Depth and if the water is cloudy, there can be debris that you don't see that can include rocks, sticks, etc. Rocks can damage your lower control arms and sticks can puncture brake lines and CV axle boots.

As far as depth, you can look at your owners manual and there should be a max wading depth. Just look around your machine and find where all of the vents for the front and rear diffs and belt housing are as well as the air intake tube. If you get water in one of those, it can damage the components inside.

You also have to think about splashing water up into the vent/intake tubes. If you want to go deeper, you can buy a snorkel kit as well as a radiator relocate to keep it out of mud/water to keep it unclogged.

When crossing water that you believe to be too deep, you should be mindful when turning around, especially if the water is cloudy. If it's not too deep, keep a constant speed to create a wave. The water will displace where your quad is and the wave you push will be deep, but your quad should be fine.

If you do go too deep, you can put the quad on the back rack to drain the water out. Pull the plug on the belt housing to drain water. Remove spark plugs to inspect the cylinders to make sure they don't have water in them. Check front diff oil, rear diff oil, and engine oil for water. Go ahead and change it. If your engine takes in water and you continue to run it, you'll compress the water since it's not combustible and it will bend the connecting rod(s) and will result in catastrophic engine failure.

Any more questions, let me know.

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How do i know if i have water in engine

Thank you! I keep reading about riders who have water where the belt is and clutch housing. How do I know if I have water there?

 

If you get water in the belt housing, you will know. The belt will start slipping, and you eventually will stop moving. Not a big deal, unless you get stranded out in the deep water. :grin You just pull the plug, (unscrew the little red plug on the rear of the housing) drain the water, start the atv in neutral and rev the engine several times to dry things out. Replace the plug and ride on.
The best method for water crossings when the depth is unknown is to have your riding buddy cross first... :rotflmao:
The owners manual will tell you that the floor boards are as deep as you can go. We all know they will do much more than that. Once you get to the top of the tires, you need to be careful. If it gets to the seat, it's time to turn back.

 

Once you get to the top of the tires, you need to be careful. If it gets to the seat, it's time to turn back.

I second this recommendation!

 

If you get water in your clutch housing, your belt will begin to slip. You can tell it is slipping when you are giving the quad gas but it is moving very slowly or not at all. If this happens, get out of the water as fast as you can and pull the plug on the clutch housing to allow it to drain. Once the water stops running out, let it run in neutral for awhile and give it a bit of gas. This will allow the belt to spin and dry out the housing.

 

thank you!

 

FYI, this was too deep.

Mark

 

LOL:rotflmao:

 

Deep over here too!

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the intakes are typically right above the top of the seat, above the gas tank.

If you haven't sealed the clutch housing, you've got potential for water ingestion so if you want to play in deep water, that's a good first step.

Also put dielectric grease on all the electrical connections.

Bob's suggestion of stopping at the bottom of the seat is a good one.

 

Do you have a winch on your ATV



Did anybody mention if you have a winch you might not want to submerge it? I was told my Polaris winch can not be submerged fully in water s it would be ruined.

 

What should I be aware of when driving thru water and how do I know?

Did anybody mention if you have a winch you might not want to submerge it? I was told my Polaris winch can not be submerged fully in water s it would be ruined.

I have not heard that before but I am sure Polaris says that for warranty purposes. However, I have had 3 Polaris winches and all have been fully submerged on many occasions. I have not had a problem with them yet. That is not to say that I wont in the future. But 2 of them are a few years old and still kickin. The other is a year old and is doing fine as well. They are mounted so low now, it would be pretty hard to no submerge them at some point on the trails we typically ride.

 

As previously said -- you need to know where 3 things are on your bike.
1. The air intake for the engine. On most machines this is the plastic tube going up from the top of the air filter cover to underneath the gas tank. ie: If you pull of the cover for the air filter box, then you have it in your hand. If you get water to the level of that intake, it will suck water into the engine and bad things will happen from there. Sucking in clear water is bad. Sucking in dirty water is REALLY bad. Knowing where the top of this inlet is can really help you make better decisions about how deep to go. If you cant see the bottom, you dont know where there is a dropoff that will put you under.

2 and 3. The automatic clutch cover has 2 tubes attached to it that go up underneath of the fenders. The clutch needs cooling, so it continuously circulates air. That air needs a way in and a way out, so thats what those to tubes are for. If the clutch gets some water in it, its not nearly as bad and can usually be recovered by draining the water and getting it dry again. Take it easy for the first few minutes after filling the clutch until it has chance to dry out again. The air circulation will help it to dry out.

There are various other breathers and tubes, but those are the biggies. If you plan on spending a lot of time in water -- check/change fluids more frequently.