Last year, my father bought a Kodiak from a friend of his. The guy who he bought it from babied the machine, however the guy's kid did not. Last winter the rear end was locking up when it got below freezing. My dad opened up the rear diff and it was full of water. He drained and refilled it. Seemd to solve the problem until the next time it dipped below freezing, and then the rear end locked up again. We figure it must be something in the rear brakes, and I'm not familiar w/ ATV's, so I figured I'd post and ask for some advice as to where I should start, and if this was a common problem that others have had. Not sure if it is water in the calipers or the lines. I've done a search on this forum before posting, but haven't come up with anything yet. My dad uses the machine for ice fishing, and I'm worried that he's going to be stranded if this happens to him out on the ice.

Any help with be appreciated.

 

The rear end shouldn't have water in it unless the vent tube is missing and/or the quad was submerged. If the tube is missing it is possible that water entered the rear end again during a water crossing. Does it have sealed drum brakes? Maybe there is water in there. When it freezes up, does it do it while sitting overnight or will it freeze up while riding? If there was water in the brake lines, I would expect that to prevent the brake from stopping the quad, unless it froze up while the quad was parked with the brake applied.