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water riding question

22K views 32 replies 9 participants last post by  ajl719 
#1 ·
I have read some stuff about the king quads riding in water...some sites say the king quad has a known issue with water getting in the cvt exhaust because it is located low. I went river riding this weekend and had water up the the racks( well above the cvt exhaust) and had no water enter the engine or the transmission..it rode through the deep water with no problem. After reading those things before taking it in the water i was thinking about snorkeling, but since taking it deep with no problems im having second guesses on snorkeling. Anyone have any info about the king quads in water without snorkels?
 
#2 ·
I will just throw my 2 cents in on this one.If you are going to ride in deep water/mud a decent amount of time it is well worth it to snorkel, I say that because a snorkel kit will be a whole lot cheaper than an engine/trans rebuild on one of these. Just take that for what it is worth maybe someone else will chime in on how it does with it stock.



THOMAS
 
#4 ·
I actually just purchased a 1995 300 king quad and was wondering the same thing. I also have a question about shifting in the water or mud? Do you have to stop the atv to shift from hi low or super low while in water same with the 2wd or 4wd...etc. This is my first semi automatic atv. Any advice will help, Thanks
 
#5 ·
Yes, you should be completely stopped before switching either the High/Low/Super Low, or 2WD/4WD/Diff Lock. And there is no CVT on the 300 KQ's, so there is no need to snorkel it. And welcome to the forum.
 
#32 ·
No you DON'T have to be fully stopped!! Of you are changing the diff lock lever just let off the gas a little and it should slide in as long as you aren't spinning (never spin and try to change it, bad things can happen). As far as range goes you can switch from high to low and back at slow first gear speeds just let off the throttle so there isn't any pressure on the gears (not accelerating or slowing down) and switch away. Do stop for super low shifts though, too big of a ratio jump there. And to whoever says no, I just had my engine COMPLETELY apart and nothing was worm or damaged with 2800 miles of doing that. Just takes well timed throttle and shifts.
 
#7 ·
I believe the newer King Quads have this drain plug as well.
 
#8 ·
Yes the newer quads have the plug it is located under the CVT about the middle of the footrest is, but if you seal the CVT well enough and you don't go too deep you won"t have to use it.
BCaudwell Those model doesn't need to snorkel anything but the carb/filter box if you are going to ride anything above the seat. I also agree with AJ only shift when you are completely stopped if you don't you risk damaging the transmission and possibly the front differential or the axles.



THOMAS
 
#9 ·
Thanks for all the reply's, so the only thing that I really have to worry about is the carb/filter box. My other question that I have is do you have to be in first to take off or can you be in any gear or will that have an affect on the machine as well? Thanks for your help

Betty
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yes, the only thing that needs snorkeling if your planning on riding in very deep water over the racks/seat would be the carb/air filter box. As far as taking off in anything but 1st gear, it is possible but not highly recommended. Like your car, it needs to go through the gears to accelerate properly, whether it be an automatic, semi-automatic, or manual. Taking off in anything higher then 1st gear also puts strain on the engine and transmission.
 
#12 ·
Not a problem, glad i could help out. If you need anymore assistance don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure either myself or someone else on the forum will be glad to answer any of your questions.
 
#13 ·
Another reason to take off in 1st is if you are in mud or something else where traction is limited is because it will allow you to spin the tires to keep them clean and able to grab traction easier. Hope this helps.



THOMAS
 
#14 ·
The spark plug seems to be the Achilles heel on my 93. Got it into about 2ft of water Saturday and the engine died. Water was below intake, carb, and exhaust. Winched out. The plug boot had water in it. Dried it out. Started and ran fine thereafter.
 
#15 ·
Tim use some dielectric grease in the boot and it will solve that problem.



THOMAS
 
#16 ·
Great tip Thomas, think I'll do that to mine as well. Even though mine doesn't die when water hits it, it's still not a bad idea as it will also help with corrosion and if i ever have a water issue like Tim.
 
#17 ·
That and since you see a lot of snow up there, if it happens to get built up around the plug it will add extra protection.


THOMAS
 
#19 · (Edited)
Doing the battery posts and connections also help too. Did mine this spring and coated every connection with dielectric grease.
 
#21 ·
I use it on every electrical connection I have, since it doesn't conduct electricity it won't short anything out.



THOMAS
 
#23 ·
Usually all your electrical connections like the battery/battery connections, solenoid, starter, spark plug boot, and any other plug type connectors. It really all depends on how much protection you really want, if your satisfied with just protecting the battery/battery connections then i wouldn't worry about any other connections. Though if you want 100% protection then doing all your electrical connections is highly recommended. For this just find a electrical diagram of your quad at ( Motorcycle Parts, Motorcycle Accessories by BikeBandit.com ) or ( Fast shipping. Up to 40% off Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Polaris OEM motorcycle parts and accessories. Deep reseller discounts. ) or any other site to locate all the plugs and connections.
 
#24 ·
I done every single on of mine and if you are a little paranoid about getting stranded, like I am, after you put dielectric grease in all of the connections you can always use a little clear silicone to seal the connections as well. Just be sure to give it enough time to completely dry before you go play in the water or mud.



THOMAS
 
#25 ·
Well I was taking mine in over the racks and it never died out in the water, but it did die twice as I was coming out of the water. I guess as the water is running out it finds a spot the KQ doesn't like...
 
#26 ·
Yeah the water is probably saturating a connector or plug boot then it finds the path of least resistance and makes it stall out. I have mine about as deep maybe a little deeper than yours and mine has never died, probably because of the way I have mine sealed.



THOMAS
 
#28 ·
Still trying to conquer the water with my 93KQ. Little caribou hunting trip this week, first mile in were a few puddles up to the bottom of my seat. Engine died as soon as I got that deep. Yanked out by my partner with his poo-laris :icon_ cry:

So we commenced troubleshooting. First drag out of the water it was hard to start then would hold at a weak idle. Died on acceleration. Previously I had greased the plug wire with silicone dielectric because I new this place would be wet. Grabbed the plug wire just to check it was seated and got shocked. Shut it down and tapped the wire. Hard to start again and would only idle. I started poking the wire connection aft of the coil, then it sounded better and would accelerate. Great. Back in the water...and died again. Drat. Got it running again. Getting late so we went back to camp.

Next morning I pulled all those connectors apart and doused them with them contact cleaner. One was pretty gummed up. Taped up and slathered with silicone. In pic is connections pulled out of the protective boot.



Off we went and I made it through the first puddle but only half way. Dragged out. This time it seem to start easier, and then heard a gush of water out the muffler. A couple weeks ago one of my kids slammed into the back of me and bent my muffler:



Needed to get up the hill so we pushed on. Getting to here is worth it:



My friend advised me to "can it" at the next water crossing to keep exhaust differential pressure on it against water entry into the muffler. Crossed a river and creek not so deep at low gear and full throttle. Worked good. He noted if I kept enough speed up, it would create enough tunnel to keep the muffler dry. Through the deep puddles on the way in nearly stalled at the last bit. So now I wonder if submerging the battery is an issue.

Going to the same place next week. Will swap out mufflers with the laid up 94 and silicone grease the battery terms.

Oh, and did not see any caribou but an awesome day to ride. Felt like being on top of the world.
 
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