Well Andy...I have just recently bought this Quad... I also was having a overheating problem my 2013 Yamaha 450 Kodiak and I can't express how thankful I am to have watched this video of yours. You are a genius and after reading all of the comments below and seeing how others had found the same problem with like you the brown broken wire on the ignition switch I proceeded to the first step of removing the ignition switch and found exactly the same spot of the broken brown wire. I then called our local Yamaha dealer and they didn't have one in stock but could order one. So at that point I decided to use a x-Acto knife and strip the little bit of insulation that was left on the brown wire to expose the copper wire. This was the hardest part of the job trying not to damage any of the copper wire. I then used my soldering gun and put a dab of solder while holding the switch in a small vice. I then slipped a piece shrink tube over the wire and proceeded to solder the wire together. After sliding the shrink tube back over the join and carefully shrinking the tube I then used a pair of scissors and split some short thin pieces of electrical tape. After wrapping around the join at the base of the switch it looked like it would never break there again. Keep in mind this is a quick fix and may have to replace it with a new $80 switch ... Hopefully not. I then reinstalled it and took it for a ride and with a little bit of load with the Snow blade hooked up and pushed a little bit of snow the fan actually cut in briefly making me believe that the job is completed and was the fist time I had heard the fan cut in. It didn't heat up and lose any fluid as I had before. I hope this wasn't two drawn out as I I have never commented on RU-vid but I felt if I could help someone else out like you just did for me... They too would appreciate your video on this overheating problem... I would never have found that broken brown wire without your expertise mechanical ability. Thanks again Andy and everyone's comments below for me to solve this problem. Looking forward to watching more of your videos Andy .....CHEERS
Can't thank you enough for the Yamaha 450 yfm videos. I previously owned a 2005 Kodiak (sold because of stupidity), but purchased a new Grizzly 450 eps in 2012. Between my sketchy mechanical ability and your expertise, I can usually get the job done. Even when I know how to work certain issues, I double-check myself with your videos. Thanks again for the help...
Great info Andy, my fan on a 2004 yamaha kodiak just up and quit on me. I used the steps you suggested come to find out it was the fan circuit breaker. I would have never figured it out on my own. Thanks again for the great info!
Thanks Mate, same issue on our quad. Check barrel one wire snapped. It's just below where is soldered inside barrel. Wire was long enough to quick fix while waiting for new barrel. Thanks again.
Thank you! I been having same issues lately, to the point the fan stopped altogether yesterday. What you found was exactly what was wrong with mine! That brown wire on back of the key switch got pulled out somehow. I'm thinking that it was the was the way the key switch cable was routed through the handlebars, and turning the handlebars slowly stretched the wires, and eventually pulled it out. I went to patch up that brown wire because I had someone install some powermadd sentinel leds for the handguards and they had to use a wire tap on that brown wire. that wire was fraying, but to my surprise when I went to re wire it I notice the wire was disconnect at the other end under the wire covering. I had to cut the old wire and used a new one, and soldered what was left of the old wire... well it worked and have no more fan and overheating issues. So your video saved me some money and time, again! thank you! oh and I have a 2014 grizzly 450 as well. I think this problem might be a defect in that years key switch wires... Can't be just a coincidence for something that I had the same problem as this guy with same exact fourwheeler. My guess is that one of owners or someone working on it found the same problem and soldered that brown wire back on, which is exactly what you found. Either way I'm stoked that I fixed it so soon, thanks to you! I was bummed thinking about not being able to ride it until I found the problem and bought new parts to put in... I'm still going to buy a new one, as the one i have now was a patch job to hold me over.
