Overheating

[chapindad]

How do you know?

[Alf]

With an oil thermometer fitted in the cranckcase oil fill hole. Cheap on eBay. 80º to 100 º is ok.

[DailyDriver]

Overheating not common. However, without the benefit of an oil temp. gauge you can get a good indication if your engine starts to spit and sputter. You may feel a bit more heat than usual while sitting still but that may be it's just hotter than normal, not overheating.

If you're driving around town in a hot day, your engine may run hotter than usual but it shouldn't be a problem. If you're waiting in traffic or stop lights for long periods of time, you might pick up the sent of hot oil burning off the engine block, something you don't normally experience.

FWIW: Ways to avoid is to split traffic if allowed where you live, i.e. keep your bike moving. If doing a high speed run through the desert in mid July/August and you sense it's overheating, back off the throttle and pull the choke knob out, (i.e. fuel enricher). That'll let more fuel into the cylinders and cool things off a little. Ensure your oil cooler is not blocked by dirt and debris and the cooling fins are not mashed together, blocking air flow across the cooler.

[jykkeh]

Overheating, oh no, i know what that is, it is one cylinder head with cracks between valvels.

[chapindad]

Thanks for the info.  I am now a daily driver on it again and the south can be hot at times. With summer around the corner I just wanted to know what to watch out for when I am riding.  I checked and we can not slit lanes which is a bummer.  I will just find longer alternate routes if traffic jams become a problem.  I may put on a new oil cooler when RPM sells them just to be safe.

[cadmanmadman]

I live in Boston and it sometimes gets above freezing in the dead of summer. I have an oil temp gage and on a hot day in traffic I have seen the gage go to 260 - 280 Deg F I can even tell without looking at the gage. I can feel the heat wafting up.

In my humble opinion, I think that may be a bit hot. You also have to consider that the previous owner fitted a larger oil cooler to the bike. Considering where I live and the fact that I have an oversize oil cooler, I think the guys that live in the warmer southern states have a problem.

Oversize oil cooler and a temp gage would be a minimum requirement.

[ribbert]

In Southern Australia (Melbourne) Summer temps are routinely mid to high 30's C and low 40's not uncommon. I got caught out in a jam with no escape, not even footpaths, in 42C (107F)  on an already hot motor and cooked it. $1300 a re-bore and pistons later it still overheats very easily. Even in cold weather, coming into town from the open road with nice hot oil it only takes a couple of red lights in a row and I can feel and smell the heat and by the next lights the clutch is starting to chatter on take off and it nips up when I turn it off and needs to sit for 5 mins. On a hot day I cannot ride in shorts (yeah I know!) because of the radiated heat even while moving. My short term fix has been to modify my riding habits ie. avoid city and general use around town, richen the mixtrue by raising the needles and running synthetic oil.  I'm hanging out for Randy's new oil cooler. Have a look at the size of the oil cooler on  recent Jap air cooled 4's of similar displacement, they're huge by comparison.
Noel

[cadmanmadman]

Ribbert: Your experience does not surprise me and there is no reason to have to live with it. I bet if you get a bigger oil cooler your probs will be solved. Not a major job to do either!

[Pat Conlon]

Ester based synthetic oil is good, Bigger oil coolers are good, when air is flowing......

I keep saying, The key to a cooler running air cooled FJ motor in hot weather climates is...JETTING.

40.0 min. or 42.5 pilot jets at low rpms, and shimmed/raised needles at mid rpms.

FJ's ran lean the day they rolled off the production line. The USA versions more-so.   I'll get down off my soapbox now.

As you were.

[chapindad]

I guess I will have to figure how to do that this summer. 

[Arnie]

I checked and we can not slit  lanes which is a bummer.  I will just find longer alternate routes if traffic jams become a problem.

I think what you MEAN to say is that you cannot SPLIT lanes LEGALLY.  Even if this is the case, it is very difficult for a cop to chase and catch you doing this in a car.  Its a rare cop that would bother when there are so many other fish in the sea to fill their quota creel with. :-/
I can understand that you would choose to extend the joy of riding your FJ by finding alternate longer routes, but in some locations all the routes are clogged (Melbourne as an example).

Cheers,
Arnie

[andyb]

Cops around here all have permanent HD cameras going.  Better not have your plates showing, and better not take the same route routinely, or you'll end up with a knock on your door one day.

[Klavdy]

Ester based synthetic oil is good, Bigger oil coolers are good, when air is flowing......

I keep saying, The key to a cooler running air cooled FJ motor in hot weather climates is...JETTING.

40.0 min. or 42.5 pilot jets at low rpms, and shimmed/raised needles at mid rpms.

FJ's ran lean the day they rolled off the production line. The USA versions more-so.   I'll get down off my soapbox now.

As you were.

Bah!
What would you know about hot weather.

Oh, wait, you mean like the day we rode to Joshua Tree?

[Kopfjaeger]

I checked and we can not slit  lanes which is a bummer.  I will just find longer alternate routes if traffic jams become a problem.

I think what you MEAN to say is that you cannot SPLIT lanes LEGALLY.  Even if this is the case, it is very difficult for a cop to chase and catch you doing this in a car.  Its a rare cop that would bother when there are so many other fish in the sea to fill their quota creel with. :-/
I can understand that you would choose to extend the joy of riding your FJ by finding alternate longer routes, but in some locations all the routes are clogged (Melbourne as an example).

Cheers,
Arnie

Had the joy of following qld's finest on his bike down ipswich motor way in the push bike lane doin 80 or so... while there was a major traffic jam...no disco lights on or anything... good for him good for me.....

[Pat Conlon]

Bah!
What would you know about hot weather?
Oh, wait, you mean like the day we rode to Joshua Tree?

Yea, that was a toasty ride. What was it, something like 127* that day? (52.7c)  IIRC Even the park rangers commented on the temp.
I left home that day without my trusty Camelback, a big, big mistake.  Never again.  Although the Bike ran well.....