My battery kept going bad on my Baja X. It is still under warranty so I took it to the dealer and let him worry about it. He replaced the battery and sent me on my way (after 4 days). 2 days later I went to start the bike and it was stone dead. I did a search and found an old post by JsDs about the water temp switch being able to cause a small current draw.
I took the bike back to the dealer and told him about the temp switch. He didn't pay attention to me and told me that could not happen as the fan is not on the ignition circuit. After a week of scratching his head, the mechanic reported to the service manager that he couldn't find the problem. The manager mentioned that I had said something about the water temp switch. Five minutes later, a new temp switch was on order. They of course told me the part is what took the 2 weeks to come in.
I just wanted to express appreciation for this forum and its members. There is more knowledge in here than at the dealerships around me. I will always support this forum. It is also way different than any of the other forums as to the extent of knowledge. Thanks again to everyone!!!

 

I'ld say more knowledge here than ANY dealership! I'm sure even Gary has picked up a few things from a few people on here.

 

seems these things don't break much so they don't see many problems to learn the tricks.

 

I got it back, rode it 5 minutes and it started leaking coolant around the switch. The dealer then drove this time to pick it up and is delivering it Monday. They said the silicon they used to seal it failed. Is there that much pressure in the system? Does it come siliconed from the factory?

 

Silicone??? your dealer is full of...hummm we don't have an emotion for that[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] anyway the only thing silicone is used for at the water temp sensor is on the wires to keep them dry and from shorting out. On the threads of the sensor they should have used teflon tape. Hope they didn't cross thread the fitting in there.

 

oh by the way, as far as the topic of this thread. you are correct. Jeff is a great help on these forums and an outstanding guy as well.

 

Silicone on the threads is asinine. Normal silicone would not be able to cure in that environment. Teflon tape for sure.

As far as the bi-metal switch going bad. Mine came with silicone on the terminals from the factory. But they did a shoddy job and it didn't seal it up properly. The problem is the way the bi-metal switch is oriented, it can collect water inside the switch. So make sure you a little silicone and seal the terminals on the temp switch to keep water from getting into the switch.

Oh yeah, the dealer didn't have a clue what was wrong. In fact, I had diagnosed the bad switch before I brought it into the dealer. They didn't belive me either. After a week they called me back and said they couldn't find anything wrong. I had to literally go to the dealer with my multimeter and SHOW them what they needed to do. Pretty sad if you ask me. It only took me 10 minutes to find the problem. I don't necessarily doubt their ability to turn a wrench, but when it comes to basic electrical work, forget it. And this was at one of the largest atv/motorcycle/watercraft dealers in the country.

I went through 2 more of the switches before I figured out what was causing them to short out.

 

Where is this temp switch located? I'm picking my X up on Friday and would like to look it over and make sure it is sealed up properly.

 

The temp switch is on the same side as the fuel shut-off. It has two wires coming into it. You cannot miss it.

 

Kind words indeed. Though I have posted many times regarding battery failures and I hope I helped a few through theirs I have to say that the one about the temp switch was not mine. Ditto the words about the knowlege on this forum and the desire to help the brother DS rider, a better bunch of guys cannot be found.
Glad to hear that your battery problem is fixed Pads, now I hope they take care of you on the leak though it sounds like the mechanic screwed up. Probably cracked the housing or cross threaded it. Either way they should just replace the housing and be done with it. I hope all goes well