Constantly Adding Anti-freeze

[David]

I have a question, after every ride, I am adding a couple ounces of anti-freeze into my 2004 Scrambler. Do any other Scrambler owners have this problem?
Any ideas on what to do? :huh:

[ridnwarrior]

Are you adding it to your radiator or an overflow jug?

[David]

To the overflow. There are Min and Max lines and after every ride, it is about a 1/4 inch below the Min line

[ego]

What have you checked so far David? Lines? Cap? Tank? Start it up, let it get hot to the point the fan comes on, and watch to see if you can spot any leaks........then go from there.

[satrnfreak]

Id start with Ego said Dave, clean her real good, then start it up and let it run idle for awhile. Probably more than just one coolant fan cycle. Then give the hoses and stuff a good look over and see if you can spot any leaks. If there are none present you can either pressure test cooolant system, or chalk it up to some splashing out of resovoir, or boil off.......until it gets worse.....

Freak

[ridnwarrior]

As long as your radiator is not blocked up with mud and the fan is working
I wouldn't worry about it. What is happening is the coolant is heating up with you riding it and the coolant escapes up to that level. When it cools off it is below the minimum line. This will happen every time you ride it.
Adding coolant is a waste of time and money because when it warms up it spills out on the ground through the overflow. Unless you find another problem with the cooling system this will continue. Let us know if anything changes.

:rider:

[kennyray]

On many polaris machines the thermostat will give problems. I've worked on several magnum 500's that are used strictly for checking pivot irrigation systems. In the mud, bogging down all the time. Although this might not be the correct fix I have been pulling the thermostat out and cutting the plunger side off it. You need to keep the thermostat plate ring in order to replace the o ring that seals the housing.

Just a thought but before you get into all the possible problems think about what riddenwarrior said and dont top it off after the next ride, and then check it again after the following ride and see if it drops below its "prefered level" which is where it was after the previous ride.

If it continues to drop off more then you can start looking around for leaks etc, and dont rule out that its getting past the gaskets into the cylinder either.

[rpyfz450]

You might want to check your coolant pressure once the ATV is at operating temperature. If you radiator cap is not holding pressure when the radiator gets hot, you're going to loose coolant and reduce the boiling point. No Good!

[Sycoholic]

They make an ultraviolet light dye you can put in your coolant to help pinpoint leaks. Some mechanics might have the light and access to the dye. I'd ask around .