P1000 P1k Cooling modifications

[Tramguage1]

After a group ride in Colorado at the beginning of Sept.2019, We had a few members have overheating issues. I for 1 had my 17 LE get hot and boil a couple times while climbing steep grades at above 10k ft. I burped it a couple times on the trail and had to add spring water to the system to get back to camp. My machine has only gotten hot 2 other times sence new!
When we moved to Taylor Park @Hondasxs assisted me in dumping all the water and refilling the system with some Honda antifreeze and water. We filled the system while the machine was on an incline. I also cut out the center section of my Slasher bumper to maybe help with airflow. My machine never got over 3 bars after that. A couple of members also had problems while on the ride. Not all had aftermarket bumpers or over sized tires. also they were not even same year models. I was hyper sensitive to the problem and wanted to know if it was a design flaw or just a random problem. I believe if this was a design flaw all the P1ks would have had this problem. Also I think i was the only one with the ECU update I know @Landman fan was running while it was at 4 bars!!

@Landman had a problem, we burped his twice on the trail and he still got to 4 bars once after that climbing Flag mountian. He reduced his total load on the machine and I dont think he got over 3 bars after that.

@Montecresto !00% stock machine developed a noise, the fan blade started touching the shroud at the 6 o'clock location. As the week went on the noise got louder and the blade began to hit in more places, After a couple days of this we stopped because it got really loud. the blades were getting hot from the shroud contact and became flexible. the next morning before we left he started it up and when the fan cycled on all the blades broke off. He never got over 3 bars before this started.

I know @Plumber32 towed @Kilo427 machine at least 4 moles down a 50" trail that was not easy and think he only got to 3 bars.

I know there were others that had troubles. Please post a discription with any frontend mods and the situation when if happened.

I know @Kilo427 is working with someone on a radiator/shroud mod. I also will be swapping out my fan for one of these.2016-2019 HONDA PIONEER 1000 SPAL HIGH PERFORMANCE COOLING FAN 19030-HL4-A01 | eBay. Also I think this is a must do on all P1ks Cooling Fan Override for Honda Pioneer 1000 models..Its just to inexpensive a mod not to do.

, I think @Montecresto is going to be in my area next month and we will be replacing his fan assembly . While we are there i will look into making the shroud more efficient. It has at least 1" of space all the way around and 3/4" away from the radiator. So im going to dig into this a little deeper. Anyone that has any ideas or input please post here. I have no doubt the members of Hondasxs.com can figure this out!

 

[Admin]

 

[Plumber32]

I did drill some holes in my bumper to add a little flow. Or easier access for cleaning. I boiled over at flag mtn. @Kilo427 is a master at burping. Added 2 bottles of water and a bottle of antifreeze. Never been burped in 3 yrs or 3900 miles. Ran into a guy with a totally stock rig and kilo explained to him how to do it. Elevation like that does weird stuff. My radiator wasn't even warm to the touch.

 

[Leonandlisa]

I used to carry my spare tire on the front, I would overheat, now I have it mounted under my roof and have never over heated since. Obviously these machines need all the airflow the factory designed.

I had the same front spare mount on my ranger for years without an issue. So anything that blocks air flow seems to cause the issue.

Just my opinion.


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[Plumber32]

That and the p1000 has no fan shroud to make air pull through the radiator. Dumb design.

 

[DDDonkey]

Would putting an electric pusher fan on the front of the radiator help, or would it block too much air flow when it’s not running?

 

[snuffnwhisky]

I'm going to see if i can come up with a new aluminum shroud. I can fab quantity at my business if it works.

 

[Tbee]

Weeding thru all the replies it looks like some mods have been made that could be blocking flow. Water in place of coolants. Tires too big for the unit.
Possibly modifications made that exceed the original design platform for intended use.

Is that fair?

 

[Tramguage1]

I have aShlasher front bumper,28" tires on all 4 corners and have had the ECU update done. While in Colorado I removed a medium size section of front bumper.
There was another machine with nearly identcal options that had no problems. Im thinking it may be an air in system problem. But feel the system cannot recover when it gets overheated.

 

[ByronM]

Did any of you guys think of trying something like engine ice Engine Ice – When it comes to engine coolant and antifreeze choose Engine Ice! The Powersport Industries #1 engine coolant. instead of antifreeze?

 

[JTW]

Weeding thru all the replies it looks like some mods have been made that could be blocking flow. Water in place of coolants. Tires too big for the unit.
Possibly modifications made that exceed the original design platform for intended use.

Is that fair?

That’s fair to say to a certain degree.. the cooling system is marginal at best for a stock machine. While it’s true that mods to affect the system.. it happens in stock rigs as well. So you’re not helping the issue by changing bumpers and tires and the sort but the real issue is it’s such a marginal cooling system to start with that even a change outside of mods, such as elevation or ambient temp changes can cause overheating issues.

 

[snuffnwhisky]

Mine had never ran above 2 bars until my ride before last. It ran 3 bars most of the day. I've never burped it either. I decided to clean the radiator really good and just check the coolant, which was full. After about 15 min of running with the radiator cap off, it started blowing coolant out 6' in the air for the next 5 min. It had a lot of air in it. It took a little over a gallon to fill it back up. I was surprised it took that long to start pushing the air out.

