Over heating problem?

[zkbuck]

Ok, I have had my 98 GS500EW for about 4 months and don't know much about them. But the problem is that in about 70 degree weather my GS500 over heated on the free way in about an hour and a half, my question is, is this normal for it to happen or what could i possibly do to help this problem? thank you

[xunedeinx]

What do you mean by overheat? What happened?

[twocool]

What do you mean by overheat? What happened?

Yeah, Usually the term "overheated" refers to a watercooled engine...where the coolant begins to boil and turn to steam...............

Sure an air cooled engine can get too hot..but without an oil temp gauge, or cylinder head temp gauge...how would you know??  Unless the engines gets really f'ed up or seizes......either way its not good at all?

Maybe the oil pressure light might come on???


But it sounds like big problems to me!


Cookie

[mister]

As already stated... how do you know it overheated? What Symptoms did you experience that made you think the bike overheated?

I've ridden my bike for over 200 miles in 104 degree heat and has no problems. Ain't no way a GS will overheat in 70 degree temps. Unless something else is wrong and you just think it's overheating.

Michael

[ben2go]

As already stated... how do you know it overheated? What Symptoms did you experience that made you think the bike overheated?

I've ridden my bike for over 200 miles in 104 degree heat and has no problems. Ain't no way a GS will overheat in 70 degree temps. Unless something else is wrong and you just think it's overheating.

Michael

Gotta agree here.I have done close to 500 miles in 99 degree heat without any issues.If the bike truly overheated,then it was running lean.Give us a description of what happened or how the bike preformed when it happened.

[slipperymongoose]

Not to wander too far off topic but what are the signs of the bike overheating? GS is my first bike and never dealt with air cooled before (except the mower n whipper snipper but never had a problem). What do you look or listen out for?

[kml.krk]

when the front fender is starting to melt your bike is running hot

that can seriously happen but I have no idea what is the sign of GS overheating.
I got stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes in 100 degree weather, on my F version and nothing happened.
I didn't notice it running differently either.

So again, what are the symptoms? Why do you think it is overheating?

[Big Rich]

Breaking down the basics, there are 3 things inside an engine: steel, aluminum, and oil. The first thing to fail from heat is the oil- it loses its ability to lubricate properly. Anybody else want to chime in on this?

And without doing the research, I would guess going over the temperature limit on oil a couple times won't do immediate damage. It would be the constant running of "burnt" oil which would do the most damage (toasted bearings). Like I said though, that's all just a guess.

[twocool]

when the front fender is starting to melt your bike is running hot

that can seriously happen but I have no idea what is the sign of GS overheating.
I got stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes in 100 degree weather, on my F version and nothing happened.
I didn't notice it running differently either.

So again, what are the symptoms? Why do you think it is overheating?

notice "zbuck" has not responded to any of our questions about his symptoms!!

But I am a long time VW "bug" man.......air cooled engines......also a long time airplane guy...air cooled engines....

The symptoms of  aircooled engine overheating are....

High and increasing oil temperature....about 185 to 195 is "normal"   going into well up into the 200's is bad


High oil temp will begin to cause low oil pressures  (idiot lite on GS)

High cylinder head temperatures....indicating insuffecient air cooling

High exhaust gas temperatures....too lean mixture

Beyond this..things get really bad...

Engine will begin to run rough....begining to "seize" due to break down of lubrication,  Things will warp like heads, valves etc.......things will wear really fast due to lack of lube....  engine will slow down due to excess friction


An overheated or overheating aircooled engine will have a very distinct "smell" to it......sort of a hot metal, burnt oil distinct smell...............

A too hot aircooled engine will make a lot of funny noises after it is shut down.....this is the metal parts which warped due to overheating...sort of re warping back into sort  of original shape...this is like a metalic ping, or boink sort of noises..

One nice thing about water cooled engines is that the coolant boils off before the engine completly overheats, so you have a little warning and can shut down........water cooled engines usually overheat due to a problem in the water cooling system...like bad thermostat, or bad water pump or leak / low coolant....

The only  time I ever had a VW bug overheat is when the generator belt broke, which runs the cooling air fan, which ducts the cool air over the cylinders..............it overheated in less than 2 minutes!   Only airplane cooling problems I ever had was due to poor air flow over the cylinders....due to steep climb or poorly designed cowling and air ducting...


