[hondatrx450mick]

hi there people i have owned my quad since christmas and never had a problem with it overheating but at the weekend the overheating light came on and the fan was goin as well it did cool down and the light went out and the fan went off but just dont no y i was kicking it in 1st an 2nd gear or a bit as i was at an enduro with lots of mud and not much water to go through to keep it cool has anybody took there thermostat out to run cooler or is there something else i can do to solve this or is it just the way the bike runs in general

 

[xx700xx]

Check your radiator closely. I thought mine was clean but upon closer inspection there was mud packed in the radiator. The area of the radiator right in front of the fan had mud packed in there. I had to hold a hose to it in both directions for a while to clean it all out. Remove the plastic shrouds and take a close look. You'll probably find mud in there.

 

[roadkill]

I would not recommend taking out the thermostat in any vehicle... that flow restriction is needed to slow the water flow through the radiator to give the water enough time IN the radiator to shed it's heat. Remove that restriction and the water will pass through the radiator without shedding much heat... the water will return to the motor almost as hot as it left.
My opinion is that you didn't get enough AIR flow through the radiator... possibly from mud and lack of speed (1st and 2nd gear)... If radiator is clogged with mud, fan can't pull air through.

roadkill

 

[hondatrx450mick]

thanx for the advise do u think the thermostat is broke or just give the rad a good clean for now

 

[roadkill]

thanx for the advise do u think the thermostat is broke or just give the rad a good clean for now

Clean the piss outta it. Dust and dirt can get built up in there... out of sight. Even muddy water can clog... water is evaporated away from the heat, but leaves behind the dirt that is now baked on. I wash my quad after EVERY ride and clean radiator EVERY time even if I didn't ride in dusty or muddy conditions. Good habit to get into. Clean just like xx700xx suggested. You probably won't need to remove any plastics in future cleanings. See how cleaning good works on your next ride.

roadkill

 

[Baxter]

I remove the radiator every other race and clean it . You'd be surprised how much mud is in there , even though it looks clean. First time I checked to see how much dirt was in the rad even though it looked clean. Did it in the shower over the bath tub. Not recommended it was a white bath and the amount that came out and cleaning the bath afterwards.Lets just say it was a good job Jill was at work that day! hno:

 

[crwh45]

I agree with everyone else. It is probably just your radiator. This happens a lot on bigger quads, my RINCON overheats whenever I go mudding with it.

 

[Crash21]

Spray the radiator down with engine degreaser. Then hose it off. That really helps to clean it. We do that at work a lot with our machines

 

[scuzz]

Simple green works great too.

 

[roadkill]

.... Did it in the shower over the bath tub. Not recommended it was a white bath and the amount that came out and cleaning the bath afterwards. hno:

In the bath tub? Really? I always thought you Brits were a bit crazy. I learned long ago that the easiest way to commit suicide with the wife is to bring auto/mc parts into the house. No work bench to assemble mc motor?... Dinning room table works... Does not go over too well with wife.

Simple green works great too.

Yep, what he said. I keep a gal bottle in my garage and just refill my spray bottle as needed.

roadkill

 

[Baxter]

It's called "Marital suicide" or "Death by misses". Luckily she never knew about it and one tip is dont clean the tub too clean , she'll make you do more house chores !

 

[OHV Wildcat]

I'm with everyone here--anytime I've had this problem, it was a dirty radiator. Also, a lot of guys on another ATV forum I'm on swear by Engine Ice. I had my doubts, and honestly, have yet to give it a real try. It's simply an antifreeze with a little more viscosity. That affects the way it flows through the engine, then some sort of black magic happens to make it run cooler. Guys that run temp gauges say they often see 15 degree cooler temps. Once again, I can't attest to it, but lots of guys swear by it.

 

[Crash21]

Im giving Engine Ice a try with my new build. I figured I had to drain it and refill it anyways so why not. I will let you know what I think after next summer

 

[Mountainmonkey]

I just installed a Trail Tech gauge and it is asking me for engine temp warning temperature and over heat temperature. Does anyone know what the actual degree is?

Thanks!

 

[mrtheandrew]

either the op. manual or repair manual should say the normal operating temperature range. i have neither available right now, so i couldn't tell you. if you can find it, i would say to set it for 10-20 degrees above that.

 

[MizuriDirt]

Most of the chems that make your engine run cooler is just a chemical that releases surface tension between the metal and the coolant. Plain old water will make your engine run cooler than anything if it had the same qualities that release tension and provide corrosion resistance. Coolant works better with a 50/50 mix than plain coolant for cooling. But, you need something to keep it from freezing in the winter too so anti-freeze/coolant just makes it easier to deal with year round.

Most of the chems are just a soap based product.