Ok i got a little problem. my dad bought an 04 sportsman 700 a couple months ago, it was used, and neither my dad nor my brothers really had used it alot so yesterday i thought i would put some miles on it and see if everything ran right after i had ridin it for awhile. well i put about 11 miles on averaging about 40 mph and it started to overheat, the lcd panel said HOT CHECK ENGINE, so i shut it off and just let the fan run to cool it down. it cooled down and i continued to ride home and when i pulled it into the garage it did it again. i checked the engine coolent and that is good, looked alittle watered down and was to the tip top of the container and this morning it was down to the max line. i took a garden hose and sprayed the radiator out to make sure it was not cloged. i have not taken it out yet to see if that solved the problem. anyone else have any ideas on what could be causing this. i really want to take it riding this weekend.

 

Maybe the coolant isn't correct...someone put more water than coolant in it. Try draining and putting in the correct 50/50 coolant and see how it does?

 

Make sure you're not running high octane. These are low compression engines, so high octane will make them overheat. If you do have high octane, drain it and put some 87 oct. in it (lawn mower gas).

 

Sounds like either a stuck thermostat, or a bad water pump. Make sure you're getting coolant flow, take the rad cap off with it running (cold) and let it warm up, you should see coolant moving when the thermostat opens. It could be plugged, the only sure way to know is to take the rad out and make sure the fins are completely clear. I'm doing that on the weekend.

 

Im thinking im going to check and see if the coolant is flowing and if it is i will drain the coolant and put new stuff in but i was wondering where the drain plug is at on the radiator? do you have to take some stuff off the wheeler to find it because i could not find the plug, must be looking in the wrong place.

 

i check to see if the coolent is flowing and it is.

 

If you have coolant flow, your pump is putting out pressure, and the thermostat is opening. I assume it was warmed up, that's why you seen coolant moving. I think the only option left is a plugged rad. I suppose it could be a bad fan, does it run at all? Check for a pinched rad hose, that could be restricting flow as well.

 

well when i took the radiator cap off and then started the wheeler, the wheeler had not been running for a good 4 hours, i could see the coolant spinning around in a circle, i left the wheeler run for about 2 minuetes so it should have been warmed up, the level of fluid never changed the fluid just went around in a circle. that means the coolant is flowing correct or am i wrong.

 

Make sure your oil is not low. You might want to change oil if that has not been done in a while. Could also be a faulty temperture sending unit. I had one go bad on our Grizzly. Are there any other symptoms of over temp other then a light; boiling over, predetonation, power loss?

 

ok this is easy....

Polaris Sportsman line need 75% of the radiator clear and the fan must be able to turn.

1. Remove the front radiator guard (it just pulls off from the top)
2. Flush the radiator really good with a hose NOT a pressure washer, these just bend over the radiator fins
3. Make sure the fan is clear to move ... sometimes after clearing the radiator the mud will dry on the fan and stick it.

the radiator will clong on mud, dirt, sand, dust, and snow ... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

happy riding.