I own a towing and recovery company and was called out yesterday to retrieve two 2004 Polaris Predator 90's from a nearby creek. They were stolen and hotwired, driven into the creek, and abandoned. The water was moving swiftly, leaving both ATV's upside down and submerged. In the event I end up with them in lieu of the wrecker bill, I would like to take measures to ensure that no permanent damage is done by the water. I removed the drain plug that is accessible through the skid plate and the fluid that came out was thick and yellowish in color. What else do I need to do to them? Thanks.

 

Off the top of my head I'd say drain the gas tank, remove the carbs and exhaust pipes. See if there is a drain screw for the motor. If the exhaust exits the bottom that should be good enough. Rock em' around to get all the water out of the crank case. Pull the spark plugs as well and spray some oil in the cylinder and crank it without the plug carb or exhaust on and see what comes out. That should give you a good start.

 

water wont do permant damage (maybe electrical...). you just might need to take it all apart.. get the water out and and put ehr back together.

 

Let the electrical dry out before you try to put a charge to it. They should be alright. We've dropped motorola radios into our lakes (on accident of course) and shut them off immediately, removed the battery. Let them dry out a couple days. and they worked just fine.