You win the internet today. Was ready to trouble shoot the whole sytem but after watching this video I pulled the ignition off and the wire is broke. Great explanation of every part of the system though. The steering yanks on that wire (must be the shortest one). You saved me much time, thank you. :)
Great video Andy. I spent 3 days troubleshooting my Hisun 700 engine on my Cub Cadet Challenger since it started to overheat and the fan was not coming on. I bypassed the temp switch and the old fan came on fine - so I replaced the temp switch (used the opportunity to flush cooling fluid and drain system). Thought I had problem licked, but alas - no fan operation. I disconnected the fan motor and get 12VDC when temp switch kicks on, but fan doesn't work. I applied 12VDC direct to fan and it worked fine. If I connect fan back up to the circuit - the volts goes to 0VDC. I measured the amps for the fan and seems to draw around 7A. I bypassed the ignition circuit altogether and used a 10A fused lead to the temp sensor and everything works great. I don't see a circuit breaker in the schematics, but they do show a 3A diode in line with the feed to the temp switch. I figure the ignition is fine since I have 12VDC to fan motor connector without the fan connected, but something is being either open or overloaded when that fan is connected. I thought maybe the fan motor was bad and pulling too many amps, but when I put a new fan motor on - it had the same issue and drew the same amount of amps. I am going to leave the ignition circuit to the temp switch bypassed with its own fuse for now until I figure this out. Any ideas?
Good Morning, it sounds to me like there is high resistance in the original circuit, that's why the volts drop to zero when you connect the fan. This could be on the feed side of the circuit or the ground so just connect one side of original circuit and other side a temp feed or earth. That way you'll know which half of the circuit has the fault. Keep the fan connected up and work your way back checking for available voltage (Pierce wire every few inches) when voltage shows at battery voltage fault is between that point & where you last tested. Could be a corroded Junction inside the loom or a bad earth? Let me know how you get on Cheers Andy
Your awesome! I had changed my ignition barrel for a cheap one just to have 2 keys. The new ignition was the problem! Never would have figured that out without you! Thanks!
Yep, having this fan issue on a 2006 450 Kodiak. Getting red warning light and so I"m going to begin testing as you shown in your helpful vid. THank you and I've subbed as well. Cheers
Very good video! I am having this same problem with the same model ATV. I have replaced the thermoswitch and this did not solve the problem. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Thanks for this. Was trouble shooting our 450 today. Think our thermostat is broken as there is a little bit of flow when you first start the bike looking into the radiator but settles quickly. But the thermoswitch is broken as the fan works and there is power getting to it from the key and circuit breaker, but won't turn on when it gets hot. Tell you what, these bikes weren't made with big hands!
Awesome video Andy, excellent diagnostic process. Good learning for my 12 yo son who now has found out that things may not always be as they seem! Thank you very much.
Excellent video, could use a little editing to bring down the time on it but the info was spot on. Thanks for posting, this was just what I needed to see! Liked and subscribed!
FYI Just troubleshot my 450 , and found the exact same thing you did! A broken wire right next to the back of the ignition switch. I had just enough wire to solder them back together. And the wire looked as if it was literally cut in two. Bizarre!
From a forum post that I made:I've been dealing with fan problems due to my Ignition key switch. I had fan problems one day, and after watching a video I found out what was keeping it from coming on. Well it turned out that a brown wire on the back of the ignition key switch was pulled out. So I took another piece of wire, cut the original off because it was now too short, and rewired and soldered it back on. Well that got the fan going again... Until my soldering job failed me and the wire pulled out again from the turning of the handlebars while riding. I tried to solder it back on, but this time the fan wouldn't work... So I went again and spent 7 bucks to buy a new Caltric key ignition switch... Well, all was well until I seen my Oil Temp like turn back on and found out the fan still wasn't working. Well, it wouldn't work when the key switch was on with engine on or off, but it would work when I turned the key off! So the fan worked fine. But I figured it was a faulty key ignition switch and put the other back on until I bought a better quality one. Well I went and bought a Kimpex ignition key switch for 30 bucks thinking that would solve all the issues. I put the new one in, and it gave me the same results! The cooling fan only works when the fourwheeler is off and the key is in the off position. So I'm stump. The only thing I can thing of is that those two key switches are not compatible with my fourwheeler and are wired differently. I think the only thing I can do at this point is spend the damn 58 bucks for a new oem yamaha ignition key switch and hope that fix all the problems, but before I do, I want to make sure this isn't being caused by something else... like maybe a fuse or something else? I have no idea if its just because these key switches are not compatible even though they say they are, and need an oem factory key switch, or if something else could be causing this issue. Any help would be much appreciated! I'm finally getting all my carburetor and ctv mods situated and slowly tuning them, but I haven't been able to go for a long ride due to heating/cooling fan problems for a couple weeks now, and I'm dying to go for a good ride. I'm thinking of trying to rewire the old one again, but one end just doesn't have much wire to work with, barely any at all.
