Hi, A good friend has a 98' KingQuad whose oil light keeps coming on intermittenly. He has the winch on the front and it definitely is not being overloaded, lugged or abused. The dealer says that a fan is "not needed" and that these things just don't overheat. He said check for kinks in the oil lines and there are none. Also, he said it could be the sending unit.
Has anybody had a similar problem with the venerable KingQuad?

 

I'm not going to be able to help you with a solution since I haven't had the need to get into my King to see what makes it tick but I have a '99 and work it hard. A typical working day for it is to chain a tree to the back of it and drag it to the wood pile. I've hauled as many as 10 trees more than 1/2 mile in a day and never had an overheating problem.

Anyway, good luck on finding the cure to this problem. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you found so I can log it into the vault for future reference.

 

Used to have a KQ. Only time it ever overheated was when the oil cooler clogged with mud.

 

I have a '99 King Quad. I did install a fan due to over heating on some Michigan, trail systems. Then, I went to WV. in May 2001, with some friends and it ran hot again. October past, in 60 degree weather, it ran hot again. I weigh 215 pounds and I ride with a group often.
The first time it ran hot, I was poping wheels through trees on a very tight trail (didn't have fan at the time)called "The Little O".
Second time I was riding at H/M Trails, West Virginia, area with friends, at Bear Wollow, up some steep hills without the fan turned on and moving slowly.
Last, I was in a lower gear for a long time because of traffic in front of me, on one of our famous Michigan trails. I didn't want to keep shifting to a higher gear while following the slow movers and again, I didn't have the fan on. Each time I didn't have the fan on, I turned it on after cooling and ran fine.
You may not need a fan but it will help you to not worry about running hot... Just remember to turn the fan on. :0)
Chuck

 

Chuck, JC Whitney has a $20. thermostat that pushes into the fins of the oil cooler. You may want to check it out.

 

My 2000 KQ overheated last year at the National ATV Jamboree in south central Utah. I had rejetted for altitude above 6k feet. We were on a slow rocky ride below 6K feet and when we stopped for a break, I could hear the gas boiling in the carb. It was also in the upper 90's that day.

I attribute the overheating to the temperature, slow speed with high rpms, and lean mixture. Since then, I've put the Suzuki cooling fan on it, last fall. I'll have to wait for this summer to really put it to the test.

I rode with another KQ owner at the jamboree who occassionally had overheating problems. He said that his KQ never overheated until he put the winch on. He believed that the winch blocked the air flow to the oil cooler.

Hope this helps.
Mark

 

Thanks for your replies. The dealer swears that the winch would not cause it to overheat. He said he has had no problems with overheating with all the KQ's he has sold. Anyway, I took the Oil temperature sensor to work and tested it. It definitely has failed open. It has been acting up and now it has failed. Increased the temperature slowly up to 300 degrees f and would not operate. Suzuki's price for a new sensor is $157.00 Cdn. I've heard their prices were high, but that's ridiculous for a sensor. Good quading.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thanks MikeR... $20.00 and a sensor sounds like a winner. I have the Whitney Catalog and I can do the work myself too.
Bamn Bamn, you shouldn't have to buy the Suzuki fan sensor again. They owe you a new one at that price. If not, I'm sure you can use one from one of the auto manufacturers. Make sure it's not any longer into the oil reservoir and same diameter, thread for the block, nut & washer. Should run fan at about 190- 210 degrees unless somebody has some other information...
Chuck

 

I was riding one last winter and it overheated, it was a 99 or 00 i don't remember for sure though.