i rode 94 miles last weekend. checked it cold- my coolant resevoir is down 1".
i can't find ANY signs of a leak ANYWHERE. (yes, the oil is clean)

-should i just top it off and not worry about it?

-where do you think it's going?

please write soon......

-MT

 

hey, MT,
I have lost coolant several times due to various things.
1st) My fan switch sender was bad, which didn't tell my fan to come on. Machine kept blowing off into the overflow and I had to keep adding water to get home.
2nd) The water pump covers are prone to leaking. I took mine off and cleaned the mating surfaces, then put it back on. IT is already leaking again, I guess I should have used some silicone. Dealer told me that the problem with the cover is that they are not flat, what they do is lay it on a flat surface and check it, and if needed file it down to make it fit evenly. I think I can handle that myself.
3rd) I filled my fan shroud up with mud so the fan couldn't come on, overheated it and instead of popping into the overflow, a plastic three way tee fitting that connects the radiator hoses together exploded violently. Scared the hell out of me when it went, too. Big bang and a cloud of steam right between my legs, I almost bailed off! Cost me $3.75 for the part, notwithstanding the aggravation of (once again) breaking down 175 miles from home. The new tee appears to be made of a somewhat different kind of plastic. Dealer didn't know for sure, but suspects they changed the material because of the breakage. They have already seen several of the original tees blow like mine did. I would recommend getting a new tee and replacing it, keep the original for a spare. The tee is visible on the drivers side looking through the front fender down low. You'll see what I mean, takes 2 minutes to change.
Anyway, as far as your coolant level, it isn't unheard of to "use" some coolant, by evaporating and such, also, you may have had an air pocket work it's way out. This happens to me after I fill the system (which happens all the time). I would definitely check the water pump cover, which is a black plastic funny shaped cover on the passenger side (right) It has about ten small bolts holding it on. Very easy to remove. Clean it and dry it good, then let it run, see if it seeps.
Sorry this is so long, I tend to run on.
Hope this helps
Dan

 

Northstar2(Dan)
thank-you very much for the response. i called my dealer today and they offered to 'shave' the water pump flat for me. they seem to think it's the water pump.
i am going to check that 3-way tee also.

the coolant fan seems to kick on and off just fine.

thanks again,
your pal from MA,
-MT

P.S. where in the hell are all my other SP700 pals?

 

probably at the dealership getting their 700s fixed.

 

Had the same problem. My Water pump needed to be reseald. Seems to be working good now!

 

I have a 2003 700 twin with a coolant loss problem.. Shortly after I purchased it I noticed coolant leaking from the water pump cover. I took it to the dealer and it was fixed. Evidently that was a common problem and there was a recall that I was not notified about. Shortly after that I noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir kept dropping. I could find no external leaks. For about 1 year I kept topping off the reservoir. I had changed the oil at 20 hours all looked good. At 100 hours I checked the oil and it was way up on the dip stick. It was not milky or cloudy but it definitely indicated the coolant was going into the crank case. I took it to my tech who is a Polaris expert (Independent) and he did a compression test (good) and then replaced the seal in the water pump (Polaris updated this seal since I bought it) and rebuilt the water pump while he had it apart. Unfortunatley I do not think this fixed it. I am still losing fluid. I changed the oil again and am now monitoring the dip stick. It is very hard to see how much oil is on the dip stick with the oil being so new and clean. I cleaned the dipstick yesterday and spray painted the end of it with some high heat black paint. Hopefully I will be able to get an acurate reading as to the level. The machine has 131 hrs and 605 miles all of which were put on it in Georgia deer hunting. I do no trail riding and use it minimumly around the house during the year. If anyone has any other suggestions please feel free to post them.

 

Update!! Test and time have shown that there is no coolant going into the crank case. Also I have since learned that you have to check the oil level according to the manual. Oil and oil level are fine. I have checked the weep hole and the water pump itself and inspected the hoses/tee/fittings etc and see no coolant leaking. My coolant level is still dropping slowly and I have no idea where it is going. Any help would be appreciated.

 

i also have noticed that my coolant level was low but have never been able to see a leak or smell anything. when i clean it up from this past weekend of snow and swamping i plan on taking a better look and possibly taking off the water pump cover. my machine is usually under load by pulling things and carting my a$$ around. as far where is everyone? if you have a sportsman 700 i am going to guess you have some other cool toys that you have to pay for and might be working......keep having fun and find some mudd......[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Some one on another forum had the same trouble and decided to check the head gasket torque. Sure enough it was not at spec. He just loosened the bolts and retorqued them. says coolant leak now fixed and it even seems to have more power. It might be loosing a little when hot, but not enough to see.

Hope this helps

Rider