+Rperley 84 hey. No worries. The ignition switch has two circuits. The first is the main contact that powers up the ignition etc. The 2nd contact is the output for the fan. Yes it's odd to have the fan feed through the ignition switch? Now because of this the ignition switch needed for your bike isn't standard so you can either bite the bullet and but Yamaha or run a separate feed from your battery to the output wire that goes to your fan. There are a few variations on the wiring around the World but basically the two red wires are battery positive. Then the output wires, one is brown - main ignition, the other brown with a blue tracer - this is the wire that provides a feed to the fan circuit (and other circuits on some models) when the ignition is turned on. If you run a wire directly from battery + to the brown & blue wire then go for a ride - the fan should come on. That proves the ignition barrel you fitted is not suitable for your bike.
i re-soldered the original key switch, and my fan is working again. I went for a good long ride with some good mudding, and my temp light never came on, but never heard the fan kick in until I got home and let it idle. So I was happy about that.... I'm just gonna have to buy a new oem yamaha one for 55 bucks :( Sending the other two back. Thanks for the reply.
Great video, same issue on my 2013 450. Was wanting to know if the wires in the ignition have any effect on the eps & 4wd system as when my fan stopped i started having issues with the others. Im in nz (matamata) great to see a kiwi doing these vids its a massive help cheers.
Hi Andy, I have a 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 660. The fan is not coming on but following your steps supplying power to the fan motor caused it to come on, so fan motor is good. Then following the next, disconnecting the thermo unit and bypassing the fan did not come on. When then proceeding to the next part I couldn't find a relay on mine like you showed, and it only has three cables, brown, red, and brown/blue from the ignition. Since I couldn't figure a way to test what you suggested, I disconnected the ignition but don't appear to have any cuts in the wires. I also couldn't figure how to test what you did in the vice given that I only had three wires and not four. Wondering if you knew what the difference would be to figure it out given the difference in wiring between the 660 and 450. Thanks, Jacob.
Hi Andy I love you videos they're very knowledgeable and fun to watch I have a 2007 350 Yamaha Bruin that is overheating I noticed you don't have any videos on that and I cannot find anyone that knows what the problem can be because it's not liquid cooled it is an air-cooled engine I keep getting the runaround it seems after a while of driving it shuts down on me just stalls I usually give it about 10 minutes or so then I'm good to go for a while until it gets hot again nobody knows what the problem is would you have any idea you're my last hope thanks Andy
I am having the same issue with my 2000 kodiak 400. I've gone through the steps and would like to get a quick explanation hooking the circuit breaker to 12v for testing. I'm by no means a mechanic but would like to figure this out. Also, the 2000 has one brown, one red, one black, and one black with a white tracer coming from the ignition barrel. Should these all still have continuity, and which go with which? Thank you for the video!
Awesome video. Im having the same problem. I dont have any wires plugged into that sensor on the side of the rad. What plugs into that? Where does the wires come from? The fan itself plug into that sensor?
Hi Andy! Excellent video, I followed along until I found that my temp switch appears to fail. When I bridge it manually, the fan comes on. When I took it off I realized that there was no water coming out. The cooling liquid level is OK (looking at the tank behind the left front wheel). So before I buy a new temp switch, I want et to ask if the reason could be that there is no water behind it. Thanks a lot man, fixing this by myself would be so satisfying. Edit: just tried the thermo switch in a pot in the kitchen. Looks like it is actually working. This leads me to think there should be more water inside the radiator behind the switch, or?
