2003 Goldwing heating issue.

[cavie]

New long winded question for me. I have a heating issue.

Test driving around town and learning about a Goldwing, I took note of the temp gage operation. I could see when the fans kicked in while driving around. The temp gage would go up from the third white line to the center large white line and come back down.

I could see when the t-stat and fans were working in conjunction. all is good. The next weekend I drove 60 miles back flat roads in Florida. When I got to the town I was going to the bike began to heat up. It went to the top white mark on the temp gage.

The FI light came on. I was scared to death. I finally got it parked. Went to lunch. Came back about 2 hours. Started right up. Drove back 2 lane roads not much stop and go traffic at about 45 mph. Bike behaved well. Couple of days later I joined a group ride. About 6 miles down the road I noticed the temp gage climbing up once again.

Took it to the shop the next day. Checked out the fluid level and installed a new radiator cap. 15 min into the test drive up comes the temp gauge.

I have researched 8 possible culprits. I have eliminated 5 of them. 1 faulty water pump, 2 air in system, 3 water passages blocked. 4 insufficient coolant. 5 Faulty radiator cap (replaced). 3 remaining culprits are: 1 Faulty Temp gage or ECT sensor, 2 Sluggish t-stat, 3 faulty cooling fan motor.

My question after all this is What is the ETC sensor? Can it be the problem? and where do I find it?.

[cScjhb]

The first thing to do is assess the way you are riding and the conditions present at the time the bike temperature starts going up. Your Goldwing cooling fans blow air from rear to front! That was Honda's fix for people who complained about having hot air blow on their legs when the fans come on. What results is when you are going slow through a town, 15-25 MPH, the fans are defeated by opposing air coming in the front. So the radiators don't see any air movement when the fans come on..... just when they need it. The "fix" for that is to speed up or stop and let things cool down. A following wind can also effect how a Goldwing's cooling system works at slower speeds.

In 2006 Honda increased the Goldwing radiator size by about 30% to try to mitigate this problem. It did help but did not eliminate the problem completely. Knowing how this cooling system works (or doesn't) can help you avoid or minimize conditions that effect how it operates.

BTW; I have heard of people who have been able to actually reverse the air flow on Goldwings so the cooling fan blows from front to back. Don't know how much is involved but maybe something to look into. Good luck..... Jim