Over heat and air filter questions...HELP

[RYPIII]

Hey yall, im new to the site. Ive got a question. We got our ranger 06' xp used. pretty low hrs. 185 or so. we ride mostly up in river ranch. i have been riding for years, so im aware of how clean the radiator needs to be kept. riding through the sugar sand, after a while, the bike starts to over heat. why wont the 700 keep up with the sugar. does this happen to all rangers. even with the stock tires. we dont have added weight, like a seat in the back.
also, the air intake is snorkled. it has a k&n sticking up right between the driver and passangers head. it is loud as crap. sounds like a small plane is taking off. im thinking of putting the exhaust somewhere else to muffle the noise.

any suggestions?

[ALAG3]

First of all, welcome to the forum! I too have a Ranger and I have the same problem with the River Ranch sugar sand. I was out there this weekend and overheated a few times. I am planning on taking my radiator out of the Ranger to flush it really good, because I was thinking maybe I had some old mud in there. The location of the radiator makes it difficult to access with a hose. Now you got me thinking though, maybe it is just a sugar sand issue and not a clogged radiator.

[caglezxj]

Sounds like it is taking a lot to turn your tires and at low speeds there is not enough air crossing the radiator. Do any of you have winches or anything else blocking the front of the radiator. Maybe some of the Arizona guys could help out with this.

[RYPIII]

I clean the radiator really good after every ride. Its safe to say there isnt any old dried up mud in there. RR and Big Cypress are the only places I go. I agree with maybe not enough air flow through it, at low speeds. Seems like i have to punch it to get it to somewhat plane on top of the sand like a boat. Would a dirty air filter be a problem?

[ELK_HUN10]

I don't have the big Ranger, I have the smaller RZR, so maybe this is not relevant. But when I am in country that requires slow speed, my RZR heats, It cools off with in 10 minutes if I can get my speed above 20 miles per hour. When I am driving slow, I run in low gear but I am going so slow that the rpm's are not very high. I use a trick I learned when I was operating a rubber tired skidder when I was logging and the skidder started to heat. It would only do this in the summer time when I was climbing a long steep hill. That trick is to stop the machine, put it in neutral and rev the engine up. Within two to three minutes the temperature gauge would show that the machine was cooling off. I don't know what sugar sand is but I guess it is really fine sand. If this is true, it will have a very high rolling resistance and your machine will lug down a little on flat ground as if it was climbing a hill. I think you are right, if you can get on a plane with enough speed, that should help your heating problem. As long as you are still in control of your machine with this elevated speed. If your machine feels like it is floating and will be sluggish responding to turns, I would not do this unless absolutely necessary. If your machine does not cool off when in neutral with a high RPM, then something else is causing the problem, like air access. Being two different machines had the same problem, I think it is the high rolling resistance of the sugar sand that is the culprit. People that do a lot of dry sand dune riding, maybe will have some other suggestions.

[RYPIII]

The time of the year, and the lack of water has tons to do with it. I took my bike out there, and it over heated also. So its not the ranger, but just the nature of the beast. As soon as this years rainy season hits us, we'll be back in business. River Ranch is a desert right now. I noticed that when I bring the Ranger to a stop, and let it idle, and allow the fluids to continue to cycle through, it helped cool it down. Sort of the same idea as stopping and reving it up. Thanks for your input. The RZR is a totally different machine. The HP to weight ratio is night and day. One machine is over powered, and the other is under powered... for their weight. When is the Ranger going to step up to an 800 or a 1000 to keep up with the markets demands.

[ALAG3]

RYPIII, I was out at River Ranch again this weekend and again was having overheating problems. Saturday morning, I decided to pull the radiator out of the Ranger and clean it. With it in the Ranger, it looked clean, but boy when I got it out, you could barely see through it for all of the old dirt. I spent about fifteen minutes with a pressure washer and got it nice and clean. I reinstalled it and rode all day long, with no overheating problems. The electric fan does not come on as often either. I know you said you keep your radiator clean, but I thought I did also. May be worth a shot! Take care.

[Z71]

Looking in the service manuals there does not appear to be a pre-screen in front of the radiator, it that so?

I notice my Honda Rincon has a rigid pre-screen in front of the radiator that stops a lot of crud. Maybe try going to the lumber yard and buying some bulk door/window screen and placing it in front of the radiator. All you would need is some of the bulk vinyl door/window screen material and use cable ties to hang in front of radiator.

That would stop a lot of crap from getting into the fins.

[ALAG3]

My buddy's Honda Rubicon has a prescreen as you describe on your Rincon. He also fights with the mud even with the prescreen. I guess it's the price we pay for playing in the muddy water! Now that I have taken the radiator out once, it is no sweat to do it again.

[Bear Creek]

Be very careful with a pre-screen not designed for the cooling system. Any screening will dramatically decrease airflow, ie. bulk screen material (just take a piece and hang it out the window while your driving down the road and test it). If you're having overheating issues I wouldn't go that direction.