hello everyone, im sure you have seen my posts from "over heating" in the past few months, but i still havent been able to kick it! i just took the cover off the water pump and everything "looked" ok but looking through my manual, i saw that the mechanical seal could fail. just wondering if this could cause overheating, and also wondering how you could tell if the mechanial seal was indeed worn out? im really getting frustrated. i love polaris, but if i dont figure this out soon, i will own a different brand. thanks for the help

Blake

i checked the oil, and it is good an clean so there isnt any coolant in there. havent noticed any coolant dripping from the weep hole either. i hope its ok because it looks like a pain in the kiwi's to replace!

Cajun???/ anyone?????

A usual tell tale of a bad mechanical seal is leaking through the weep hole. More common overheating problems are mostly plugged or dirty rads or failed fans....

ok, well i have changed my fan motor, flushed the coolant 23423524 times, took the rad out and cleaned it to "like new" condition, installed a new thermostat, used water wetter removed water pump cover, inspected impeller and mechanical seal. checked weep hole, and replaced rad cap and it still flashes hot after about 15 minutes. arggggghhhhhhhhh. anyone else have any ideas????

Have you tested or replaced the sending unit for the Warning light yet?

Are you actually experiencing a "HOT" or "OVERHEATING" condition?

Do you have any actual temps of the cooling system when the light comes on?

Do you have a "Temp Gun"?

What kind of temp do you have at the radiator, hoses,engine,etc.?

Is this "HOT" condition after 15 minutes of idleing or riding, easy or hard riding?

You can usally let a machine idle for 10-15 minutes and the fan may not even come on in that amount of time, meaning that the engine is not too hot at that point, that is why I'm asking all these questions because I think you may have a bad sender (switch) turning the light on prematurely?

no i havent replaced the sensor yet. kinda scared to see what it costs

I dont think i have an overheating engine because i dont notice any change in performances OR coolant spewing out of the overflow

I dont have actual temp readings of the system and i dont have a temp gun. I guess thats my next purchase. I sold my old temp gun when i sold my NITRO R.C. car

it will flash hot from either idling or ride, though it happens way quicker when riding. but when its flashing hot, if i turn the key off then right back on, the fan shuts off and the HOT light is gone. wtf? OH its an 06 450. and is there a way to test the sensor?

There probably is a way to test the sensor, but it's going to get complicated to do so. Have you checked the OEM service manual to see if they recommend a test procedure?

To me, the cheapest route is to install a cheap water temp gauge on the quad and see what's really going on. If the guage confirms it's overheating, something is still amiss. I think I would run a compression test and make sure you don't have a head gasket issue based on your "clean" radiator and new thermostat.

As for the seal, if you aren't noticing any loss of coolant when you ride, chances are it's okay. I looked up the sensor and it's $71 on one of the on-line sites.

I don't have access to a manual for your machine, I do have a manual for my 06 800, it does have a procedure for testing the sensor but I see that the sensor on your 450 is different than the one used on the 800's.

I think you should get your hands on a manual for the 450 and go through the procedure to test the sensor, I believe you will find the answer to your problem then.

Check around also, I found the sensor for your machine(#3084940)for $60, but remember then you also have shipping to add to that.

Here is a link to the page for testing the sensor I uploaded to my site. It looks very easy to test. Keep in mind this is out of the 2005 400 - 500 manual. I am guessing but should be the same.

sensor test

thanks for the help everyone, i will do a compression test next, and tbg120, i can figure out how to open your link??? i downloaded it and extracted it but still wont work. i will post back with my compression results

quote:

and tbg120, i can figure out how to open your link???

You should just be able to click on it and the document should open. If not, post back. Maybe I can e-mail it to you.

ok, tgb, i havent tried your link again yet, last time it made me download a zip file and everything was screwy. but here is the bad news. i just did a compression test and i got a whopping 70pst and then i put some oil on in the spark plug hole and did another one, and it gave me 90psi. so i guess i have a ring problem??? its an 06 450 with 2500KM on it. kinda rediculous if you ask me. but I guess that would be part of my bogging under load problem, but could that also be my overheating problem?? or could the head gasket contribute to my low compression?? i dunno, i think im going to lose it soon. in my eyes, if adding oil upped the psi, then i dont think it would be a head gasket, but im not a mechanic. please help me folks. does anyone know what psi i should be getting??? thanks

Blake, tgb, my email is mastergrader007@yahoo.ca

Actually, your compression is in range with the spec. How much oil did you add? I have found in the past that if you add to much oil, know matter what, the 2nd test will go up. Have you been burning oil? What does your plug look like? Are there oil deposits on it? Have you knowingly ridden in severe dust without an air filter or a K&N w/out a pre-filter? Otherwise my experience has been that the top ends of the 400 - 500 motors have been bullet proof with the exception of a run of bad camshafts in the late 90's early 2000's.

My opinion, I don't think you have a low compression problem. I would concentrate on the hot light and confirm it is not actually overheating first. Just my $.02

Check your e-mail. I sent that file.

i didnt add very much oil. i have been searching in the forums and i have seen that 115psi and up is normal. huh, maybe it was an different machine. my plug is good, i have changed them 2 times in the last couple months just to make sure. i havent burned any oil either. i just thought of something though, when i changed my oil in the spring, i didnt take the hose off the back of the resivoir and clean that screen. i wonder if that could be the issue. i also have a UNI filter that i clean regularly.

does anyone know what the compression should be??? psi wise??? Nevermind, i talked to a polaris tech and he said at least 110 psi. soooo i ordered some rings. hope that fixes er up

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mastergrader007,

huh, did some searchin, and found out that when you do a compression test, you hold the throttle open. that gave me 100psi. DOH! you learn something everyday. now back to the overheating issue