Fans ON = YES Thermostat.... Possibly... didn't get that far as we needed to drain the system down to see. Possible pump fail or blocked radiator. Header tanks at both ends at 99°C, core at under 52°C. Note this machine only overheats at tickover or in town and not when in spirited riding mode. Anyone know of a good source for a cheaper (than Ducati) radiator? three hours spent chatting... found a few other issues, but failed to resolve this one. Thanks for the
Really appreciate your time mate, great insight into the Multi, thanks again. Nice ride back, will keep you updated with the Ducati diagnosis.
I've been thinking about this more and I don't think it's the radiator core collapsed.. Logic would say that the lack of heat in in the core is due to circulation at tick over, The heat generated during higher revs is much greater, not less. This bike doesn't over heat during a normal run. I think the water isn't flowing at low revs, but obviously does at higher revs. Is it possible for the pump to slip? Does the thermostat have a bypass at higher revs? I've never actually taken these bits of a Mutley apart before, can someone shed some light please.
Yes. But given the huge amount of heat being generated by a full revving engine with that poor a flow it would over heat for sure. At idle there is a 50°C heat differential header tank (both left and right) to core... that shouldn't be possible.... note I measure a lot of radiators on a daily basis.
I thinking slipping at tickover, then gripping when you rev it.... should have checked this.... damn.... Rob...sorry dude... never thought to give it beans, as it was already really hot.
pull the thermostat, v,easy to check, personnaly i would renew it anyway, assuming it doesn't cost the earth. the rads easy to check once removed also. are the fans running up to full speed?
@finm using an infra red camera I can see temperature as colour. As you can see I think I've found the problem. The Mutley has special paint that disguised this "hardly able to" as a Ducati. And as we all know they are the most effective machine to turn petrol energy into noise and heat without the byproduct of Bhp.
yip, a salesman tried to sell me one of those. fin, he say ram it. fingers are great, they have heat sensing receptors and everything,
Seriously though the core isn't hot at tick over, but both headers are at 99, if the core was blocked he'd have blown an engine. The radiator is able to receive and displace heat when on the move..... Air in the pump? Pump slipping at tick over? Please someone help with real world wisdom to stop me theorising?
they have already, no mention of running or starting issues, no mention of water loss or excessive pressure in the system. no mention of recent coolant change so i guess its not an air lock. leaves you with three things. thermostat, water pump fins corroded or becoming detached when hot, blocked radiator.
or, a faulty coolant sensor/wiring. thats where yer tool will come in handy, but a multimeter will work to.
The sensor is reading correctly and accuracy was amazing. If the radiator core was blocked, even partially physics dictate that the overheating would be worse at higher revs, remember it's not getting heat to dissipate. No recent coolant change, it's pink and it's not loosing water. No starting issues relating to water (red switch is iffy and needs replacing). No excessive steam at starting. I'm going with a thermostat staying shut until higher water flow opens it and/ or pump efficiency compromised.
Ok, my 998 suffered with exactly this same issue and symptoms, terrorising me every time I rode in traffic, helplessly watching the needle creep higher and higher only to cool down again on the open road. Eventually one of the head gaskets failed which meant a trip back to the agent and a warranty repair. The cause was diagnosed as a faulty thermostat, restricting water flow and subsequent gasket failure. It's a 998 so it still runs hot, but as I only use it on track it no longer causes me stress. Get the thermostat out and checked/replaced before the inevitable damage occurs and then fit a temperature sensor with a lower activation point if you are still concerned.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys - will try and get my hands on a replacement thermostat and see if that resolves the problem. Ducati Ayelsbury suspect radiator replacement required - that's just a chat with the service mgr though - approx 700 quid.
There were some cheap Chinese rads doing the rounds on 848 & 1098 models (they used to crack at the mount). They were used fine, and much cheaper than oem. I would take a look for one of them if required.
