Author Topic: polaris fan not coming on (Read 4206 times)

ratherbefishin · « **on:** January 13, 2009, 04:29:57 AM »

I have a 2004 Polaris 600 sportsman which I like very much-no problems except one that surfaced this year-overheating.I cleaned the rad, took out the thermostat,nothing helped.there is a tiny bit of weeping from the waterpump vent.I did notice the fan didn't come on all the time-the dealer has been no help.One polaris owner said he had the same problem and it was the thermocouple which he bypassed .Is this an acceptable solution?My fear is being way out somewhere,loaded with moose quarters,and my quad overheats.Anybody else have this problem?

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #1 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:59:38 AM »

by doing that your making your fan run constant and it will probably wear out alot faster and cost you even more money. Id pick up a shop manual for it. A guy should have one for every unit he owns. Look in the manual and find where your fan relay is and test it first. If you arent mechanicaly inclined enough to test it just replace it. That is more then likely your problem. If thats not it try replacing your temperature sending unit (thermocouple if thats what you want to call it). It should be one of those two problems and im betting my money on the first.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #2 on:** January 15, 2009, 10:23:49 AM »

to compound my frustration ,the dealer doesn't seem to be too helpful-if I could go to another one I would.I took the ATV in last summer before heading up to the yukon border on a moose hunt-told him I wanted it serviced and there was an overheating problem,he said it was just a bolt that needed tightening up- so I went away on my hunt-and lo and behold-the quad overheated.Nor was he much interested in it whan I got back.Oh yeah, when it comes to simple things like changing the fluids and stuff-they did -for $300.....Taking it into the shop involves an afternoon's drive-and another one to pick it up.I just wish I could take it to a local mechanic-I don;t mind paying someone to do the job-as long as I get someone who knows what they are doing...

ps-thanks-I just ordered a Haynes shop manual

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:58:42 PM »

another option and one that not to many people try is your local car mechanic. I live in a rural area and know my mechanics personaly and if i had a problem with my bike theyd gladly look at it or at least have the name of a buddy who would.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #4 on:** January 16, 2009, 03:53:39 PM »

well surely this can't be that much of a problem-its either a plugged rad,[checked] not enough coolant,[checked] thermostat,[checked] water pump[not checked yet]-or as I suspect -the fan not coming on often enough.[it does come on-but not enough to keep the engine cool.]Curiously,it seemed to be when I was on ''low range''.Why wouldn't a dealer check all this out-especially when I told him I had an overheating problem?[we always shut it down immediately]-and I told him I wanted it thoroughly gone over because I was going 1200 miles away on a moose hunt....I wanted to KNOW it was alright.Trouble is-this is the only Polaris dealer on the island...

.54 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2009, 03:59:35 AM »

I used to have a Polaris quad myself, make sure you are thorough about hosing all the mud out of your radiator after riding. If mud gets caked up and dried up in the back of the radiator it can cause over heating and once it drys rock hard it can sometimes be difficult to hose out. My son used to use something called Water Wetter in his dirt bike radiator that's supposed to keep it running cooler but I've never tried it myself.
I know some Polaris guys that unplug the wire from the temp sensor and that allows the fan to just run when the engine is running.
Here's a link to a couple of things that might be of interest to you in that regard. Might give you some piece of mind while out hauling those moose quarters. Good luck with it.

http://www.quadovator.com/1618702.html

http://www.quadovator.com/902058.html

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2009, 07:05:03 AM »

thanks for the link -I contacted them.I just can't risk taking this quad out the way it is

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #7 on:** May 02, 2009, 01:15:24 PM »

With spring bear open,I decided to tackle the overheating problem with an mechanic friend-first we removed the winch and fenders shrouds so we could see .Next we began taking the electrical conections apart and checking them,and bypassed the fan switch-it came on-so the fan was working.We worked down to the sensor that fits in the bottom of the radiator -and it didn;t work-looks like corrosion or something got in.So-we ordered a new sensor ,hopefully tht will fix it.I'm thinking of ordering an aftermarket temperature guage and override fan switch.I blew out the radiator with compressed air-looking closely-it was dirty and had dried mud in it.
Funny-when I took it into the dealer before hunting season for an annual,fluids changed -I told them it had an overheating problem-they charged me $300-[after quoting $200]said the overheating was due to a ''loose bolt''[it overheated on my hunting trip to the yukon]When I took the shrouds off-I realised the dealer probably hadn't even taken them off-you'd think for an ''annual'' they would have at least powerwashed it.....
Anyway-hopefully this will fix it,and I think I'll be changing my own fluids after this....I don;t mind paying for a job well done -but I'd sure like to feel they at least gave it the once over-especially after I told them I was going 1200 miles away and was counting on the quad

