650 Dakar overheating
 

I am on a trip from Norway to New Zealand. Got to India where there is no BMW service.
A week ago I started getting overheating light signals. Checked the water, cleaned the mud off the front ( pakistani mud) and blew the dirt out of the radiator. Despite that it is slowly getting worse. Now it comes on at 40k. I can slip and rev to 3000+ revs and it goes out for a while.
I saw mention of the drain hole on the left (port)side of the motor which a month earlier started dripping on start up especially ( I was told it was the Cat Converter warming up) and can indicate a failing pump (?).
The pump etc was replaced by the BMW dealer in Tunbridge Wells two months ago.
If I can not resolve I guess it means abandon India, fly to Bangkok for repairs which would be a bugger.
Dak
?c?

Maybe help
 

Hi, maybe no use but I saw an F650 GS/PD on ebay.co.uk The seller details a similar problem and parts replaced. Linzi.

I have heard of water pump issues on your bike.
Still no joy?
Good luck.

ditto what mollydog says .
Just to add that a simple way to check your thermostat is to put it in a pan of boiling water and see if it opens .They can stick shut or open it just depends .
In a hot climate you can run without it ,if it gets cold then block off part of the radiator with cardboard until you can get a new thermostat .
Another thing to do is check the sender unit ,it might be defective and giving an incorrect reading .
Has the bike actually overheated or is it just showing hot on the guage ?

Feedback on overheating
 

Thanks guys. I have some jobs to do, but sincerely appreciate the advice.

Its not overheating all the time. In fact it seldom smells hot....the light comes on after a short time in heavy traffic or at 2000 odd revs ( slow running) and after a clear run or a burst of revs say 3000+ it goes out again.

Dak

My Dakar is doing the same (2005 - 28,000miles) during a few weeks of light local short rides.
There was no perceptable loss of fluid and airways are clear.
First the fan and then the Temperature light come on, sometimes within a mile and a half of a cold start. When the fan is on, the air does not blow significantly hot or warm. The hoses on the left do get hot.
The light goes out later if riding along, but not when filtering along through traffic.

At first I suspected an air lock, so bled some fluid off and topped up. No change. So I thought it is a faulty sensor.

But now it smells 'hot' on the left and there is a slight drip onto the exhaust, so I wonder about the pump and am going to investigate that following Patrick's post. (Hi and Thanks)

I was told that the drain hole is for when the o-ring seals go on the water pump impeller - a common problem on the 650 - the drain hole is for keeping the coolant from mixing with the oil. This is an 'early warning' of the impeller going bad. Even though your water pump was rebuilt - did they replace both the impeller shaft and seals? If not, then they didn't do a proper rebuild. :nono: Perhaps they didn't have the complete rebuild kit - or they thought the wear on the shaft was "only minimal"?

Firstly have a look over at f650.com. As said. It's a commen issue because of the way the motor was designed.
Regarding the pump. There are 2 seals. One on the oil side and one on the coolant side. The cavity between them is drained with a little hole. You probably already know this. But less known is that BMW follow the manual which says to put grease in between which is stupid because it blocks the drainage of the cavity which means you have no warning. Another reason to do all your own work. But i'm not sure this is the problem because you'd notice your oil going bad. Could be the sensor if it's not really overheating. The guys on f650.com have possibly seen this before.
I know the cooking system is designed with very little tolerances and gaiters have been known to cause problems, though i've never had any issues myself.