A while a go I posted this thread regarding overheating problems in our 650's and at that time we were the only ones with the problem

http://forums.atvconnection.com/mess...p;keyword1=650

checking the forum yesterday, I found other people reporting the same situation

http://forums.atvconnection.com/mess...hreadid=286669

Let me tell you what we did after 3 weeks of working with the dealer, as of now, the problem didn't show up any more.

We mainly found 2 problems, mud entering to the radiator, and the difference in temperature between the range where the fan works and the overheating alarm in the dash panel.

What we did was very easy, first we change the bulb that activates the fan, we are using a Kawasaki Mule bulb, the reason is simple, the original part works from 92 to 96 Celcius and the alarm lights at 110 celcius, a very short range, the bulb from the MULE works from 80 to 84 C, this gives a better range of operation for the fan, we also change the coolant to one call "Water Wetter" (http://www.redlineoil.com/products.htm)which claims to run at 20 degrees below normal coolants.

The other thing we did was removing the plastic cover that goes on top of the winch and put an aluminum mesh from the top to the bottom of the front grill (between the radiator and the front of the quad), see pictures in

After doing this, the problem stopped, we are still testing it but seems to be working.

 

Forgot to put the pictures, here is the web site http://communities.msn.com/Prairie650/

 

I know why you covered the winch, but what is the purpose of having a second grill?

 

The purpose of having a second grill is 2 things, the first one is the diameter of the hole is smaller than the one in front, so it won't allow as many things to go inside the radiator as the original that is in the bumper

The second is because the main problem with the radiator is when the MUD in liquid (or almost liquid) form touches it, because of the heat it becomes solid and stays glued to the radiator.

Putting this mesh in the middle, helps to reduce the speed and amount of mud going in, so less will get to the radiator, also because this grill is not hot, nothing dries there, so it will fall.

As of now its been working fine, any more details let me know.

 

Thanks for the response. My concern for the second grill is reduced air flow to the radiator which can also be bad. From the picture it looks like the second grill would really inhibit proper air flow. The radiator on the Scrambler 500 is right up front. You might consider making a post in the Polaris form to see what those guys do.
Good Luck and keep us posted on how it works out.

 

atvcr
Do you have the part number for the mule bulb?Also are you talking about the bulb that lites up for the overheating lite on the dash?
thanks for your help
Bearman

 

Its the bulb that starts the fan (fan switch), the part # is 270101317

 

Thanks atvcr
That will help a lot
Bearman

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]
In what condition does 650 overheat? Just riding normally on a trail? Fast, slow, uphill, mud crossing, etc? I put about 200 miles in two days on 650 at the Utah Richfield at the ATV Jamboree back in September @around 80F, and it didn't overheat. I mean I was riding hard, WOT almost all the time. Any damage done on the machine because of overheating?

 

Hayashi
I was also at the jamboree and had no overheating problem, however the fan did run a lot compared to my DS650
Bearman