Cookie

[ben2go]

When the GS overheats,the aluminum piston expands faster than the steel cylinder choking off oil, and eventually seizing the piston.This usually ends with a spun rod bearing and/or a broken rod or piston.

[zkbuck]

sorry for the late notice i got really busy and wasn't able to check the form, anyways the symptoms were that the Tac gage would idol at about 4000rpm and also the bike completely shut down when i was about 4 miles from my destination. is this an over heating problem or is something else wrong?

[xunedeinx]

Mixture issue? Lean caused by starvation bc of the petcock?

[ben2go]

sorry for the late notice i got really busy and wasn't able to check the form, anyways the symptoms were that the Tac gage would idol at about 4000rpm and also the bike completely shut down when i was about 4 miles from my destination. is this an over heating problem or is something else wrong?

Sounds like a bad frame petcock.Try running on PRI(prime).If it works,replace it. http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=56352.0

Be aware that the GS fuel tank can not empty all the fuel out of it.It will retain between half to one gallon of fuel,and will not be able to run.

[sledge]

Petcock??......Again?? 

To the OP
Your problem could be down to several things and before you waste money on parts you might not need and time replacing them you need to adopt a systematic approach and eliminate the possible causes in a methodical way. High idle??? First make sure the carbs are not loose in the mounting boots, that the boots are in good condition and not cracked or perished and that no air is being drawn in between the boots and the carbs. Engine cuts out?? Could be fuel or electrical, next time it cuts out pull one of the plugs lay it on the head and see if its sparking when the engine turns over on the starter and go from there.

These are commin faults with the GS5 and all been covered in here many times before, do a search if you need to know more.

Of course you could just go and buy a new petcock in the hope it sorts the problem out but I wouldnt.....at least not until I had ruled a few other things out first.

[ben2go]

Petcock??......Again?? 

To the OP
Your problem could be down to several things and before you waste money on parts you might not need and time replacing them you need to adopt a systematic approach and eliminate the possible causes in a methodical way. High idle??? First make sure the carbs are not loose in the mounting boots, that the boots are in good condition and not cracked or perished and that no air is being drawn in between the boots and the carbs. Engine cuts out?? Could be fuel or electrical, next time it cuts out pull one of the plugs lay it on the head and see if its sparking when the engine turns over on the starter and go from there.

These are commin faults with the GS5 and all been covered in here many times before, do a search if you need to know more.

Of course you could just go and buy a new petcock in the hope it sorts the problem out but I wouldnt.....at least not until I had ruled a few other things out first.

I should have thought through the issue more before posting,sorry bout that.I know better.I was half awake.It just seems like every time a GS I work on has problems,it's the petcock or dirty carbs.I won't even talk about low fuel level.


zkbuck,also check your fuel cap and clean it.The GS sucks air into the tank through the fuel cap so the fuel tank won't air lock and prevent fuel from running down into the carbs.Another issue is fuel filters,some become a restriction and cause stalling and lean conditions.I test my bikes without one and then add one back in.Any motorcycle dealer has them for just a few dollars.

Here is another one of my write ups that will help.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41061.0

[ojstinson]

I remember the biggest problem with the old VW Air Cooled engine was the burning of the exhaust valves, especially on those under powered "Flower Child" vans. The valves seemed to be in constant need of adjustment. The good news was you could remove, rebuild, and replace the engine in an afternoon. Thinking back, I don't think there was ever a more abused and neglected engine than that old AC flat four.

[ben2go]

Cookie, I remember the biggest problem with the old VW Air Cooled engine was the burning of the exhaust valves, especially on those under powered "Flower Child" vans. The valves seemed to be in constant need of adjustment. The good news was you could remove, rebuild, and replace the engine in an afternoon.

Ahhh 

[ojstinson]

It's true ben, just a little old timers nostalgia.-----BTW, where did it say Att. ben?

[ben2go]

It's true ben, just a little old timers nostalgia.-----BTW, where did it say Att. ben?

I used to be an air cooled VW mechainic.My friend, and shop owner,closed the doors back in August of last year.We scraped seven cars because the owners wouldn't pay for services rendered or refused to have their vehicles towed home.Not very many old air cooled vee dubs left around here.Those that have them expect to pay 1970's prices for parts and service.Restorers have driven up demand which drove up prices.We're going out like black and white TV sets.

[zkbuck]

thank you everyone, i'll give these fixes a try this weekend. i should also prolly mention that the bike has 32,000 miles on it if that could be part of the problem