 

[Tramguage1]

Mine had never ran above 2 bars until my ride before last. It ran 3 bars most of the day. I've never burped it either. I decided to clean the radiator really good and just check the coolant, which was full. After about 15 min of running with the radiator cap off, it started blowing coolant out 6' in the air for the next 5 min. It had a lot of air in it. It took a little over a gallon to fill it back up. I was surprised it took that long to start pushing the air out.

I had the same experience while refilling at 11k+ feet on the trail. I could not believe how it kept blowing out and then taking water.

 

[Tramguage1]

Did any of you guys think of trying something like engine ice Engine Ice – When it comes to engine coolant and antifreeze choose Engine Ice! The Powersport Industries #1 engine coolant. instead of antifreeze?

I have only used Mountian spring water or Honda antifreeze.

 

[Pilgrim]

My P1K LE has only a 20 inch light bar as a modification..... never have problems except in Colorado.... I was riding with @Smitty335 on flag mountain... but even as long a drag as flag mountain is I am not sure it would overheat .... we stopped several times.... I did not overheat on Hancock or Tincup....
But Antero and mount Princeton both red lighted and boiled.....
Had same experience of red light last month on a climb over by south Platte Rivera access....
Any long drag will boil it.... I burped it after my first trip to Colorado last year and thought the problem was solved.....
Most of these climbs do not have spots to stop and rest.....I don’t think that should be necessary on a proper designed cooling system anyway....
I hope we figure out something as I just think the system is marginal and not adequate......
My fluid is now mostly water so I need to drain and reburp..... I know to elevate .... do you leave the cap off or just keep refilling overflow tank???

 

[snuffnwhisky]

My P1K LE has only a 20 inch light bar as a modification..... never have problems except in Colorado.... I was riding with @Smitty335 on flag mountain... but even as long a drag as flag mountain is I am not sure it would overheat .... we stopped several times.... I did not overheat on Hancock or Tincup....
But Antero and mount Princeton both red lighted and boiled.....
Had same experience of red light last month on a climb over by south Platte Rivera access....
Any long drag will boil it.... I burped it after my first trip to Colorado last year and thought the problem was solved.....
Most of these climbs do not have spots to stop and rest.....I don’t think that should be necessary on a proper designed cooling system anyway....
I hope we figure out something as I just think the system is marginal and not adequate......
My fluid is now mostly water so I need to drain and reburp..... I know to elevate .... do you leave the cap off or just keep refilling overflow tank???

Cap off

 

[Tbee]

I will let you know what happens with my buddies 2018 1000-3 EPS. We are going to do some weekend rides in the mountains southern Colorado and Ozarks.
I am looking at a 1000-5 as my multi passenger ride and that is why all the questions. I currently have 2019 Wolverine x2. 2008 Kawasaki 750. 2008 Suzuki 450. 2018 Grizzly 700. 2018 Pioneer 500. 2018 Viking. Only overheat issue we have ever had was a blocked radiator that required a full removal to clean properly (Kawasaki). I run a KTM race coolant no water premix. It seems to be the best at keeping temps down. Live in Texas and we ride all thru the summers. I wonder if Honda has addressed this issue on the 2020 model.

 

[Tramguage1]

I will let you know what happens with my buddies 2018 1000-3 EPS. We are going to do some weekend rides in the mountains southern Colorado and Ozarks.
I am looking at a 1000-5 as my multi passenger ride and that is why all the questions. I currently have 2019 Wolverine x2. 2008 Kawasaki 750. 2008 Suzuki 450. 2018 Grizzly 700. 2018 Pioneer 500. 2018 Viking. Only overheat issue we have ever had was a blocked radiator that required a full removal to clean properly (Kawasaki). I run a KTM race coolant no water premix. It seems to be the best at keeping temps down. Live in Texas and we ride all thru the summers. I wonder if Honda has addressed this issue on the 2020 model.

I also live in Central Texas, I have used my 17 LE many time to haul a loaded dump trailer with approximately [HASHTAG]#1000[/HASHTAG] of dirt and road base. Never got over 2 bars. So I'm not sure exactly what the problem is. But I'm very confident the members here will find a solution!

 

[Cuoutdoors]

That’s fair to say to a certain degree.. the cooling system is marginal at best for a stock machine. While it’s true that mods to affect the system.. it happens in stock rigs as well. So you’re not helping the issue by changing bumpers and tires and the sort but the real issue is it’s such a marginal cooling system to start with that even a change outside of mods, such as elevation or ambient temp changes can cause overheating issues.

^^^ I agree. The cooling system is marginal at best. It is barely big enough to do its job. From a longevity standpoint, controlling engine temps will certainly help get a lot of life out of your engine.

I'm working on getting a new radiator, fan, and shroud. Its not going to be cheap but it should eliminate ever having an overheating concern.

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[Pilgrim]

^^^ I agree. The cooling system is marginal at best. It is barely big enough to do its job. From a longevity standpoint, controlling engine temps will certainly help get a lot of life out of your engine.

I'm working on getting a new radiator, fan, and shroud. Its not going to be cheap but it should eliminate ever having an overheating concern.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

What amazes me is that normal running even in hot weather ... it seems to be able to stand up to..... but even in 40 degree weather it will not take a long strain......
I bought mine purely because of the seating configuration four three adults and two kids.....replacement for the rough riding Jeep....
Since then I am glad I have it because of the awesome Honda SxS community....
but I just can’t see how it is a machine I could recommend to anyone who rides in Colorado

 

[Pilgrim]

What surprises me... is how little water it takes sprayed on the radiator to bring it right down.....
it seems that these new radiators just don’t transfer heat in normal circumstances