Hi, yes, the thermo switch should be immersed in coolant. You can bench test the switch easily. Just boil a kettle, get a 12v bulb, a 12v battery and a few jumper cables. Connect the 3 items in series to make a circuit. Put the thermo switch in a container. At this point the bulb should not be illuminated. Add the boiling water to the container - when the switch is immersed it should close the circuit and the bulb will illuminate. A simple test. If you know the on & off temp specs you can add a thermometer and, using a stove to heat the water, test the switch actuated at the correct temp. Hope this helps. Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic I just fixed it! Turned out the coolant tube had come off the water pump. Easy to see, when the left foot rest had come off. This explains my radiator looked empty. If I can post links to photos, here is what it looked like photos.app.goo.gl/p6LXiRQj9VXP8Y5BA Again thanks for your videos!
Will this diagnostic process work on a 1998 to 2001 grizzly 600 as well? My radiator fan is not working and I'm considering bypassing it to a toggle switch if I can't figure this out soon.
hi i have an older grizzly 660 looks same as yours here it overheats also the fan works intermittently ive changed the thermol sensor and the fan also its happening again intermittent can you help? thanks
Thanks Andy for the diagnostic. I have a Suzuki LTA500F quad with cooling fan not working. Following your tips but I can’t find the thermostat switch. Both front wheels off etc but can’t see it. Any clues please?
Hi Trevor, so just be aware, on newer fuel injected bikes the ECU controlles the fan switching by providing a ground to the circuit, often via a relay. You'll need to get a wiring diagram for your year bike - if you email me the VIN I can get this for you. Andymechanic@live.co.uk
hope you can help i have a 2007 yamaha grizzly 350 it stalled out and would not start back up had no neutral light i replaced both neutral safety switches did not help it keeps blowing a 15 amp fuse after a few fuses saw some smoke from cdi box replaced it neutral came on does blow fuses but now the oil temperature light is on eng gets hot did not buy a high price cdi box could be a problem thanks for any help
I am curious at what temp does the warning light come on and at what temp will the fan start to run. When the fan runs, does the thermoswitch have a much lower temp at which it will shut off the fan just to keep the fan from cycling on and off for short periods of time?
@@AndyMechanic Yes, It does. I hooked it up directly to the battery and it worked. The ignition switch works too. I am guessing the fault must be somewhere on the power cable but I am not sure how to trace it.
Andy I don't understand your thermostat switch test, shouldn't the fan come on if you bridge gap on the wire? I've done every thing you recommended. I did have a bad circuit breaker that I replaced. The fan still doesn't come on before the engine boils over. You never mention the thermostat, could it be that?
Check water flow through the system - could be a blocked radiator core or the impeller in the water pump isn't turning or badly corroded. Hope this helps Andy
Good video. Red with black wire where does that go. Fan works, but when i connect brown to red with black fan does not come on. Fan circuit chip has .5 ohms.
My fan is making a buzzing noise (like it’s trying to come on) but the fan is not spinning. Blades spin when pushed by hand, but feels loose and wobbly. Any ideas if this can be fixed - or is it likely to need replacing?
That is a strange spot for a cut. Nice find. EPS seems to be offered on a lot of ATV models. Andy have you seen any problems so far with it or would it be wise to stay with regular steering. Cheers.
+STEVE ROB Hi Steve, I really only have experience with the Yamaha Electric Power Steering. I have never had to fix them. I have retro fitted the units to quads too. Works well with no issues. With regards to other makes I just can't comment but only because I haven't come across any faults... Cheers Andy
Andy Mechanic why the hell is there a pull start on my Kodiak 450 if the quad dies when the battery is unhooked. Why won't it stay running if power is still flowing from the stator?
Hey Andy. I have a 2005 grizzly 660. I've been having an issue for a while, I've been trying to diagnose it. I can't get the bike to go over 15km (works perfectly below 15) and if try to go over 15 the reverse light and the oil light starts to flash and engine power is cut off my engine starts to bog. As soon as it drops below 15 it works perfectly again but the reverse light and oil light will flash when I try to go over 15km and will not let me go over 15. I recently took apart the clutch system and fully repaired it and it continues to do the same thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
if you tap on to those wires and put a switch at the end of it your can turn it on manual if the sensor ever decides to go out on you in the trails just flip the switch and your good to go
Excellent Video!! Question: I *suspect* my fan isn't coming on in an over temp situation. My oil temp light works when I press the start button but doesn't come on when I think the engine is hot. Following your procedure, at 7:10, when I bypass the Thermo Unit, my fan runs. Would this be the case if everything but the Thermo Unit was working? I think either: 1: The engine isn't over temp (>150 deg. C) or 2. My Thermo Unit is faulty. Do I need to pull the Thermo Unit, boil it and check the resistance?
