I realized a little too late today that I got some mud pack in my radiator on my last ride. I went on a short ride today and didnt notice the blinking light on my speedo cluster blinking. When I stopped, it was smoking. I dont think it was like that very long because I only went a short distance. I let it cool, cleaned the radiator real well and it seemed to run fine. Is there anything I should check to see if I did any damage. I would really hate to ruin a quad I only had for a month. For such a well built machine I was a little disheartened by how fast this thing overheated for the small amout of mud that I had packed in there !! I have seen pictures of guys blazing through mud almost up to the headlights. How do they avoid overheating ? Do they have to stop and clean the radiator every time they get out of the mud hole to avoid overheating ?

John

 

Same thing happened to me and I've heard of many other P650 owners who have overheated too. But then there are others who ride all day in 90+ degree temps and don't overheat, but they don't ride in mud. I know you probably heard it a million times, but it is very important to clean the radiator on the 650 before each ride. It seems like it is those long rides where there are mud holes that make the 650 overheat. A lot of people ride in rack deep mud and don't overheat because they stay in the mud and don't ride much trails afterwards. The radiator doesn't have a chance to pack up and overheat. I hate to make comparisons, but I never payed any attention to having to cleaning my radiator on my polaris, and never had any overheating problems like I've had on the 650 while riding the same trails. But it is worth the extra time spent cleaning the 650 because otherwise it is an awesome machine.

Note that there are other things to check: be sure all the air is purged out of the coolent line. Make sure thermostat is working properly and also fan comes on at proper time. Some people have installed temp guages to monitor the temp before it overheats. Also check your oil level. I've seen a bunch of cases (including myself) where the dealer overfills the oil level and that can cause smoking/overheating. Good luck.

 

If I were you I would go ahead and change the oil since you've overheated it. Depending on how hot it got your oil may have lost some of it's lubricating properties. Check the fill neck of your radiator for any signs of it being eroded or melting when you overheated, this seems to be a weak link in the system. You also need to check your plugs and make sure they are in good condition as this can actually cause an overheat.

As far as radiator maintenence make sure you clean int out completely after every ride. I usually stop at a car wash on the way home and spray it until the water runs clear. High Lifter sells a 12 volt water pump specifically for cleaning the radiators of water cooled machines while in the field, I'm planning on getting one very soon myself.

I think I am the only 650 owner to ever have a thermostat go bad, but if your's does I recommend just throwing the old one away and not replacing it, I did and now my machine runs cooler than it ever has. But the thermostat is a "female dog" to get to, you have to pull all of the plastic from the seat forward.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I'll check the things you suggested. I just changed the oil last week but I'll do it again. Its cheap insurance. Has anyone had any luck with the radiator additives that are supposed to help liquid cooled systems run cooler or are they just a waste ?

John

 

I used a water wetter. It really does keep the temp down.

When water hits the hot places of the engine, it forms micro vapor bubbles that won't go away until they get to the radiator. The bubbles drastically reduce cooling efficiency. Water is the best heat carrying coolant to use until the engine gets that hot, then it doesn't work very well. Antifreeze keeps it from freezing, but doesn't carry much heat, and only raises the boiling point a little bit over what water boils when pressurized. Water Wetter changes the surface tension of the coolant and makes the micro bubbles a lot smaller and keeps them from sticking to the metal so much. This improves heat transfer both in the motor and in the radiator.

Evans NPG+ coolant claims that it works even better. It uses no water. It is 5x more expensive.

HL has coolant additives that work similar to water wetter.

I had problems with my cooling system when a cooling additive made globules that gelled in my coolant strainer. It melted on a hot ride due to no water flowing. So keep an eye on it to make sure it is clean.

 

Howdy,
I have used the Highlifter additives in my radiator and oil for over a year now with no problems. It cuts my fan running by about half. I have blown 2 fuses on the fan and now carry spare 10 amp fuses. Other than that mine has done well in 90 plus temperatures. Have a goodun!!!!!!!!!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]