MY KQ's brakes always freeze up in the winter. I have also replaced both the front and rear brakes 2 times and they need to be changed again. Can anyting be done to save me my time, money and trouble?

 

two things i can think of , there might be water in the lines = drain brake fluid refill with new dot 4 and check the resivoir gaskets . or the calipers might need to be rebuilt = new seals . oh , also check for air in the lines .let us know if that helps or if you have done these already .

 

TEEN, you're not alone... We all have this problem and so does Honda. I wore out my first set of brake shoes at 800 miles. I've replaced the back brake shoes three times with 1800 miles on the machine. Mine is a '99 KQ, I purchased in October, '98. I also own a AC 500i, '02. Partly because it has disc brakes all around.
The problem with the KQ brakes is two fold.
1. Water gets into the drums and carries debris inside that causes wearing on the brake shoes.
2. In cold weather, they freeze.
You need to buy water proof grease. It's sold at your local boat dealer or some auto parts stores do carry it.
The back seems to take on more water than does the front. Lube the back drum seal, mating surface, rubber "O" rings and bearing surface before assembly. Look at the backing plate, lube all the openings there after you assemble the back brake and housing. Don't forget to lube the cover seal (rubber seal in the middle) before replacing the hub (the part with the studs) back on. Lube the cover mating surface before screwing the cover back onto place. DO NOT over tighten the 10mm screws.
Do the same to the front brakes. They're easier to work on but this is critical because these brakes do most of the work. Don't get any grease on the shoes or contact surfaces while working. Buy yourself some brake cleaning fluid while at the auto parts store. It does a great job of cleaning the surfaces for assembly.
This is important! The next time you ride and you go through a lot of water, after you get done riding, park your quad on the truck or trailer and look at the backing plate on the front wheels from the backing plate side of each. You will see a rubber cap at the bottom of the metal plate. That's a drain plug. Remove and let the water run out. Replace the plug when finished. The back has a plug also but it's a metal plug at the bottom. Do the same here. All the wheels have an air line that bleeds air to the brake drums to help dry them. You can leave the plugs out while driving home but you have to put them back before you go riding again.
Water proof grease doesn't mix well with conventional grease so you should try to remove all the old grease before starting to reassemble. You can Email me if this is confusing. I spent time trying to make this simple but-- Oh well...
Chuck

 

Thanks a lot for the help.

 

did you get it fixed or find the problem ?

 

I need new dust seals and breaks and the dealer wasn't open at all this weekend so I will do it this week I hope.