So, its the 2nd time in its 27,000 mile life that the Check engine and overheating lamp lit up.
First time was probably at 10-15,000 miles. If memory serves me, I came to the conclusion the thermostat was bad...
During the overheat, fans wouldn't come on leading me to believe the thermostat never sent hot water to the radiators, and
the sensor never thought it needed it...

Changed the thermostat, and until last weeks 1800 mile trip to main, all was a-ok....

On the way back, heading towards 95, there was some stop and go for 5 miles or so...the overheating lamp lit up, check engine came on
but this time I have the PV tuner showing me the head temp was above 260 and the coolant temp was 60...

Almost as quickly as it appeared, the issue resolved itself and life was good.
5 min later, going south on 95 in Main (It was raining cats and dogs, not the time to enjoy any sights)
I got 2 lights again, but saw temps about 245, and again coolant temp about 65...

From reading these forums, figured as long as Im moving, and in very wet conditions, I will let this play out a little...
20 min later, someone decided to take shelter under an overpass, we pulled over and I called the nearest dealer in New Hampshire...

(Side note, surprised to hear them tell me I could leave the bike, may be they could look at it in a week... Thought most dealers helped out when on road trips..)

Anyway, dude was super nice, and mentioned just a few days ago they looked up maximum head temps for the 103, and I "think" he said 400
I don't remember the exact numbers, but he assured me as a twin cooled motor in air cooled mode, the under 300 degree numbers I was reading from by PV were well within range...

We get back on, 3 min later overheating again... Just to cover my bases, I call the dealer I bought the bike from and the service manager tells me I more than likely have a failing water pump,
and he also reassures me that the temps Im reading are perfectly fine. Maybe the heavy rain, may be the 60 degree air helped me at least that much..
Ultimately, the bike would run just hot enough to get the lights for a while, than clear up. Must have gone back and forth 15 times in the 3 hour push back....

Got the bike home, and just put in garage until today's obligatory washing.

Now having the back story, and knowing the pump runs 100% of the time, knowing the thermostat opens when at whatever temp its supposed to and sends hot water to the radiators,
and once that happens, even if the fan temp sensor was bad, Id have plenty of airflow through the radiator at 70 MPH and the engine would cool.

But that wasn't the case, and what was going on makes me think the thermostat is bad again ?
So, the dealer thinks its probably a pump on its last legs, with all of the pump problems, I hate to ignore it.

Every time I run the pump and fans while the engine is off ( ign-on, rol on throttle) I can feel the pump working, soooo

What do you folks think ? Does it sound like the thermostat again or am I missing something ??

 

Get the new upgraded pump. Tell your dealer you want THAT one, not the old OEM style.
I hope you have an ESP, ‘cause it ain’t cheap at the dealer. Mine was approx. $800 with labor. But I had an ESP.
Or order it and do it your self. 2-hours and 1/2-hour of that involves swearing.

 

Are you talking about the M8 conversion kit ( 26800107) ?
If so, i would do If the pump is actually defective, but im still thinking its the thermostat. I do have the esp, BUT saving it for something bigger. By the time i bring it in, have someone call back (probably to only **** me of) i could have done the job myself 10 times...

Generally, cost of ownership is something I factor in to any purchase, and to date, another thermostat or even upgrade pump is well within the "I love my harley" range. Yea, they could have done a better job on a bunch of stuff, thankfully im able to manage on my own... 27,000 miles of mostly trouble free riding, is well worth what I paid and a few speed bumps along the way...

 

You're "saving" your ESP? Is there a monetary limit on the coverage?

 

Get rid of that poorly designed pump and thermostat setup. Pure unreliable crap. If you have the esp warrenty make them install it.

 

If you think it is the thermostat, instead of buying another one, gut the one you have. It will never get stuck again, and you'll always have fluid flow as long as the pump works.

 

No limit on an ESP, I have one too and wouldn't hesitate to use it for ANYTHING! It's not like your car insurance where the premium will go up the more you use it, it's already paid for, use it! $50 deductible (at a dealer, $100 at an Indy) for each use, that's it. Now that's the Harley ESP, maybe the OP has a different plan...

 

Does the thermostat housing have the ability to be disassembled? I didn't look at mine thoroughly when I removed it to install the new style pump but my impression was that is was a molded together sealed unit.

So the coice is to install another $85.00 thermostat or bite the bullet and change to the upgraded pump and eliminate the t-stat altogether.

 

The original style water pump is "magnetically coupled". There is a drum with magnets in it that spins around an impeller core that has magnetic strips (or maybe the other way around). Sometimes the coolant gets congealed and the pump stalls (the drum keeps spinning but the impeller stalls). This is what happened to mine. It can be intermittent but is doomed to ultimate failure. Sounds like it's what yours is doing.





__________________________________________________ ____
For ROCKOUT information & purchasing please click HERE For all Twin Cams and Evo Big Twins & Sportsters

 

So, does anyone know when and or if the "new" style pump went into production? I have a 2018 Anv Edition Ultra Limited, Check engine light came on yesrterday at the end of 200 mile ride, checked codes, PO1017 and PO1019 both relate to engine overheat. Still under base warranty so.....