Hoping you all can help me here! Just bought this and found that the temp sensor wire had been cut. Why would someone do this??? I believe I found the wire it should have attached to, it's green and white. I would post a pic, but I don't know how?? I have only ridden it once and haven't had a chance to run it hard to see if it gets hot. Does this control the radiator fan? Thanks!!

 

Single wire temp sensor is for the hot light indicator. The temp sensor on the radiator kicks the fan off and on. Hook the sensor wire up,turn the key on. If the hot light comes on,sensor could be shorted out. Possible previous owner removed it so he could sell the atv. I've seen several like this where people have hidden even small problems when selling. Remove the radiator cap,let the engine get to operating temp. Fan should kick on before the hot light does or before any spewing out of the radiator or overflow bottle. Top off the coolant,replace the cap. Replace the temp sensor if needed. If fan doesn't kick on usually the radiator sensor is at fault. Plus you can test fan motor with 12 volts direct to see if it's ok. Faulty radiator sensors can be replaced with a Wells Sw526 sensor ( Autozone, Napa)and just splice your connector in if needed. If the fan itself is faulty,plenty of Spal fans on ebay fairly cheap.

 

Thanks for the response! Am I correct to say that the temp sensor wire should connect to a green/white wire? It is the only one that is close and cut off. Nothing happened when I started the machine and touched the connector from the sensor to the cut wire. This is what my connector looks like:
http://quad-logic.com/products/sport...switch-sensor/

 

Correct on the sensor and wire. Possible that the po didn't remove the wire and it vibrated off.Have found that to happen also. Crimp the wire connector a little tighter so the wire is snug on the other connector. If the hot light didn't come on then the sensor is probably ok. Take a heat gun or hair dryer to the sensor,when temp hits around boiling temp,the sensor completes the ground path for the hot light to kick on. Or you can simply check resistance on the sensor wire when cold,heat it up and resistance levels should drop. This indicates the sensor is working ok.

 

I'll try that! By the way, I hard wired the fan to the battery and it worked. I also pulled the temp sensor from the rad and put heat to it. It read 0 OHMS, so I'm assuming that's the culprit and the reason it was running hot, which in turn the po cut the wire to the instrument panel. Your thoughts?

 

Yes most of the time on running hot,the radiator sensor is the problem,especially if the fan never kicks on which it controls. Try the Wells sw526 sensor and cut off your connector end,splice and reuse.Plus another thing to check is the sealed fan circuit breaker under the front panel also. Check that it has power on each side of the red wires leading in and out of the pouch.If faulty,slice the pouch open and you can get this breaker at any auto supply.When you are finished on repairs,make sure you leave the radiator cap off,run the engine until the fan cycles on and off several times to purge any air pockets.Then top off the radiator and overflow bottle.