[500 H.o.] - ATV Riders Forums - Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, CanAm, Arctic Cat, Kymco ATVs

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500 H.o.
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Posted by: Imbroke

my friend has a 2001 polaris 500 HO and the engine over heat light comes on after like a half hour of riding and the fan will run when it wants to what is wrong with this pos i hate polaris

Posted by: scdirtdobber

No offence but I think a Polaris is a well built machine but we all have opinions,first off is the radiator clean and free of mud? If so is it full of water/antifreeze? Has he checked the thermostat? It may be defectice and not opening all the way.Tire size also plays a factor especially in summer temps,same goes for all atv's

Posted by: rundrave

if your fan is not running, your radiator temp sensor is not working. thats what controls the fan. the sensor in the head is the one that reads motor temp, and switches on the hot light. so then your definitely running hot.

make sure you dont have anything like mud or a stick stuck in or around the fan, and make sure your radiator isnt covered with mud or any other debris

it could be as simple as a bad sensor as well, you could try buying a thermostat for it at an auto parts store and see if you really are running hot, or just removing the thermostat and running it

kind of ironic that you come here asking for help, but have to bash as well. A quad that is 8yrs old it going to have stuff go bad regardless of make or model. is it really a pos or just a bad mechanic who doesnt have the knowledge himself to trouble shoot a quad over heating?

to each his own i guess

Posted by: Imbroke

well we took out the radiator cleaned it put a new thermostat and fan in it and checked all the fluids changed the oil and it has stock tires the fan still wont run so we wired it so it runs as soon as you turn the atv on just to see what would happen and still the same result it doesnt make sense we took it to a shop and the guy was a real *** and just looked at it and said it needs cleaned so he cleaned it turned it on for 10 min and said its fixed but of course it wasnt we went back out riding and within a half hour the light was on again

Posted by: rundrave

The fan shouldnt kick on until the coolant hits 199 degrees. When it cools back down to 175-180 the fan should turn off.

I'm thinking either your idiot light sensor is goin bad or a maybe an air pocket trapped in the head. There is an allen bolt head right above the exhaust port. Loosen that to let any air trapped in the head out.

If you go out and ride it try to get it hot and see if the fan kicks on. If your fan is comin on at the right temp, I would not worry to much about the light if there is no air trapped in the head.

On my 500 the fan very rarely if ever turns on.

Posted by: Imbroke

ill be at his house this weekend ill try it and tell you if it works because i think the light is bad but im not going to chance it untill i know for sure the air pocket thing might solve it who knows but thanks

Posted by: scdirtdobber

Manually wiring the fan is fine as long as you stay out the water,if not you will overload the electrical system and find your self taking on water.We have 29" Outlaws which is a load on ours and heat can be a issue, we have a toggle as well as the stock fan wiring in place.Those thermostats should be cheaper!!

Posted by: rundrave

quote:
Originally posted by scdirtdobber
Those thermostats should be cheaper!!

just remove the the thermostat and run it with out

Posted by: Imbroke

we did should i just get a laser thermometer and check the temperature after like an hour to see if the light is write

Posted by: scdirtdobber

The thermostat restricts the flow to allow the radiator to do its job and slowly cool the passing water/antifreeze using air as well as the cooling fan,if you take it out you are causing the water to pass quicker through the flues not allowing proper cooling.Take it out your vehicle and see the difference.We have experimented alot on our race care over the years.http://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it...mostat_work.htm

Posted by: scdirtdobber

It is also possible the water pump may be bad or your flues in the radiator are stopped up,Have you pulled the radiator cap when cool,started it and actually watched the coolant level change when the stat opens and when it has opened and the engine is revved the level should drop but rise again.Just be careful!!Overheating can be aggrivating at times