Engine Overheating FZ6-N 2004

[raduph]

Hello fellow FZ6 owners. As this is my first post I would first like to say hello to everyone and wish you all as many miles/kms without problems as you can carry.

Now, down to bussines.
As the title suggests, my engine "seems" to be overheating, I've had it for about 2 months now, and recently I have started smelling that specific scent when something is overheating, sort of what the clutch smells when you force it. Now, my confusion is from this, the LCD ranges between 2 bars and 4 bars when idling at traffic lights, 2-3 while on the open road, I can hear the fan starting at times so that works. I say seems because I don't get any warnings and the bars never go above 4, dont think I've ever seen a 5.
Even after a short ride I can't touch the caps on the engine, I don't know how to call them in English, the round metal caps on each side of the engine with Yamaha on them, especially the one on the right where the clutch is. They are hot as hell, and the heat is annoying, some poor fellow had a nasty burn when he mounted the bike to see what it feels like in terms of height, I know to stay away from them.

Also the tail is very hot, just above the exhaust pipes, passenger seat is ok but the plastic and headlight are quite hot.

Coolant level is fine, I added some distilled water today close to the full line, it was kind of at the middle before. I don't know what coolant was in it as that's how the bike came and I haven't changed it yet, there are no capable mechanics for moto where I live and I have to drive out to another city...

Engine oil is ok, it has 3000 km with this oil change and level is fine also the composition and color, at least I think it is. After a fast launch when trying to shift to second above 9k rpm or around that mark, sometimes it makes a loud repeating clunk noise and refuses to shift to second until I slow down, I think that might be because of the oil so I don't know.

This is my first bike plus I'm not a very technical guy when it comes to engines and mechanics so bear with me if my issues or questions seem stupid.

One last thing, when running at decent speeds, over 50 km/h there is a ticking sound, sort of, that goes away if I pull on the clutch and I have no idea where that's from.

Im asking all this because the only other bike I've ridden is the school one and a friend's 919 Hornet and his does not heat like that, after riding with him in the same pace (~100km/h) his engine is cool and on my caps I can boil an egg.

Sorry for the long post, maybe you can put my mind at rest with a few of these issues.

Kudos,
R.

Forgot to mention the bike has 50k kms atm.

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to our great family!

If you're doing a lot of idling the bike can get warm. It doesn't sound like it's overheating though. Depending on stop n go conditions and ambient temps it can show different temps.

Make sure you have a 50/50 mix in your cooling system. Most coolants come pre-mixed 50/50. If you don't know how old the coolant is then drain the system and refill with fresh coolant. Coolants can break down over time and be less efficient.

Again Welcome!

 

[ChevyFazer]

+1 on what he said, from the sound of it it seems fine. With the fz6 especially if you have the stock exhaust the seat and rear of the bike do get pretty hot that is fairly normal. Also the clicking noise you are hearing could be a couple things, the cam chain is fairly loud (normal and your probable cause since when you pull the clutch it goes away) or you chain could be out of adjustment.

And by the way, WELCOME!!!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Welcome! :welcome:

+1 on the above posts.

IMHO, besides the coolant change (pretty simple), I would change the oil and filter as you don't know what's in there. DO NOT USE ENERGY CONSERVING OIL (and IMHO, stick with MC specific oil-not to start an oil thread). You'd be surprised how clean oil can look on the dip stick, then you drain it and its pretty dark/nasty... Cheap insurance...

As noted above the stock muffler does get hot as does the engine. The aluminum frame bolted direct to the engine also acts as a heat sync. If the bars are showing normal, your likely not overheating but fresh coolant will definitly help..

As for your clicking sound, I'd be leaning towards the DRIVE chain needing attention, wether it be a good clean and lube or replacement. Look for ANY KINKS in the chain that DON'T STRAIGHTEN OUT. You should also NOT BE ABLE to pull the chain away from the rear sprocket.

Under the front sprocket cover (3 bolts) is the drive sprocket. The stock Yamaha sprocket has a plastic type ring on it (I believe for vibration/noise reduction). If the sprocket has notches cut in it that matches the chain links, it's SHOT and WILL MAKE NOISE...It shouldn't have any marks that match the chain.

You don't mention the mileage, but a chain, NOT maintained, can fail (and will) in a short period of time. (BTW, mine needed replacement at 12,000 miles as the first owner DID NOT maintain the chain in the first 4,500 miles of its life).

Should you need a shop manual PM me with an e-mail address and year bike and I'll get it to as a PDF file...:thumbup:


And, PLEASE post your results/fix...

 

[yamihoe]

I think you are missing a gear.....mine would do that if i had anything thicker then 10w 30

 

[foxbass]

:welcome: dude

You also mention a hot smell - one thing it could be is chain oil and dirt building up around the drive sprocket under the left cover behind the gear shift rod. The gunk sticks to the engine block and makes quite a stink. Remove the cover (3 small bolts) wash both the cover and everything you can see around the sprocket and the smell will go.
The moment I cleaned mine the stink that wafted up when at the lights stopped.
Good luck.

 

[raduph]

Hello guys,

Thank you for your detailed responses. I will elaborate a bit:

- bike has 52k km atm, i did post an edit when i realised i did not mention it but i guess it did not save.
- i changed the entire transmission kit, chain, drive sprocket, and the bigger one on the rear wheel, with some generic DID stuff, original chain was so messed up the entire bike would wobble (knew this when i bought it). modified the slack a few times so far as the chain has a tendency to get longer with usage especially if new. kit has around 3000km now.
- I have cleaned the tar-like stuff that gathers around the drive sprocket a few times, and because I ride in dusty areas and even rain sometimes I need to lube the chain often and I guess it just grows back fast.