Hi, Thank You. The thermostat switch should go closed circuit around 98 degree c. and open again once it drops below 93 degrees c. if it's not doing this then it's definitely faulty. Hope this is of help. Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic I ended up doing the test you showed where you run the engine at high RPMs in neutral gear. The fan came on, and the oil temp light did not. I was avoiding that test because I didn't want to piss off the neighbors, ha! Anyway, it works and I took it on a 15 mile run with new tracks for snow. It worked fine. *You're videos are a great help!* I've got 3 1998 Grizzly 600s to maintain so I need all the help I can get. Think I'm going to try the valve adjustment next. It's never been done. :-(
I know this is an old video but maybe someone can answer a question..... I sent power to fan directly as he did and my fan worked. I then took connector off the "thermo switch" and turn ignition on and the fan did work... So... Am I correct in thinking that the problem can only be the thermo switch and I can stop chasing the issue?
I have tested a non working fan buy using both pos and neg from the battery and the fan did not work....my question is should I have grounded the neg to the bike frame as you did instead of using the direct pos and neg from a 12v batt?
I have a Yamaha Kodiak 03 400 when I turn the engine over the overheat light is coming on when I turn the engine try to start the bike but it won't start
On my 98 grizzly 600 the snorkel vent for the cvt up at at top is facing the engine is that right why would you want engine heat going in or does the cvt blow air out but they get hot to so why would you want heat hitting the engine Question is should I turn the snorkel up away from the engine.
Am I correct that if I bridge the gap on that thermosensor plug that should make the connection and that fan should come on? I thought that is what you'd mentioned but in the video fan didn't come on so now I'm not sure if I have that right or not? Thanks!
@@AndyMechanic Thanks, ok then yes I have another issue and will keep digging. Can I also unplug that circuit breaker and bridge that connection as well to test it?
@@AndyMechanic No worries on answering other question. I kept watching your video and dug into the ignition and found a broken wire. All fixed!! Thanks for this great video!!
Hey there, I have a 2020 Yamaha grizzly 700 that’s overheating, it only has 150km on it and last time it over heated it leaked all the coolant out of the bottle. The dealership told me to try unplugging the fan and plugging it back in but that did nothing. Any ideas? (I’m unable to take it in for service due to covid19 and the dealership is closed until who knows when.) thanks!
Hi, Sorry to hear you are having a problem with such a new bike. Yes, of course I can help. Please email me the full VIN of the bike to andymechanic@live.co.uk - we will communicate by email henceforth. Talk soon. Cheers Andy
No, if the fan comes on its fine - so too is the wiring etc. You could remove & test the thermo switch on the bench. You'll need a multi Meter set on ohms a kettle or heating device. Bring the water temp up to say 98 degrees Celsius and the switch should change from open to closed circuit. Hope this helps. Cheers Andy
I have Yamaha my 09 and soon as I turn on the ignition,the fan starts blowing and doesn’t go off. What should I check. It’s like it’s direct to the ignition
Can you email me the VIN number or model code (white sticker under the seat - 4 characters) so I can take a look at the wiring diagram. Please email andymechanic@live.co.uk Ta Andy
Hi I have a 1996 polaris 300 4x4 why does fan come on when you turn the key 🔑 on the man I bought it from put a new ignition switch on he told me from then on the fan would come on we you turn on the key can you help me maybe?
