I just want to start out by saying that it is great to have a place to come to and ask questions about 4 wheelers that aren't performing properly. This is my first post on this web site, and by reading some of the other posts, you guys are really helpful.

I have a Kawasakin Prairie 700 that has been giving my some problems with overheating. My friends and I go mud bogging so I am not taking it easy on this machine, but thats what I bought it for. I have had the bike in the shop under warranty several times with no success, the dealer can't even get it to overheat. But when I take it trail riding in the dry woods, it overheats on me in 20 minutes with some-to-little stress on the motor. I finally decided to try a few things myself to solve the problem.
Last night, I installed a new thermostat, HighLifter Radiator on top of the front rack, and put Water Wetter in the radiator fluid. Got done around 11:00 PM, and rode it hard for about 15 minutes and it seemed to be cooling ok. The fan never kicked on, which was a concern, but we thought it might be cooling so well that it didn't need to kick on. So we pulled the Temperature sensor wires on the radiator to check if there was voltage across them, to see if we hooked up the wires correctly. We figured it would be a millivolt signal, because the sensor is probably low voltage resistance effect by temperature. When we did this we got no voltage, but it was late and i didn't check whether my buddy had it on millivolt or just volts. So anyway, i looked back at the display and the temperature light came on. Now, its my understanding that the temperature sensor on the radiator controls the fan, and another sensor controls the overtemp light? Not sure, but they could be combined in the one sensor on the radiator.
So when the light came on, obviously I was distraught. So we shut the bike off and eventually the light quit blinking, after that we turned the bike back on sat there for a minute, no light. Pulled the wires again, and a few seconds later the light came on again.
At this point i am thinking that the overtemp light is directly effected by the temperature sensor on the radiator.
Woke up this morning, started the bike, pulled the wires, the light did not come on. Very confusing.

I guess my question is, what is controlling what. Are there two sensors for temperature, one for the fan and one for the overheating light? Or is it combined into one. Oh yeah, the fan didn't kick on when the over temp light was blinking either, and the fan was always on with the other radiator.

I am going to Red Creek Off Road this weekend and will be putting this thing to the test. Hopefully the overheating light coming on was due to the removal of the radiator temp wires, but I guess we will see.
If you have any comments on my situation, I really would appreciate the input.

Thanks

 

How did this work out? My 700 has always run a little hot. Whenever we stop the fan is always on. Recently the temp light came on while cruising down a gravel road, at the time I put it off to a change in Altitude . I have added the water Wetter but have not done anything else other than make sure the rad is sparkly clean.

 

on the brute, the temp switch for the fan and the switch for the idiot light are two seprate switches in different locations.

i wired a toggle switch directly across the two terminals on the fan temp switch so i can turn the fan on and leave it on. if i do not turn it on, it will still come on by itself when the switch kicks on. this would be a quick fix to get you going until you trouble shoot your problem.

monty