radiator fan not running

[Zeotz]

my bike is overheating because the fan is not running. i checked the relay by swapping it to the fuel pump relay, and it didnt work. so I thought its the relay thats burnt and i bought a new relay, fitted it to the fan terminal. still fan not running (overheating). i swapped again the new relay to the fuel pump terminal and found that the new relay is also busted (unless I was unlucky to have bought a faulty relay?).

anyone here can help me further troubleshoot please. does it sound like a short somewhere?

 

[Triple Trouble]

Do you have TuneEcu? If so you can run a check with it. It might be that the relays are not compatible. Possibilities are the temp sensor in the rad is malfunctioning or with all the work done the wiring may have been disconnected and not reattached.

 

[Zeotz]

Do you have TuneEcu? If so you can run a check with it. It might be that the relays are not compatible. Possibilities are the temp sensor in the rad is malfunctioning or with all the work done the wiring may have been disconnected and not reattached.

i dont have tuneECU at the moment (I am ordering the obd cable to connect to my phone the the bluetooth one i have is not compatible with tuneECU)

i got the relay from triumph agent here, but i have just checked the wiring diagram on the relay again if they are indeed compatible . have look at the pics of the relay; omron is the new relay. I noticed that there is a slight difference in the wiring diagram. also when i test resistance between the point 85-86; on the new relay its 0Ohm and on the original one is infinite (the one that is working which I took from the fuel pump relay). does it mean its incompatible?

if the temp sensor in the rad is malfunctioning, would it still be able to show the overheating light on the instrument cluster?

 

[rocketjohn]

The way the diagrams read they should be compatible, but there is a diode in there somewhere on each and diodes only read resistance in one direction, and infinite in the other direction. Try swapping the leads and read again. Read the other the same way, and see if you get a readable resistance with one polarity and infinity with the opposite polarity. That said, it is not uncommon for temperature sensors to die, so make that your next avenue of attack, once you are sure you have a functioning relay.

 

[DEcosse]

... i have just checked the wiring diagram on the relay again if they are indeed compatible ....

No they are different;
the original has a series diode in line with the coil plus a resistor in parallel with it;
the replacement has a parallel diode across the coil.
The original is specifically designed to give maximum protection to the ECU.

... also when i test resistance between the point 85-86; on the new relay its 0Ohm and on the original one is infinite (the one that is working which I took from the fuel pump relay)....

The reason you are measuring 'infinite' is because of the series diode - you will find that if you reverse the probes, you WILL read forward resistance.
The reason you are measuring '0' on the new one is because your scale is too high - you should really be getting something like about 85 ohms

Anyway - if still didn't work after you swapped with Fuel Pump it is almost certainly NOT the relay!

First check should be Fuse # 7
Take voltmeter and put black probe on battery negative
Take red probe and touch it to the metal tabs on the top of the fuse - you should have 12V on BOTH of the metal tabs even with ignition off.

 

[Zeotz]

No they are different;
the original has a series diode in line with the coil plus a resistor in parallel with it;
the replacement has a parallel diode across the coil.
The original is specifically designed to give maximum protection to the ECU.


The reason you are measuring 'infinite' is because of the series diode - you will find that if you reverse the probes, you WILL read forward resistance.
The reason you are measuring '0' on the new one is because your scale is too high - you should really be getting something like about 85 ohms


First check should be Fuse # 7
Take voltmeter and put black probe on battery negative
Take red probe and touch it to the metal tabs on the top of the fuse - you should have 12V on BOTH of the metal tabs even with ignition off.

One the original relay, correct, reversing the probes shows forward ohms.

on the new relay ... its always showing 0.000 ohms regardless the scale i used.


"Anyway - if still didn't work after you swapped with Fuel Pump it is almost certainly NOT the relay!"
sorry to ask to clarify ... means the relay is certainly not compatible. or that the relay is certainly not the cause of the fan not running?

I checked fuse #7, its 12v on either tab.

I also checked the tabs on the relay terminal (harness side) across 85-86, and its also showing 12V. (but the fan didnt turn on)

 

[Zeotz]

That said, it is not uncommon for temperature sensors to die, so make that your next avenue of attack, once you are sure you have a functioning relay.

would you know if the temperature sensor died, would it still show a red warning light on the instrument cluster? does it use a different sensor to activate the instrument cluster warning light?

maybe what I need to do is to check if the fan is actually working. is there an easy way to test the fan is working?

 

[warp9.9]

Just a quick question. Has any work been done to it? That might make someone unplug the fan from the harness. And did you confirm its plugged in?

 

[Zeotz]

Just a quick question. Has any work been done to it? That might make someone unplug the fan from the harness. And did you confirm its plugged in?

i did some work on the ignition switch 2 weeks ago because it was giving some bad connection. removed it and cleaned it. i dont think i consciously unplugged the fan from the harness. only unplugged the ignition switch harness at the front left. is the fan harness plug in that area too? i might have to check again to see if i might have unplugged it, but that will have to be in a week's time. travelling out of town soon.

 

[DEcosse]

on the new relay ... its always showing 0.000 ohms regardless the scale i used.

It can't be zero.

..sorry to ask to clarify ... means the relay is certainly not compatible. or that the relay is certainly not the cause of the fan not running?

The relay not the cause of the problem
Incidentally the new relay will 'work' from a test perspective, just does not give the same order of protection as does the original.

I checked fuse #7, its 12v on either tab.
I also checked the tabs on the relay terminal (harness side) across 85-86, and its also showing 12V. (but the fan didnt turn on)

I presume you mean you got 12V across those terminals when you expected the fan should be running ? (you would not get 12V there if the bike was cold, or even normal running temp)
Regardless, if the Fuse is good and you get 12V across the coil then you should have 12V out on pin 87 (your next check)
If you do then fan is almost certainly either simply unplugged or bad.
(if it was jammed or burned up however you would have expected Fuse 7 to be open)