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how to check is cooling fan works


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Ideally without baking the engine... 

I know 2strokes don't overheat as quickly as 4bangers but when I rode my TXT 250 (2004) the other day in the woods it seemed to be kicking out a fair amount of heat, but without a temp gauge and not managing to find anything in the manual from GasGas I have no idea if my fan works or not.

Is there way to test polarity/resistance with a multimeter?   

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You could try holding a thermometer against the cylinder head as this in theory will be the hottest part save for the exhaust port area. You can buy for about £14 a multi-meter with thermo probe attachment which is very useful. Alternatively you could temporarily remove fan connector and power the fan up or remove temp sensor connector and bridge both terminals in the wire connector, this should run fan. Before you do all of this make sure the fan is free to turn and not trapped by a dislodged cover etc.

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I would suspect that your fan is a 12V DC unit. It may state that on a label if present. If you can isolate the connections to the fan motor (i.e., break the power and ground connections) you should be able to power it from a external source (say a 12VDC automotive-type battery).

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11 hours ago, oni nou said:

Hello Nebulous yes it is important that your rad fins are not all mashed up

I avoid this by jet washing from a distance so the full power of the water stream isn't bending my fins. 

My 600 has an ally rad and the find are super easy to bend. 

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2 hours ago, Nebulous said:

I just wondered , how much leeway have I got before it becomes an issue? A new rad being just over a hundred squids.  When a bike is idling and stationery  - does it matter that airflow is restricted?      

Well as you pointed out there isn't a lot of air flow over the rad fins when stationary - unless you aim it upwind - however the main idea of a rad is increased surface area to facilitate cooling by heat transfer, so long as the ambient temp is less than the rad temp via the magic of thermodynamics, specifically heat transfer rates, the flow of the coolant around the engine and through the rad will still aid in cooling your motor. Your pump is circulating coolant through the rad all the time it's running.

Air flow over the rad simply makes this transfer more efficient. 

The level of impediment posed by a few few bent fins would be so insignificant that it would be beyond regular measurement.  If the rad is very damaged however, ~60% of the fins surface area is damaged - then you would see a decrease in thermal transfer which could lead to overheating. 

2 hours ago, Nebulous said:

The prevalence of high-pressure powerwashes outside of industrial deep-cleaning , high-volume car-valeting ,sewer-work or patio freshening - is just overkill , and just the sort of male-posturing that got this world into the mess it’s currently in!

I wouldn't necessarily disagree with that, I use powerwashers sparingly on bikes as it's quite easy to blow water past things like carb seals, brake caliper pistons. and electrics and cause damage.  

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