Hello, i have a 2006 buell firebolt xb9r and after i ride, the fan does not turn on (and i dont believe the fan turns on at all now) any longer. I checked the fuse its ok. I called, email, etc. and there seems to be no cooling fan relay. Not sure what to do at this point. just purchased the bike and am told parts are obsolete and closest buell servicer is 300 miles away!
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Cooling fan not turning on after ride
- Thread starter ksterner
- Start date
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Cooter
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum! Us Buellers are mostly a do-it-yourself crew and willing to help the less tool familiar owners among us. Sounds like you 'checked everywhere before asking'
so I googled the words in your thread title and got "about 1,340,000 results in .34 seconds" LOL
Here ya go new guy. Happy you got a bike you like
RTFM: here's a free service manual download for you if you want to fix it yourself There is a whole step-by-step section on how to check the fan.
http://buellmods.com
But since the fan isn't supposed to just 'turn on after every ride'*, you may not even have a problem.
I'll paraphrase the manual if you don't want to bother clicking that link I gave you:
Check for power at the fan. 2 wires. One is always powered (even key off) and turned on by the ECM grounding the other wire to complete the circuit... through the Fan Relay (#2)... that is available everywhere as A/C relay for some Ford. (Autozone) Duralast Pt # 19283... from this site... on this thread:
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showt...erence-thread/page5&highlight=cross+reference
You should have power at one of the fan wires and it should run if you ground the other wire. Also easy to test all the sensors (including the temp sensor) with the free program ECMDroid (GooglePlay store). You will need a bluetooth dongle on the bike to connect your android phone or tablet to the ECM. I like the one I got from Buelltooth.com. ECMSpy and TunerPro work well too, and you'll need a cheap cable to connect to your laptop.
Also: Is it oily/wet? Seeping rocker box gaskets are common on a 14 year old motorcycle. If the engine is leaking oil on the electric fan. Electric things don't like to be oily things.
Parts are obsolete!?? Oh NO!! WHAT TO DO!? You have internet access? Google "Buell parts" and places to get parts (like E-bay or Harley Davidson) will pop right up. For any old used motorcycle parts, Ebay, facebook, craigslist. For brand-spanking-new Buell parts, SPHDonline.com, Newcastle Harley, EBR, LAP.
TBH there are a couple very minor parts that are getting harder to find for such an old bike, which is true for ANY old bike, but stick around with enthusiasts of that brand (like BuellXB.com) and theres always a work around. Buell didn't make most of the service parts themselves. Bearings, tires, belts, bulbs, fuses, sensors, are all made by other companies so don't assume you can't find them without even looking
*The fan is controlled by temperature (and sometimes speed controlled if that option is activated). So 'not turning on after a ride' is not a sign of any problem. The temp fan on/key off settings are usually lower and thats why it usually acts that way. If your engine temp is lower than that setting the fan has no reason to run after a ride. All of those settings are easily checked or changed with the ECMDroid program.
so I googled the words in your thread title and got "about 1,340,000 results in .34 seconds" LOLHere ya go new guy. Happy you got a bike you like
RTFM: here's a free service manual download for you if you want to fix it yourself
There is a whole step-by-step section on how to check the fan.http://buellmods.com
But since the fan isn't supposed to just 'turn on after every ride'*, you may not even have a problem.
I'll paraphrase the manual if you don't want to bother clicking that link I gave you:
Check for power at the fan. 2 wires. One is always powered (even key off) and turned on by the ECM grounding the other wire to complete the circuit... through the Fan Relay (#2)... that is available everywhere as A/C relay for some Ford. (Autozone) Duralast Pt # 19283... from this site... on this thread:
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showt...erence-thread/page5&highlight=cross+reference
You should have power at one of the fan wires and it should run if you ground the other wire. Also easy to test all the sensors (including the temp sensor) with the free program ECMDroid (GooglePlay store). You will need a bluetooth dongle on the bike to connect your android phone or tablet to the ECM. I like the one I got from Buelltooth.com. ECMSpy and TunerPro work well too, and you'll need a cheap cable to connect to your laptop.
Also: Is it oily/wet? Seeping rocker box gaskets are common on a 14 year old motorcycle. If the engine is leaking oil on the electric fan. Electric things don't like to be oily things.
Parts are obsolete!?? Oh NO!! WHAT TO DO!? You have internet access? Google "Buell parts" and places to get parts (like E-bay or Harley Davidson) will pop right up. For any old used motorcycle parts, Ebay, facebook, craigslist. For brand-spanking-new Buell parts, SPHDonline.com, Newcastle Harley, EBR, LAP.
TBH there are a couple very minor parts that are getting harder to find for such an old bike, which is true for ANY old bike, but stick around with enthusiasts of that brand (like BuellXB.com) and theres always a work around. Buell didn't make most of the service parts themselves. Bearings, tires, belts, bulbs, fuses, sensors, are all made by other companies so don't assume you can't find them without even looking
*The fan is controlled by temperature (and sometimes speed controlled if that option is activated). So 'not turning on after a ride' is not a sign of any problem. The temp fan on/key off settings are usually lower and thats why it usually acts that way. If your engine temp is lower than that setting the fan has no reason to run after a ride. All of those settings are easily checked or changed with the ECMDroid program.