Hi, it's likely that the circuit fit the fan has been modified at some point. Maybe the thermoswitch has been bypassed? You'll need to locate this & see if it's still got power & test - it should be open circuit when coolant cold & go closed circuit when coolant temp gets over around 90 deg C - though specs are in the manual Hope this helps Andy
What’s the diameter of the temp sensor/thermo sensor pink and brass in color that screws into the radiator I ordered a replacement for my 07 rhino 660 from amazon 🤦♂️and the sending unit/pink portion is right but the screw/copper part is to small.
Just curious...how often have you encountered a faulty thermo switch? Everything on my 2000 Kodiak 400 4x4 checks out (from fan to ignition barrel), but the fan still isn't running when the engine gets hot. Will the high temp indicator light come on even if the thermo switch is bad?
Yes, most definitely, the overheat warning light is controlled by the input from the temp sensor. The thermo switch only controls the temp the fan comes on & goes off. If you bridge the two wires on the theme switch fan should come on. If engine coolant is very hot you definate have a faulty there switch - I have come across this a handful of times. Cheers Andy
@@AndyMechanic Thanks, mate! Test proved it was the thermo switch! Finally - an easy to do repair that doesn't involve busting my knuckles while devouring most of a Ben Franklin (slang for a $100 bill on this side of the Big Pond) in the process. Yes, I do my own wrenching... but never in a bikini.
@@AndyMechanic Hi Andy, my temperature light comes on when I turn the key on. The fan will not work even when at running temperature and temperature light stays on. When I unplug the thermal switch and jump with a wire the fan comes on but the red light remain on. Do you think changing the thermal switch will fix my problem? Haven't checked any of the resistance readings with a tester yet.
@@69Model Yes i narrowed it down to the thermal switch/sensor on the radiator. Ordered a cheap $10 one on ebay in lieu of the factory suzuki on for $85ish unscrewed and installed the new one so far so good
Hi dr Andy i have a question hope you will solve the issue.if bikes comes with radiator type cooling system when the cooling fan starts working(is after reaching certain temp or starts along with the crank).? Please ans
Hi Sandeep, the fan on the radiator will only come on when the coolant temperature exceeds a set value. It will then go off again once the coolant temperature has dropped to a lower value. This can be controlled by a thermo-switch on older carburetor bikes or on more modern fuel injected machines it's often controlled by the ECU based on the input from the coolant sensor Hope this helps. Cheers Andy
Could this very well be the issue with my Yamaha Rhino 660? I've added a performance Radiator and the fan works as well. It's cycles on and off periodically at idle. Coolant level is perfect but that red temp light keeps coming on and off while riding no matter is cruising or at high speeds. Please any suggestions would help.
ehtoyota1256 mine is also doing this the fan comes on and off and the light will come on and come off...comes on more at higher speeds and turns off if i let off the throttle and go slow. Ever figure out the issue?
Hello, i have a ltz 400 and the ventilator don t start at the same time when i start the motor, only when i drive i Little bit longer, is that normal? Thank you
Ah, good. The cooling fan only comes on if the engine gets too hot. When you start the engine it is cold & will take a while to warm up. On some cold days the fan man not come on at all. Hope this helps Andy
I have a fan issue on my 09 grizzly 550 I have power everywhere and check everything except through my relay. I can't get power through my relay but I can jump it with a wire and the fan works. Any ideas?
+Mike Flynn No, they are pretty much the same as far as I know. Yamaha maybe fitted different rated Springs to the shocks to make the ride smoother and sometimes the Grizzly has a front different lock and the Kodiak has a limited slip diff at the front. Hope this is of help. Cheers Andy
Ah. With the aftermarket fan they used the colors the other way around. If you wire it up black to black & blue to blue the fan will rotate in the wrong direction. Cheers Andy
my fan on my 350 grizzly 07 seems to come on a lot.. more since the last mud hole.... will do more investigation... especially since its cold out in freezing temps seems less the fan coming on... usually before the mud hole really hasn't been coming on a lot... hummmm
I have a 97 Kodiak 400, the oil fan never turns on, if I jump the Thermo Unit (4GB-83591-10-00) the fan turns on and the red dash light turns on. Is there an specs as the the Ohms at 200 degrees or any way to test it? Or should the fan only turn on when the dash light is on?