S4 radiator fans not working

[Dustin1231]

I just got a 01 S4, and its just now getting hot outside. When i ride the bike will get really hot. Hot enough that i can feel it as im riding. I never see the fans on. The only time is when im riding and i think its just the wind moving the fans. Anyone have any idea. I checked the fuse and it seams fine.

[clubhousemotorsports]

Try idling the bike until it hits around 230f if the fans do not come on then it may be bad fans as ducati had more than a few bad ones. you can test the fans by powering them up after unplugging them from the bike.

4 valve bikes do run hot, you did not say how hot.

I have also seen leaky water pump seals cause the bike to overheat. any water in the oil?

[Dustin1231]

im not sure how hot its running.. Its the 01 and it doesnt have a temp gauge. well that i know of. Havent seen any water in the oil. But havent had it long enough to change the oil yet

[clubhousemotorsports]

Okay so if you don't have a temp gauge here are a couple options.
1. find someone with a hand held temperature gun and have them read the temperature of the radiator (most auto shops will have these).
2. get your local ducati shop to plug in with their software. they will be able to read your water temperature as well as turn on your fans to check them.

[Howie]

im not sure how hot its running.. Its the 01 and it doesnt have a temp gauge. well that i know of. Havent seen any water in the oil. But havent had it long enough to change the oil yet

You do have a light that comes on when the coolant gets too hot, it is right below the oil pressure light.  Needless to say, the fans should come on well before that light.

[Dustin1231]

ill have to try the heat gun. I really dont have a local Duc shop. You have to ride for 3 hours to find one. At what temp should the fans turn on?

[clubhousemotorsports]

It may be listed in your owners manual but should be in the 220-230f range

[johnster]

Are you running a DP ECU or a Termi system with a DP ECU??  I have heard that this can cause one of the fans to not kick on in some instances....  

I ride an '01 S4 as well, and to be honest, I can't even tell you if the fans have EVER come on!!!  

Granted it only has just over 6000 miles on it, but I've ridden in bad traffic on really hot days with no problems....I've also heard that it has to be pretty damn hot for the fans to kick on....In other words, more times than not they'll be off....

Like ducvet said, you could try putting something like a 12volt cordless drill battery on the fan leads to see if they even work....I don't know what the resistance is, but you could try ohming them out too (checking resistance)......

[Rameses]

220f

I wired a switch on mine so I can manually turn the fans on at a lower temperature.

[Dustin1231]

220f

I wired a switch on mine so I can manually turn the fans on at a lower temperature.

I like that idea. Howd you do that?

[scooby]

I like that idea. Howd you do that?

+1 to that- inquiring minds wanna know!

[Rameses]

I spliced into the positive wire going to the headlight, ran that to a toggle switch that I mounted beneath my instrument cluster, and then wired from the toggle switch to the fans.  Pretty simple.

Depending on where you want to mount the switch, you can pull power from wherever you'd like.  The headlight wire was conveniently located for where I wanted to mount the toggle switch.

[scooby]

Can even someone (me) totally un-electrically inclined do this?

[Rameses]

I'd say as long as you feel comfortable using an electrical tester to identify which wires are positive and which are negative, you should be able to handle it.

[Dustin1231]

good idea. Ill have to try that this weekend