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2009, 05:41:47 AM »

The sensor was the problem, we put the new one on and voila-no more overheating.I decided to pull the rad while everything was stripped down and hose it out and filled the rad with vinegar overnight-it came out clean.I'm wondering about installing an aftermarket heat guage and override fan switch,right now I don't know if its overheating until the warning light comes on and if the sensor fails I can't turn the fan on manually

What chokes me is when we pulled all the plastic off-it was evident the dealer hadn't even done that much,or power washed it.My garage even washes and vacumes my car when I take it in for repairs-but my quad dealer is the only one around-thats what competition-or lack of it does for service I guess.But you'd think when you tell them you had an over heating problem and you were going to the Yukon on a moose hunt-they'd at least do more than a superficial annual service -for $300.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #9 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:04:55 AM »

So, problem solved, the fan came on and the quad didn't overheat-except last week it happened again-the fan didn't kick in,and it overheated so I shut it down.Could there be anything happening that is causing the heat sensor to fail-or could this just be a defective heat sensor-and is there anyway to check without taking the heat sensor out?When we changed the heat sensor, we checked all the wiring conections, cleaned them and taped them up

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #10 on:** August 26, 2009, 01:18:11 AM »

sounds to me like a wiring problem. Did they actually test the old sensor before they pitched it? It could have been good and what could be happening is your just loosing the signal from it due to a short.. My buddy had a problem with his sportsman. His bike would start sometimes and sometimes after he road it for a while it wouldnt start. He struggled for about two years with it having it in and out of the shop. they replaced about everything related and it still did it. I was at his house one day and he was steaming about it so we started tearing it apart. We found a plug that the wires were a bit short and what was happeing is when the bike warmed up the connector expanded enough to not give a good enough connnection and when it cooled down it would get just enough to work. I would check all the wires again and check the relay that the sensor is connected to. Most of the time a sensor will out last a relay.

torpedoman · « **Reply #11 on:** August 26, 2009, 03:04:45 PM »

Took my 5 yr old honda i for service and rejetting because of the altitude change. The local dealer said it was too old and they would not work on it. In your case the sensor that turns your fan on is bad just replace it should be a fifteen minute job, most have a plug in and are real simple to r&r.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #12 on:** August 26, 2009, 03:41:24 PM »

I'm suspecting the new sensor is defective-when we had the initial problem, we checked all the wiring,cleaned all the connections,and took out the sensor and boiled it-and found it wasn't working.When we put the new one in,everything worked fine-up until a week ago, when it overheated without the fan coming on.Then it worked fine for a few days[probably not more than a couple of hours max,] and the same thing-the fan didn't kick in,which normally starts running after 15 or 20 minutes

At $90,I would think the dealer would replace it,but I'm not holding my breath....but the total running time since it was replaced has to be well under 10 hours.
i know a lot of people dump onn Polaris-but I really like this quad[2004 sportsman 600 ],its been lightly used and runs well-except for this one problem.I'm thinking of installing an overide switch-the last thing I need is to be stuck in the bush miles from camp with moose quarters and the quad overheating.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #13 on:** August 27, 2009, 05:23:25 PM »

checked the heat sensor-its working-so now we have to try and figure out if its something wrong with the fan motor

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2009, 01:03:02 AM »

I would write honda a little letter and tell them your dealer wont work on that bike. My father just brought in his 24 year old big red 3 wheeler for a tune up, service and new cables and they gladly worked on it! 5 year on a 4 wheeler is nothing! Id shop for a new dealer.

Quote from: torpedoman on August 26, 2009, 03:04:45 PM

Took my 5 yr old honda i for service and rejetting because of the altitude change. The local dealer said it was too old and they would not work on it. In your case the sensor that turns your fan on is bad just replace it should be a fifteen minute job, most have a plug in and are real simple to r&r.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #15 on:** August 30, 2009, 04:06:14 AM »

We checked the fan-its working, so we figured it had to be a wiring problem.Pulled all the connections apart and bypassed them, then pulled the sensor and heated it up in a pot of boiling water-the fan came on.Then we hooked up the original wiring and everything worked-the fan came on.So we reinstalled the sensor, refilled the rad ,and started it up.No overheating-fan comes on.I even wonder if it could have been an airlock .This is frustrating-If we hadn't cleaned and taped up the wiring connections I would have said it was a faulty connection.Not sure where to go now-but I will install a fan override switch,can't risk this happening in the bush

Paladin · « **Reply #16 on:** August 30, 2009, 06:41:49 AM »

Replace the fan motor.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2009, 10:40:04 AM »

the fan motor comes on when we bypassed the wiring-thats not the problem

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** August 31, 2009, 12:32:17 AM »

still think you may have a relay problem. Sometimes when they heat up they will act up. i dont know for sure how the fan is set up on your bike but id have to guess the fan has a relay. there usually cheap and easy to replace.

