2005 Kawasaki Brute Force runs HOT!

[jmeier1981]

Ok so I bought the 05 brute force and after putting about 60miles on it I have some concerns.

The engine seems to run REALLY HOT, like almost burnning my legs through my jeans hot but no warning light comes on and it doesnt seem to "act" hot is this normal, does it have any saftey feature to prevent over heating or heat damage?

It also seems to have a slight miss, or hesitation? When you slightly crack the throttle open and hold it at a steady RPM to give it a slightly higher idle it will run smooth for a couple seconds then miss and sometimes backfires. It also seems to sometimes have a hesitation if you jump on the throttle, what could cause this?

Also a couple times when shifting from reverse to high it sounded like it got hung up in between and there was a slight squeal as if maybe the belt was slipping and there was also a slight burning plastic of rubber smell. The belt IS new and it doesnt feel as if it is slipping when accelerating and the belt light hasnt come on.

Anyone have any suggestions?

It does seem to run really well and HARD accept for the slight hesitation or cough and the occasional backfire, I ran it up to 69MPH with both me and a buddy of mine on it, combined weight of almost 500lbs

Edited July 17, 2009 by jmeier1981

[Stoopidbot1]

Ok so I bought the 05 brute force and after putting about 60miles on it I have some concerns.

The engine seems to run REALLY HOT, like almost burnning my legs through my jeans hot but no warning light comes on and it doesnt seem to "act" hot is this normal, does it have any saftey feature to prevent over heating or heat damage?

It also seems to have a slight miss, or hesitation? When you slightly crack the throttle open and hold it at a steady RPM to give it a slightly higher idle it will run smooth for a couple seconds then miss and sometimes backfires. It also seems to sometimes have a hesitation if you jump on the throttle, what could cause this?

Also a couple times when shifting from reverse to high it sounded like it got hung up in between and there was a slight squeal as if maybe the belt was slipping and there was also a slight burning plastic of rubber smell. The belt IS new and it doesnt feel as if it is slipping when accelerating and the belt light hasnt come on.

Anyone have any suggestions?

It does seem to run really well and HARD accept for the slight hesitation or cough and the occasional backfire, I ran it up to 69MPH with both me and a buddy of mine on it, combined weight of almost 500lbs

Sounds like it is running lean, You will want to get it jetted properly ASAP.(it is carbed, right?) That would answer the questions about the hesitation in the throttle and that could also be what is causing the heat.

[outlander560]

^^^agreed

[jmeier1981]

Lean??? Really? I thought it smelled like it was running rich. The previous owner says that it was all stock and never modded or adjusted, would it require different jets or is it something that can be fixed with a couple turns of a screw on the carb?

[jmeier1981]

And why do all of my post get renamed

[Ajmboy]

And why do all of my post get renamed

Threads and posts are renamed by our moderators to be more search relevent and as descriptive as possible. For instance I just added the full year and manufacturer name. We do this in the branded forums to help get people to the threads they are looking for.

Since your quad is stock, I would shy away from any jet kits. Have you inspected your spark plug(s)? Try replacing that first.

[Admin]

And why do all of my post get renamed

I just noticed that in the branded forums, the announcement was not highlighted.

It states:

Announcement: Please include ATV year, make, model, cc, and technical issue (if you have one)...in your title when posting.

This is why our moderators may adjust a thread title to that format, if found not to be as descriptive as possible. Is this what you meant?

[DirtDemon]

First thing I would do is clean the carb and check for proper float adjsutment, make sure your air filter is clean and oiled. What do your spark plugs look like?

[Mrdale907]

Pull the thermostat, wire your radiator fan to a switch.