I have A '00 Grizzly as well as the '00 Kodiak,this is my second Grizzly and let me tell you that the Kodiak will do circles around the Grizzly in the woods and in the mud.It will even keep up to the Grizzly in taking of right about to 30 mph,then the Grizzly takes of from mid to top.If Yamaha puts A bigger engine on A platform like the new Kodiak say goodbye Grizzly.In short the Kodiak is one fine machine.

 

Being as I am in the market for a new four wheeler, the Kodiak has been high on my list of prospects. The water pump problem worries me. So I called Yamaha tech support at 1-800-962-7926 to find out what they know. They have sold 8 water pumps, 3 of which fail due to sand in them. the others were changed due to leaking gaskets. Yamaha says this only 1/8 of a % of the Y2K Kodiaks sold. Get the word out Guys if you have problems or know someone who does call Yamaha at the number above. Lets be heard. On a brighter note my brother has a "00" 2wd with no problems so far, but we'll keep an eye on it.
Gook luck & Happy Ridin.

 

How old are the Kodiaks with the water pump problems. I tried asking this before and people replied with how many times they had been ridden.

I'm curious if it is the older machines with the problems. My dealer told me about the older machines having a problem with the rear shock. it is possible the problem has been taken care of on the newer machines.

 

I purchased mine in september '99,it was one of the first ones out the door at this particuler dealer.

 

DON'T PLUG THAT HOLE!!
I am not familiar with the Yamaha Kodiac water pump, but the weep hole on a normal gear driven or internal shaft driven water pump is located between the coolant seal and the oil seal on the pump shaft. Its purpose is to make sure that coolant does not get into the pump bearings or the lube system (and of course to let you know that you have a coolant leak as "Wannabee" already mentioned). If the weep hole is plugged and the coolant seal is leaking, the coolant has nowhere to go and could force itself past the oil seal and bearing/bearings and into the lube system. If this happens, it could take out the rod and crank bearings very quickly. Most quads have a tube from this hole that is just run down under the quad so that if there is a leak, it can drain without restriction onto the ground and not all over the quad. It also helps keep debris out of the hole because if it is hanging down and in the muddy water, the water can't enter very far because the tube is full of air. Don't run the tube upwards, because then it can't drain if there's a leak, and if you were in really deep water, it would fill up. I would strongly suggest that you don't plug the hole with silicone as Harold suggested. No offence intended Harold, but my guess is that you won't have any warranty if you ruin your engine after doing this, even if the water pump was faulty. If your quad is still at your dealer's, maybe you could suggest that he remove the pump cover and drill out the weep hole until he can snugly tap a short piece of steel brake tubing of the appropriate size into the hole. Then install a plastic tube on it to hang under the quad. This should eliminate your problem. If they won't warranty the pump, I'd do it myself if I were you. Good luck.
Jim Young.

 

When Yamaha told you to find a new place to ride, you should have told them to quit calling there machines "All Terrain Vehicles"!!!

 

I have a service manual for the Y2K-Kodiak and have looked at the pump components. It is a very basic design. There must have been some defective materials involved or perhaps installation errors. Maybe it was run before coolant was added. The book says pre-lube the seal at installation with coolant or water only. Not oil.
The bearing may be bad also. What I am saying is, it is not a Yamaha specific design flaw.
Just a note. Don't pressure wash your machine. It will put water where you don't want it. I friend brought me his Polaris and asked me why his front PTO seal kept going out. I found out that he pressure washed it before bringing it to me. He was forcing water in it and damaging the seal. He has stopped and so has the leaks.

therock

 

Sand in the Tranny Cover,
Sounds like you ride in Dunes or behind someone who roosts you allot. Put some panty hose over the intake hole.

therock

 

It seems you must ride the Dunes or behind a roost allot. Put panty hose over the tranny intake.
As for the water pump. I have seen it and it is a very basic time proven design. I can't believe that sand is doing it unless you are removing the side cover after riding and pressure washing it.
Yamaha may have got stuck with some bad seals or some new guy on the production line did a bad install. You can't run it dry and it cannot be pre-lubed with oil. Water or coolant only. There are other things can be wrong with it also like an undersized shaft or bad bearing.
What I am saying is, it sounds like you have my luck. The water pump is not unique in design. So it is not a faulty Yamaha specific design. It looks like a material defect problem. If not, an installation problem.
Hang in there.

Therock