2014 engine temperature gauge

[cakeboy]

I have noticed that my engine temperature gauge on my 2014 is not very constant. I can be going along at 60mph and its reading in the 80,s then when doing 70-80mph it drops to 76 . I can be on the motorway on a level stretch of road and one minute its saying 76 then 88 then back to 76 within seconds ..anyone else noticed this ?

 

[Checkswrecks]

The temp sensor has always been like this and there are numerous posts about it. It is not actually the ambient air temp, it is simply the engine airbag temp taken from the need to have it for fuel injection.

 

[cakeboy]

No no not on about air temperature reading , i know that can be all over the place i,m on about the actual temperature of the engine .

 

[Dogdaze]

I believe it's down to engine exposure, on a car for example the engine has a bonnet/ hood so when it reaches optimum temp it pretty much maintains that, the fan kicks in and cools it down if it over heats, bigger rad, more efficient fan and placement of rad. Also, modern cars tend to have oil temp, that stay more consistence and being analogue is not being subject to scrutiny. I see the benefit of the temp gauge for the engine on a bike, but not the water temp, at times it can be distracting and way too much fluctuation. I would not worry about it, as long as sitting in traffic you can hear the fan kicking on, all is good.

 

[LJM]

On my 2014 the temp gauge didn't work like that. It reads what I would say accurate if I'm stuck in traffic it will go up slowly to about 220 & then fan kicks in then it slowly drops and then after I get rolling it will drop to wherever and stay there. Out on the open road it will vary with engine RPM, speed and air temp but if everything stays constant the temp gauge didn't vary much at all.

 

[Yamaray]

In traffic my fan comes on at 105 and goes off at 100, I tend to alter the dash to the temp reading in traffic, then go back to mileage when moving

yamaray

 

[Checkswrecks]

No no not on about air temperature reading , i know that can be all over the place i,m on about the actual temperature of the engine .

Sorry, I thought you meant air temp.


For water temp, the top of that range is about the temp of the thermostat. Depending on your circumstances, the range could be a bit low and if it jumps around it could be an indication that the thermostat has some stickiness. Of course, if you in the UK are having colder weather, you ride short hops, etc, then there may be a good reason for the lower temps.


I wouldn't rush to do anything but if it continues and you are concerned then you might consider replacing the thermostat the next time you are doing other maintenance.

 

[cakeboy]

Yea i think if it keeps doing it next service i,ll mention this to them as its still under warranty cheers.

 

[Don in Lodi]

This Celsius vs Fahrenheit... ::025::

 

[Koinz]

Just a suggestion. Make sure you have some coolant in the overflow/expansion bottle. If your radiator is low on coolant you could get fluctuations like that.

When the engine is cold, coolant will be drawn back into the radiator and the overflow should be at the lower line at a minimum. Engine hot, between the lines or at the top line.

Also make sure the overflow/expansion hose and cap are closed correctly.

Temperature sensors don't work well with steam and you'll get erratic readings.

 

[bigbob]

stupid question time, where is the overflow bottle?


I know I should look in the manual, but I do not remember ever seeing one, and I have had most of the covers off.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Down low, above the swing arm, in front of the rear tire. A white plastic bottle.

 

[tomatocity]

Down low, above the swing arm, in front of the rear tire. A white plastic bottle.

...partially filled with coolant

 

[Calst05]

I just noticed the same behavior today, my coolant temp was bouncing between 158-172 and changing rapidly every few seconds for a while. Strange....

 

[EricV]

I just noticed the same behavior today, my coolant temp was bouncing between 158-172 and changing rapidly every few seconds for a while. Strange....

This can mean air in the system. The coolant is boiling and/or the sensor is in air instead of coolant. You might want to, when the bike is cool, remove or open the cap to the first notch, then fire the bike up and let it warm to full operating temps before closing the cap again. It would be a good idea to check the coolant level in the overflow bottle and radiator as well.

In regards to the OP, which is a couple of years ago, when asking questions about displayed temperatures, it's important to correctly identify which reading you are asking questions about. There is no "engine temp" read out. If you don't know what the temp is measuring, it's going to be understandably difficult to help with causative factors. We have coolant temp and ambient air temp, which is really a calculated figure based on the airbox temp sensor. And while I'm at it, the oil light is a low oil level light, not a low oil pressure light.