what exactly do fans on atvs do?

[5hundredpolaris]

are they really that important? what do they do??

[pathfinder]

Very important. Same thing they do in vehicles, they prevent your engine from overheating.

[5hundredpolaris]

Originally Posted by pathfinder

Very important. Same thing they do in vehicles, they prevent your engine from overheating.

how do they prevent that? i thought the radiator would do that job

[pathfinder]

The radiator alone can't do it. That is where the fan comes into play. The fan pulls the heat from the radiator fins to cool down the coolant before it goes back through the engine.

[5hundredpolaris]

oh okay i gotcha. thanks alot

[blueline15]

Originally Posted by pathfinder

The radiator alone can't do it. That is where the fan comes into play. The fan pulls the heat from the radiator fins to cool down the coolant before it goes back through the engine.

Exactly!

If you are constantly moving fast enough and never stop, the fan isn't needed.(unrealistic though) But for slow stuff and stopping, the fan pulls air through the radiator.

This keeps your machine from over heating at idle or slow speeds. A machine would likely overheat while snow plowing with a fan.

[shep]

Originally Posted by blueline15

Exactly!

If you are constantly moving fast enough and never stop, the fan isn't needed.(unrealistic though) But for slow stuff and stopping, the fan pulls air through the radiator.

This keeps your machine from over heating at idle or slow speeds. A machine would likely overheat while snow plowing with a fan.

it was 5* the other night while i was plowing and my fan kicked in twice.

[blueline15]

Originally Posted by shep

it was 5* the other night while i was plowing and my fan kicked in twice.

Crazy huh? Little bugger makes a lot of heat.

[5hundredpolaris]

well mine doesnt kick in at all is why i ask lol. it runs hot. antifreeze runs into the reservoir boiling. i cant ride it like this. ordering a new fan that i hope will fix the problem...

[shore]

well, test the fan.

It's the fan or the fan temp switch.

1..unplug the fan and put 12v to it and see if it runs.
if it does..
2. plug the fan back in. Look on your radiator for a plug with a couple wires going into it. Unplug it. Jumper the 2 wires and turn the key on and see if the fan comes on. Also, not sure, some fan switches are closed to run and closed to stop. That means that 1 way or the other, you can test the switch.

I'd bet your fan quit or has something in it.

You could also spin it around with the key OFF and see if it spins freely.