Last edited:
34nineteen
Well-known member
The forum has a phone number and email? I want to know if someone answered the phone at the Buellxb.com corporate office.
Sell it. If you are that thrown off by a fairly simply issue, this bike is going to be a nightmare for you. Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Harley, etc. all have active dealer networks and independent service shops. You may want to reach out to them for advice on what to buy as well, as it seems they will be working on it.
young scooter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2019
- Messages
- 92
I just wanna throw in there. I have the race ecm and my fan NEVER operates after the key is removed. In fact, my fan will shut OFF below 15mph. The only exception is idling in the garage after startup. I'm not sure why it behaves this way, but it never has caused me any issues.
34nineteen
Well-known member
I got tired of waiting for Cooter to research and get an answer to this for me, so I sent a fax into buellxb.com's global headquarters and received this back:
Last edited:
Cooter
Well-known member
Sdrxb12s
Well-known member
So your fan stops running when you take the key out??
That's not right. I'm new to a buell but that's not right!
That's not right. I'm new to a buell but that's not right!
young scooter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2019
- Messages
- 92
I got tired of waiting for Cooter to research and get an answer to this for me, so I sent a fax into buellxb.com's global headquarters and received this back:
not sure what you're trying to say here. I read the section in my electrical manual about how the fan operates and the temperatures it uses. All I was stating is that my bike doesnt seem to follow those guidelines (like the OP's) and its never caused any issues
Sdrxb12s
Well-known member
Even if it doesn't run in those parameters which is highly possible if it's been changed. Your fan still shouldn't turn off when you remove the key. That fan should run until your bike cools down. This could be not at at 5 seconds or 2 minutes. ( its possible it was just a coincidence that the same time you removed the key it shut off). But you removing the key shouldn't shut it off
Cooter
Well-known member
Sdrx...: I think he just means when he turns the bike off, not specifically 'when he removes the key from the lock cylinder'. Theres no sensor for that.
34:19 posted a ECMDroid screenshot of fairly standard fan settings. For example: if you pull up to your house (key on) at 190* the fan will be not running. Once you shut the bike off (at 190*), the "key off" settings are activated and the fan will now turn ON until it reaches 180*. Thank you Aaron
Scooter: Your fan is temp controlled OR temp and speed controlled. Theres no setting to just have it randomly turn on at key off regardless of temp and there would be a need for that. THAT SAID, I would check your fan temp settings and here's why:
Stamped "RACE ECM" doesn't matter, unless you bought it yourself brand new, you don't know what fuel map is actually in there. The Race ECM hardware is identical to non-stamped ECM's in every way. What matters is the Fuel Map you have in there. Regardless of Firmware ID, the .xpr file that loads the fuel map with a program like ECMDroid, also includes the ECM parameters. The ECM parameters include the fan settings and some aftermarket fuel maps had the fan settings backwards!
Super easy to check and adjust with ECMDroid and a Buelltooth.
Every time you load a new map, you must re-set the TPS, re-set the AFV to 100, and check that all the ECM parameters are where you want them
34:19 posted a ECMDroid screenshot of fairly standard fan settings. For example: if you pull up to your house (key on) at 190* the fan will be not running. Once you shut the bike off (at 190*), the "key off" settings are activated and the fan will now turn ON until it reaches 180*. Thank you Aaron
Scooter: Your fan is temp controlled OR temp and speed controlled. Theres no setting to just have it randomly turn on at key off regardless of temp and there would be a need for that. THAT SAID, I would check your fan temp settings and here's why:
Stamped "RACE ECM" doesn't matter, unless you bought it yourself brand new, you don't know what fuel map is actually in there. The Race ECM hardware is identical to non-stamped ECM's in every way. What matters is the Fuel Map you have in there. Regardless of Firmware ID, the .xpr file that loads the fuel map with a program like ECMDroid, also includes the ECM parameters. The ECM parameters include the fan settings and some aftermarket fuel maps had the fan settings backwards!
Super easy to check and adjust with ECMDroid and a Buelltooth.
Every time you load a new map, you must re-set the TPS, re-set the AFV to 100, and check that all the ECM parameters are where you want them
34nineteen
Well-known member
Did you see the bottom of the picture where it shows "Speed based fan control" with a check box?
This is why your fan is shutting off at 15mph.
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young scooter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2019
- Messages
- 92
Yes. I was just sharing my experiences with the OP is all. I have no issues with how my bike runs
34nineteen
Well-known member
And now you know why it shuts off below 15mph. I didn’t think you had an issue, but it seemed like you had a question and I was trying to be helpful.
Cooter
Well-known member
What if you drop Mentos into the fan? Does it make it fresher?
34nineteen
Well-known member
Last edited:
Sdrxb12s
Well-known member
Add some coca cola for more horsepower
Cooter
Well-known member
He told me thats how they make SeaFoam, so I put Mentos in my gas tank.
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