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96 Cat Zrt 600 Overheating

8K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  FreezerBurnt 
#1 ·
Hello again all... well still cant figure out why its overheating. Ive tried everything everyone has told me to try so Im calling out to the pros to help out. It started by the cap to the coolant reserve blowing off. I did finally get it home. Had to stop every half mile or so and fill up and cool for a sec then go again. I checked the thermostat and of course it was broke, replaced it and still overheating. I then checked the water pump and the propellers spin whenever I turn the clutch and it turns tight with the clutch, meaning no slack when I turn the clutch. The propellers move right in sync with the clutch. So I was told to try to "burp" it. I lifted the backend to help burp it over and over again and still same thing, after machine heats up it pops the rag out of the reserve and water/coolant starts coming out the overfill hose and steam starts coming out the reserve. Would the rag being the issue? Im only using that until I finally get the new resovoir. Does the cooling system need to be air tight? Well anyways Ive shaken the machine to try to free up the air bubble but nothing. And while Ive been trying to burp it Ive had the thermostat in and out. When I burp it do I need to have the key in and on? I was told that just cranking it over would do the trick when the back is higher then the front... sorry for the book but so tired of hitting deadends!! If I left anything out please just ask, Im tired as all get up so I may have missed something. Thanks for any help, I truly appreciate it. I can not wait to ride and want to be ready for the first good snow fall.... as many of us are...thx again.
 
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#2 ·
Hello again all... well still cant figure out why its overheating. Ive tried everything everyone has told me to try so Im calling out to the pros to help out. It started by the cap to the coolant reserve blowing off. I did finally get it home. Had to stop every half mile or so and fill up and cool for a sec then go again. I checked the thermostat and of course it was broke, replaced it and still overheating. I then checked the water pump and the propellers spin whenever I turn the clutch and it turns tight with the clutch, meaning no slack when I turn the clutch. The propellers move right in sync with the clutch. So I was told to try to "burp" it. I lifted the backend to help burp it over and over again and still same thing, after machine heats up it pops the rag out of the reserve and water/coolant starts coming out the overfill hose and steam starts coming out the reserve. Would the rag being the issue? Im only using that until I finally get the new resovoir. Does the cooling system need to be air tight? Well anyways Ive shaken the machine to try to free up the air bubble but nothing. And while Ive been trying to burp it Ive had the thermostat in and out. When I burp it do I need to have the key in and on? I was told that just cranking it over would do the trick when the back is higher then the front... sorry for the book but so tired of hitting deadends!! If I left anything out please just ask, Im tired as all get up so I may have missed something. Thanks for any help, I truly appreciate it. I can not wait to ride and want to be ready for the first good snow fall.... as many of us are...thx again.[/b]
the front needs to be higher than the rear to burp it properly ( by a foot or more ) and this is done while the sled is running . M
 
#3 ·
The cooling system has to air tight to work, but the overflow reservoir is not the air tight seal. The cap on on filler neck is the pressure seal and that should probably be changed if you are having trouble.

There are many techniques for burping the cooling system. One method that I use with great success is to squeeze the main coolant hose that goes from the water pump to the heat exchanger. Add coolant at the filler neck until the level approaches the top, squeeze the coolant hose a few times to pump the coolant and watch for air burping in the filler neck. When the coolant level drops add more and pump the coolant hose again. Always do this with the front elevated to aid the air escaping. After no more burps when pumping the hose replace the pressure cap and run the engine until you feel the rear heat exchanger getting hot. When the rear heat exchanger gets hot you know the coolant is circulating and there should be no air lock in the system. This will also tell you that the engine is getting warm enough to ride, so remember next winter to check the rear heat exchanger before taking off at the start of a ride.
 
#4 ·
Coolant must be under pressure to work properly and keep a engine cool. The pressure keeps the boiling point of anti-freeze higher. By the sounds of it, the cap that blew off must have been the pressure cap. Alot of newer sleds, mine included...run the pressure cap on the resevoir tanks. Without a cap on that, the system cannot pressurize properly and surely will overheat the sled. Also if it was the pressure cap that blew off, the cap was no good from the start and was the sole reason of why it blew off. The whole purpose of the pressure cap is to relieve pressure on the coolant system if it goes higher than the pressure printed on the cap. If the cap was stuck closed, the excess pressure had no where to go and popped your coolant system at its weakest point.
My recommendation.......Get yourself a new resevoir tank(if damaged), new pressure cap ( that matches the same pressure spec of OEM)....put the resevoir on, fill it with coolant, prop the front of the sled atleast a foot higher than the rear, than start it up and let it run with the pressure cap OFF... keep a close eye on the coolant level and add more as it burps the air out. Once you dont see anymore air escaping put the pressure cap on..feel your heat exchanger to be sure you have coolant flow...if the exchanger is hot run the sled for a little while and see if your problem is gone. Do keep in mind though that the heat exchanger does need snow kicked onto it to actually cool your sled properly.
If you continue to see excessive bubbling in the coolant or continue to have over-pressurization problems after doing what I recommend...than its a very good possibility you have a blown head gasket, and cylinder compression is leaking into the coolant system. Hopefully that's not your case though.
Good luck with your problem. :thumbsup:
 
#8 ·
Well the last baby cat tripp I had apart was a 96 EXT 600, but it had a very small plastic gear that mated to the crank. That machine in particular went thru 2 of those itself.[/b]
that would make a lot more sence as the way it is on mine if the oil pump siezes it takes out the gear on the crank
 
#9 ·
Well I think I burped it properly. It ran for about 20 minutes with no overheating and the rear exchagers were hot. It took some massaging of the hoses too. Shes running right finally so now on to appearance... Thanks again frog and everyone else that helped me out with this. Now I just have to wait till the white stuff falls...
 
#10 ·
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