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #19 on:** August 31, 2009, 03:40:52 AM »

The issue is compounded by the fact its intermitent, we have ruled out the heat sensor and the fan motor.That leaves wiring-but WHERE?all connections were unplugged, cleaned and taped up

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #20 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:39:50 PM »

We fixed the overheating problem-installed a heat guage and a fan overide switch-then somehow shorted the wiring and got a wiring fire-burned my wiring-burned the ignition switch[$85] plus now have to get it rewired...not fun and moose season is 2 weeks away...

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #21 on:** September 21, 2009, 09:23:32 PM »

I maintain a 2004 Polaris 450 sportsman which had a chargeing problem (chronic dead battery) the factory had installed a inadiqutely sized voltage control box that not only was the voltage regulator controled the coolant fan amungst other things, when the fan was running all the time preventing from being fully charged also lead to some wire fires too in the area just ahead the handle bar. I dissremember the service bullitin # t I did have to exchange my control box for a bigger one the sent (had the send in the old one)

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #22 on:** September 25, 2009, 12:17:28 PM »

interesting!-how did you find out it was the voltage control box?My wiring burned in the same place .Did you replace all the wiring from the factory-or did you just replace the individual burned wiring?Apart from this overheating issue-I really like this quad

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2009, 09:28:59 AM »

I saw where they had this problem on a couple different ATV sights, I checked Polaris on-line and found that Polaris dident actively announce this recall 'it was announced as a service bulliten' that is they will replace the thing if you bring in your ATV for the alement which they know about but arnt going to tell you about, I am a maintence worker and had to fix this thing (I wanted a Honda the boss took the lowest bid and the ATV was shipped directly fromPolaris in Minnisota"cost of shipping was 1/2 the cost of the ATV)
I called a Alaska Polaris service dept directly in Fairbanks AK, the first thing they wanted was me to bring it to ther shop ...............thats not going to happen as im over 240 airline miles away ..........so sending them the ATV was a no-go, I told them send me the part and I will install it they said I'd have to wate awhile they'd ship when they had it (3 months latter) I had to box the old part and send it back to them.

Ive since then have pitched the info on that service bulletin, but that can be found on the Polaris sight under recalls and servicebulletins

ratherbefishin · « **Reply #24 on:** October 29, 2009, 08:14:58 AM »

well I have my quad back-the good news is my temp guage is working, the fan over ride switch is working and the bad news is I had to replace the whole wiring harness as a result of the short and fire-cost $1000.Nor did I get it back in time to go moose hunting.Oh well,such is life.The guy at the shop told me it could have been worse-could have caught the whole darn thing on fire and burned it to the ground-electrical fires can ruin your whole day...if I had any confidence in the dealer-I would have had them install the temp guage and over ride switch-thats the price you pay for no competition,they can treat you any way they like.I don't mind paying for service-as long as I get it,but when I'm going to the dealer-I expect competent service and people who know what they are doing[the auto electrical shop treated me well,fixed the problem and saved me money by ordering in a new wireing harness rather than rewiring it themselves]

BUCKDUSTER · « **Reply #25 on:** November 03, 2009, 12:38:45 PM »

i would call corparate polaris and complain about the dealer. then complain about your problem. they may help you if they want to keep a customer. i go on atv poker rides with upto 1000 quads in a day. polarises seem to have more overheating issues then all the other atv companies combined. it has kinda become a joke among all the riders. i used to have a grizzly 660, and now have a honda 420 rancher. never had overheating issues with either, even after a day of severe mudding. buy a honda. you wont regret it

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #26 on:** November 09, 2009, 10:54:56 AM »

Interesting observation of Polaris ATV's here in NW AK they dont run for long, in the coastal village where I live (30 miles above the arctic circle) ATV's break down in ways the engineers had never drempt.
Ive seen Honda ATV's operated in temps well below -30F with minimal problems
the Polaris axel oil seals all start leaking when the mud puddles ice over, the oddest thing I witnessed was brand new sportsman that had its first trip to the store, as *I walike up to the store I spotted the Polaris had a long stream of oil from where it was parked and on up the street where there was a really big pool of what apperard to be motor oil, the engine case breather line frosted up (some synthetic oil's do that) the lady had taken her sons new ATV to the store to shop, had to have the ATV towed home cause the vent line clogged up with frothy snot and pressurized the crank case and the while side of the plastic oil resivour by the Left front wheel had completely cracked and fell off (was laying in the large pool of motor oil up the street the day was only -09F.