We’ve got the 411, and many of you are questioning why your UTV keeps overheating. We’re here to make sense of the problem and give you some helpful solutions.
So let’s start at the beginning. How do you know your machine is overheating?
Now that we have all the symptoms of overheating, let’s get down and dirty and identify why your UTV could be overheating and how to fix it.
There’s nothing more appetizing than a buffet of bug guts, dirt, and leaves. Unless they’ve clogged your radiator and now your rig is overheating.
For your radiator to do its job, it needs to be able to cycle air continually and get rid of the heat from your engine simultaneously. The air intake is limited if your radiator is clogged with mud, leaves, and bugs. Therefore, your machine can’t cool itself how it’s supposed to.
That’s a good question. You have to be very careful because you can easily damage your radiator fins by bending them out of place. This is what we recommend:
What exactly is a thermostat? And how does it go bad or get stuck? Let us tell you.
The thermostat is a heat-sensitive valve that regulates coolant through the cooling system. As your rig gets hotter, the valve will release more coolant to your radiator.
If your thermostat gets stuck, that cooling process will never happen.
Thermostats are also pretty cheap. When your engine starts to overheat, this should be one of the first places you look.
Thermostats are consumable (like car batteries) and tend to rust after a few years or need to be replaced. To keep your thermostat from malfunctioning, run fresh, high-quality coolant.
This may seem like a no brainer, but if you find a large puddle under your machine then you most likely have a leak somewhere. Or if you notice that your coolant tank is below the minimum mark, you probably have a leak.
Look for wet spots on your radiator. They’re a common indication of leaks.
Take it to a mechanic—they can pressure test the cooling system, and identify where the leak is.
There are two types of fans—mechanical and electric.
Regardless of the fan type, most radiator fans start when your Ranger’s engine starts getting hot. It pulls air across the radiator to cool it off. Typically, you can hear when the fan kicks on and off. If your fan doesn’t kick on when your engine temp starts rising, then you can test it by jumping the fan motor. If it doesn’t turn on, you know you’re working with a faulty radiator fan.
It could be the fan clutch if it’s not the fan itself. This is usually the problem with an electrical fan.
And if it’s not the fan clutch, it could be a failed fan sensor. This sensor tells the fan when to start and stop.
To fix a radiator fan, fan clutch, or fan sensor, we suggest you take your rig to a mechanic to replacing the faulty parts.
What does your water pump have to do with your Ranger overheating? The water pump creates a continuous flow of coolant through the cooling system.
A set of rubber coolant hoses connects to the radiator, coolant tank, and the engine. All these combined make a circuit for the coolant to travel through. The water pump transfers hot coolant from the engine over the radiator, where the coolant has time to cool down and then gets recycled back through the machine.
If your water pump is malfunctioning, the hot coolant will never leave the engine, causing your machine to overheat.
This problem is simple—if your machine’s battery voltage is low, then it won’t have enough power to run the fan motor.
Your battery not having enough juice to support your radiator fan is a problem.
First, you will need a multimeter or voltmeter to check your battery. Or you can use something like our 12 V UTV Voltmeter and Dual USB Charger. While your UTV is running, you should get a reading of 14.0 or 14.5 V. If you get a reading lower than that, the battery doesn’t have enough juice to power the fan.
If that’s the case, it’s probably time to replace your battery.
As we mentioned in step one, your radiator fins can be easily damaged by dirt, debris, and build up. Or more times than not, riders damage them when washing them with a pressure washer.
If too many radiator fins are damaged, they won’t work correctly, making your UTV overheat.
We mentioned cleaning your radiator fins in step one. And we even went as far as saying that you could put them back in place if they are bent. But if too many of your fins are bent or damaged, it’s best to get a new radiator.
For those of you that work out in the scorching heat, it may be just this simple—it’s too stinking hot outside, and your cooling system can’t keep up.
Now that you can identify the symptoms of overheating, you’re more likely to be able to diagnose your overheating problem faster. Don’t let your engine get to the point where it’s overheating—it’s not good. When it comes to mechanical issues like this, one thing can lead to another, and you’ll replace eight parts instead of one. As we mentioned above, these parts aren’t cheap.
And if none of those work, you may want to buy a new radiator or relocate your radiator all together with a SuperATV Radiator Relocation Kit.
