well i did the air bubble serch w/ none seen. very glad to see that. now im a bigger enough man too admit when im wrong so here goes. I JUST PULLED THE RADIATOR OUT and sure enough it was clean on the side facing the front and the back w/ the fan on it was clean in the middle where the fan goes(where i can pressure wash it good) and the rest under the shroud is packed with mud. so i learned something today. so thank you all for giving me a hand and kicking me in the asse to make prove it wasnt plugged. ha ha on me. i think that when going slower and steady that enough air flow and fan was keeping it cool enough. will see.

 

My wife's 450 plugged from the back side also.......Did this happen with your 800....or 450....caper......

 

If it wasn’t for learning the hard way I wouldn’t learn anything at all. Last year on a particularly muddy week-long ride my wife’s new 700 was overheating even though I hit the radiator with a pressure washer front and back preceding every day’s ride. The front was clean and I could see light through the center where the fan shroud isn’t blocking it so I thought it was clean. After our week of fun (and overheating) was over I took the machine to the dealer. They pulled the radiator and took pictures of the back of it to show others what a mud-plugged radiator looks like. That was an eye-opener. Now I pull the fan and fan shroud 2-3 times a year and get in there with a hooked wand to get the radiator CLEAN. Glad you found the problem and it wasn’t more serious.

 

i let it soak all night and it didnt even touch the mud so i would say its baked and packed real good. got do it the hard way i guess.

 

Same here. Took mine out soaked overnight. Then alternately used air hose and pressure washer (on wide spray of course so as not to bend fins). Did this from both sides. Had to do some brushing with a soft long bristle brush also.Rekon I spent a good 3 hours on it

 

well thats what i just finished doing w/ the p.washer and the air. now its clean mister lol. so we'll see what happens.

 

Hi, my husband and I have a huge problem with our '05 Sportsman 700 twin. It is always overheating. You ride it to do work in the yard and after about 5 or 10 minutes or less the fan kicks on and it flashes hot check engine. Any ideas? It has about 1000 miles it. It was a left over purchased new in April out of the crate. Can anyone help? We have checked the coolant level and it's up to the top. We have pressure washed the radiator and still have the problem. ANY IDEAS ? Hubby says maybe the water pump isn't working?

 

THE RAD MAY LOOK CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BUT the mud builds up on the back side of the RAD!!!!!!!!! check to see how the back side is ......you need to remove the fan shroud............I bet money on this.........caper.....................

 

JUST ASK STENDROI..........................caper........... .......

 

i agree, more than likely the radiator. Has it gone through any mud or really dirty water? Also could be air in the system from the factory. The water pump is probably the last thing i would look at, radiator first, make sure no air in the system, and possibly a stuck thermostat, but i doubt that cause the fan is coming on which tells me the coolant is flowing to the radiator from the engine like it should.

Ron