runs along the bottom of the pump-housing and down beside the oil-filter.

Yes, that is the hose I am looking at. It's definitely next to the oil filter. Can you explain what this hose is for?

 

[Skew]

Temp info from 2011 Wee

My 2011 Wee temp is always at 4 bars once it gets warmed up. My fan comes on at long stoplights and when I am sitting still for any more than a couple min. It has been like this since I got it. Does not concern me though. Glad fan is working and it has never went above 4 bars.

 

[Chuck_U_Farley]

My Wee never goes above 3 bars even on 100+ days running 80mph indicated during my commute.(75miles X 2). Never had the fan come on either so I hope its functional. Just curious Skew have you checked your coolant level?

 

[CJH]

My Wee never goes above 3 bars even on 100+ days running 80mph indicated during my commute.(75miles X 2). Never had the fan come on either so I hope its functional. Just curious Skew have you checked your coolant level?

Same here, my fan has never come on and I have never seen more than 3 bars on the temp gauge. It has been a hot summer here as well. I have never changed the coolant and I would guess it's original. I should probably change it out over the winter.

 

[Skew]

I have checked coolant level in both radiator and overflow. Got this wee new in April. Just did 4000 mile maint, and plugs all look good. I have been averaging over 50 mpg and interstate speeds around here are 70mph and lots of traffic moves 80 to 85. It is possible that I may have diluted coolant or old coolant. I know my wee sat on the floor a while before I bought it. Well at least since the 2011s arrived untill April. :mrgreen: Have not had any issues so far. Very nice ride. If anyone else has a 2011 where does your temp guage settle down at. I would have expected it to sit at 3 but mine sits at 4. The first Wee Strom I ever looked at was a 2009 and its temp guage sat at 3 bars.

 

[Midnight]

I have an '11 with about 2500 kms on it now. The temp guage shows 3 bars 99% of the time. On a recent cold day it ran at 2 bars for while, but eventually hit 3. I haven't see 4 bars yet

I have had the fan come on a couple of times that I can recall. Most recently was last weekend. I'd been riding for about 45 minutes, and then made the bad decision to do a little off-roading. I ended up stuck at one point, and had to do a 3-point turn (more like 30) to get turned around. During that process I was almost completely stopped, with the engine running, and I heard the fan engage. It stopped a few moments later once I got moving again.

 

[kugeln]

I'd never heard my cooling fan come on in the 12,000 miles I've put on it since I purchased it second hand--then after finally did my valve check at 23.5k miles (and draining/removing the radiator, including disconnecting the fan and fan switch) it has suddenly started operating.

I suspect the fan switch contacts were oxidized enough to not make a good connection or something because I cleaned them and reassembled all connectors I touched with dielectric grease.

It has been in the 100s here lately, but in the past 2 years, this was the first time I'd seen/heard the fan run. And this was after I'd purged the air from the cooling system too.

 

[Chuck_U_Farley]

I'd never heard my cooling fan come on in the 12,000 miles I've put on it since I purchased it second hand--then after finally did my valve check at 23.5k miles (and draining/removing the radiator, including disconnecting the fan and fan switch) it has suddenly started operating.

I suspect the fan switch contacts were oxidized enough to not make a good connection or something because I cleaned them and reassembled all connectors I touched with dielectric grease.

It has been in the 100s here lately, but in the past 2 years, this was the first time I'd seen/heard the fan run. And this was after I'd purged the air from the cooling system too.

"dielectric grease" on the connect housings or electrodes?

 

[BruceP]

Yes, that is the hose I am looking at. It's definitely next to the oil filter. Can you explain what this hose is for?

OK - so it is your waterpump "weep hose" which is dripping. Although I have never had my waterpump off to look at it closely, I suspect this hose drains off antifreeze which sneaks past the waterpump shaft seal. (so it does not get into the oil)

As I recall from the engine diagrams, the waterpump-shaft has 2 seals on it.
1) sealing the oil
2) sealing the antifreeze

This hose terminates BETWEEN the 2 seals so if either the oil-seal or the antifreeze-seal leaks, the hose will drain off the fluid.

Hence, I would suspect your waterpump seal may be leaking.

 

[Skew]

Sounds like my Wee is a little Hot natured. Should I be concerned? Are there any actions I should take besides checking coolant levels. Does the Wee have a thermostat that I may need to replace to lower temps?

 

[farmerlou]

Sounds like my Wee is a little Hot natured. Should I be concerned? Are there any actions I should take besides checking coolant levels. Does the Wee have a thermostat that I may need to replace to lower temps?

If you are still under waranty, take it to your shop so there is at least a record of this happening at this time.

 

[kugeln]

"dielectric grease" on the connect housings or electrodes?

On the terminals of both sides of the connectors. It doesn't take much for it to do the job. This time I got all of the connections on the radiator shroud, the large interconnect in the left-hand side of the faring, the instrument cluster connection, as well as the fan switch on the radiator.