I used to cringe when by cousin hosed down his red hot XL enduro. The water would evaporate off the engine instantly, but he never had a problem with it. It seems to make sense that cold water on a hot engine is a bad idea, however, I ride in the winter and that's exactly what happens when I cross streams. I don't see how hosing down the quad while it's hot is any different than crossing a stream - except that the engine is running. Can someone enlighten me?

 

It doesnt bother anything at all I think it is a question you should contact your dealer and ask them

 

I've heard that you could crack the head, and I have always put that into consideration when I'm sprayin off my quad after a hard day of riding. I've never had that happen to me before, but one of my friends wasn't as lucky as me, and his head cracked on him. If I was you, I would wait a little while before I spraying off your atv.

 

you have a good point maybe i will think about that before i do it next time thanks

 

Same as riding a boat in late fall on semi frozen lakes, the intakes suck up ice cold water and sends it to the motor's water jackets with no ill effects.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Same as riding a boat in late fall on semi frozen lakes, the intakes suck up ice cold water and sends it to the motor's water jackets with no ill effects. </end quote></div>
I disagree with you TLC and here is why.

When you start an engine up, whether air or water cooled the piston, rings, jug and everything else is cold and therefor shrunk to the same size. It's all the same.

I used to install 100's of seats in aluminum heads. We heated the heads up to 4 to 500 hundred degrees F. The seats were about -30. When I put the seat in the head I had about 1 to 1.5 seconds to get it in straight. It just dropped right in. When installed there was no way they were coming out.

This is the same way with the piston and the jug on an air cooled engine (not so much on a water cooled engine). The piston is red hot and so is the jug. You only have about 2 thousand's clearance between the two.

Now take some ice cold water and toss it on the jug and that thing will shrink. The piston is still red hot and is expanded. This is where there "could be a problem."

Can you get away with doing this? Most of the time sure!!!

This is like reving the crap out of an ice cold engine. Is it going to blow up? More than likely not, but it's just not a good practice and there is no reason to do it.

 

Thanks for all the comments. I'll probably continue to let it cool a bit before hosing it off, but it sure is easier to clean before the mud dries [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

i had a 79 ds185 and rode all day then on my way home i hit a cold creek crossing that was up to the tank. but it still made it all the way home. the next morning i went to crank it and it was stuck. the piston skirt broke off from the cold and seized my crank. but this bike was 15 years old at the time with the original piston. and it was air cooled. most bikes today are water cooled so they would be totally fine. just something to keep in mind