Did a 600km trip yesterday and today and heat on LCD never went past 3 bars (stable) on 30 degrees outside.

I will take your advice and change everything from coolant to oil, and see how it looks after.
Can the lads at an auto shop handle this? There are no moto mechanics in my town.
Also what type of oil do you recommend considering the cold period is comming, type not brand (10w40 etc) and is it worth buying a sport air filter? THe kind you only wash not replace.
Currently also searching for aftermarket exhaust, tried to have it custom made but the guy is charging me double (because we have 2 on the fz6) and does not supply the Y connection needed (stock exhaust is actually 1 element with 2 exits) so that's gonna cost me extra.

Again, sorry about my weird expressions but I don;t know the terms in English sadly.


Will keep you guys posted.

LE: managed to change the coolant this evening, used a 1:1 ratio to prepare it, the already prepared stuff looked really cheap and of an unknown brand at the gas station i went to. Flushed it once with distilled water and it only had a little dirt in it so it will have to do as i ran out of distilled water. After letting it idle and reving it on the spot for about 5 mins it stayed on 2 bars temp all the way through so I guess the old stuff i had was actually water + dirt. Could not find the coolant drain bolt so i had to remove the hose altogether and let it pour out, wobbling the bike from side to side. All in all i think i did a good job, took me 20 mins or so to wrap up and I got a little of it on the 4 exhaust pipes in the front, again dont know the term, and gonna have to deal with the smell until it completely evaporates.
Oh and almost forgot, i can touch the caps now, a bit hot but can hold hand against it for whatever time period. Much, much better than before.

Next up: an oil and filter (if i can find a wrench to remove it) change.
Cheers for the tips!

 

[FinalImpact]

Did you change the oil?
As it looses its properties the temps will climb. I'll speculate that the caps to which you refer are the covers for the stator and clutch. They have the bolts all the way around them. Different oil filter brands can restrict flow too as well as having the wrong weight of oil. Example is someone placing straight 30wt in and running the the engine in cold climates will see the oil temp climb while the coolant remains normal. The added friction of the higher wt oil takes more energy to circulate and that means more friction / heat.

 

[Aymish]

After a fast launch when trying to shift to second above 9k rpm or around that mark, sometimes it makes a loud repeating clunk noise and refuses to shift to second until I slow down, I think that might be because of the oil so I don't know.

Hi everyone this is also my first post I am also suffering a similar problem...I have a 2004 FZ6N and is also my first bike so I'm not sure if this is normal....as raduph has explained I find it difficult to change up from 1st to second after a hard launch...at high rpms it will just go into neutral and if I try and shift up it makes a clicking noise like the teeth of the gears are touching something (sorry for my lack of technical terms) and I can force it in by pushing up hard that makes a large clunk and then functions fine (this all happens with the clutch in fully). Any ideas what I is...or is this normal?

Thanks in advance
Aymish

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Hi everyone this is also my first post I am also suffering a similar problem...I have a 2004 FZ6N and is also my first bike so I'm not sure if this is normal....as raduph has explained I find it difficult to change up from 1st to second after a hard launch...at high rpms it will just go into neutral and if I try and shift up it makes a clicking noise like the teeth of the gears are touching something (sorry for my lack of technical terms) and I can force it in by pushing up hard that makes a large clunk and then functions fine (this all happens with the clutch in fully). Any ideas what I is...or is this normal?

Thanks in advance
Aymish

:welcome: Welcome to the forum!!!


As for your shifting, no, its NOT normal...

Make sure your shifter linkage on the left side (as you sit on the bike) doesn't have the shifter itself, set too low, it can bind up. You'll see a rod with two nuts on the end. One is reverse threaded. Loosen both nuts and you can adjust the shifter up and down.


Per the shop manual, the stock shifter adjustment should be as follows:

The center of the shifter itself should be EVEN with the center of the lower of the two "foot rest bracket" bolts. That would be the rubber mounted plate the left peg attaches to, align with the LOWER MOUNTING BOLT-(the center)

Its also been posted that lubing the heim joints (white spray grease or something similar) under the rubber covers at the ends of that adjustable arm should help as well.

Engine oil type/weight can make a difference as well. Has it been changed recently, preferably to a MC specific oil? (DEFINITLY NOT ENERGY CONSERVING OIL). If its old, unknown, etc, IMHO, I'd change it and the filter, rule out the basic's first...

PLEASE post your results..

 

[Aymish]

That's for your reply Townsend the fluids should all be in good nick as the bike has always been serviced by yamaha and has always had yamahalube and genuine fluids used in the bike...and has had it's major service where all fluids should have been replaced...ill look to the adjustment of the shift lever tomorrow or the day after when I get a chance and will post pics

Thanks
Aymish

 

[raduph]

Quick update, sorry about being so damn late:

Oil and filter changed, fork oil changed also, it was too soft during a hard brake.
Got myself an aftermarket exhaust also and improvised a licence plate holder thanks to a kind stranger that kicked the **** out of my old one while I was inside a store. (didnt see who and didnt piss anyone off so I guess just general hate). Sorted it out with about 2 bucks, compared to the 100+ various producers are asking. Gonna use this until I can find an original at the scrap yard.

Shifting has gotten better but it's not perfect yet, still getting the clunking sound sometimes when shifting to second at around 10k rpm but not as often. Lubed the clutch cable and all the joints of it to no result.

Adjusted chain slack recently as well.

Apart from the ticking noise my issues are mostly gone, I guess a little TLC can fix alot of problems even for bikes.