# overheating problem



## bruteraptor (Jan 20, 2014)

Hi guys I have a 05 brute sra stock. I just had a new rebuilt engine put in and I have taken it on a few rides everything has been fine. Well its been parked for about a month and I went riding yesterday mostly trails and a few mud holes nothing deep just to the floor boards. The light came on for overheating. So I parked it and let it cool down while we eat lunch. Well started riding again and about every 5 mins the light would come back on and I would let it cool down again. How often does this happen? Is this normal for the sra brutes? What can I can do to help keep it cool? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.


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## dman66 (Feb 20, 2011)

Was or is the radiator fan running when this happened. If the fan was running maybe you have air trapped in the coolant system?


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## bruteraptor (Jan 20, 2014)

yes the fan works fine it turns off and on when needed. i was riding at carolina adventure world in upstate south carolina temp was around 70. i never had a overheating problem in 80 to 90 degree weather, thats what had me wondering. ive never heard of air trapped in the cooling system causing it to overheat. this is my first brute so im learning, this site has helped me alot!


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## dman66 (Feb 20, 2011)

If the radiator fins are clean,and the fan works,then I would take the rad. cap off and run the engine until the thermostat heats up enough to open - while this is going on,check the top of the rad. opening watching for bubbles til there are no more bubbles - maybe takes about 10 minutes, then top off the antifreeze. I would also check the engine oil for antifreeze if this problem keeps up which if it were in the oil,you would probably see white smoke from the exhaust indicating a blown head gasket . the other thing could be a defective coolant thermostat .


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## bruteraptor (Jan 20, 2014)

i cleaned the radiator and it ran good for a while but gets clogged so easy. since its so hard to clean behind the radiator i was thinking about doing a radiator relocation. after countless hours of research i havent found much on the sra. ive heard you can swap out a 750 radiator since the fill cap is so akward to get on the sra. any advice?


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## dman66 (Feb 20, 2011)

not sure where the rad cap is on an SRA, but on the brute 750 IRS machine, it is pretty much under the front left fender pocket - the black pocket that mounts on the front fender. I took the pocket off, drilled a hole to access the rad cap - enough to get a funnel in there, and placed the hole where the fender pocket will cover the hole unseen when installed. I'm not one that likes a racked rad, but if you go mudding a lot, then you may want to rack the rad.


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## hursteric (Oct 21, 2014)

I was having the same issues with my old brute. Once i did the rad relocate it was so much easier to clean and i quit having over heating issues. Like dman said if you do a lot of mud riding i would consider relocating the rad up top and when you remove the rad give it a good cleaning, you will be surprised of all the crap that is caked on there. I cleaned mine like crazy and when i removed it everywhere you cant see was completely clogged with mud. I used almost a hole bottle of simple green and the water hose to get it like new again.


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## REDNEK (Feb 14, 2015)

my 06 has never overheated and I mud her to death , a good rinse after is usually all I need , I have yet to remove it , if I had to put money on it id say its the thermostat , or theres little to no coolant in the system my bike also has a wired toggle switch for the fan , im not a huge fan of that but its never overheated so im leavin it for now


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## bruteraptor (Jan 20, 2014)

The rad cap on the sra is under the front center plastic very had to get without taking everything off. I clean my bike off after every time I ride but even with a pressure washer I can't really clean the back side of the radiator that good. I've removed the radiator and cleaned it good soaking it in hot water and using a air compressor to blow it out. It seemed like all the mud caked on the radiator ended up on me when I was done lol. The pics attached are the front and back of the radiator. 

I want to do the radiator relocate so that it will be easier to clean and keep it cooler. But Im still faced with the problem of the rad cap being under the plastic if I were to switch my radiator (sra) for a 650i or 750i with the rad cap attached to the the radiator itself seems to solve this problem but what kind of problems would I face doing the switch?


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## skid (Jun 18, 2009)

Last year I had over heating issues on my brute so I took a look at my water pump and the impeller had fallen off the threaded shaft, order a new impeller and seals and now no issues. Not sure if that is what you might be dealing with but its a possibility.


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## bruteraptor (Jan 20, 2014)

well i just got back from my vacation and got the brute tore down last night to clean the radiator again. after looking at everything im thinking i can switch the radiator for a 650i or 750i radiator and shouldnt have any problems. its just a pain in the ***** to take off the front plastics just to top off the coolant and clean the radiator. has anyone ever done this before? any thoughts on switching the radiator for a 650i or 750i radiator that has the cap on top the radiator?

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skid said:


> Last year I had over heating issues on my brute so I took a look at my water pump and the impeller had fallen off the threaded shaft, order a new impeller and seals and now no issues. Not sure if that is what you might be dealing with but its a possibility.


i have it tore apart right now so i guess it wouldnt be a bad idea to check that. ive heard the water impeller on the sra dont do so well, i heard someone mention a cnc replacement made by some company but when i try checking it out it looks like they dont make them any more.


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