2005 Yamaha Kodiak 450 Under Water

crkid · May 26, 2011

its an 05 kodiak 450. i was going across a pond, i started off going across it just buy the bank, and slowly got to the point where it was inches under the headlights. i said what the heck i can go a little farther. as soon as i got to the middle, it dropped about 6 inches and the front went under, so i wheelied it. right rear wheel lost traction and it headed for the middle. i tried to get it in reverse and back it out but it was one of those times where it wouldn't just go in R. the whole quad leveled out, and intake went under. i pinned it until it sucked water in (heard this was the best thing to do so it dosent suck water back in on last stroke) and it finally died. i got off of it and let the rear float up so the intake was out of water, it turned over for about 5 seconds and finally started. i revved it for a little getting some of the water out and i finally reached over put it in 4wd lock and backed it out. pinned the gas and the belt was slipping cause of water in it. so i got in front of it and pushed the gas while pushing it out.i got it out and kept it running and drained the CVT and revved it hoping all the grit in the water ( not much) would drain out with the water. i kept that draining and took the tube off the front pipe vent for the CVT. and then the plug for the air box. i did all this while i was slightly revving it just to keep it alive and keep the tiny bit of sediment in the water while draining. i did all this in about a minute, DEFINATELY not more than 2. so VERY QUICKLY.

should i be good to go for riding more?

did i get lucky?

crkid · May 26, 2011

a couple more details.

the water drained out of the cvt for about 45 sec. to a minute.

the last bit of water that came out was pretty much almost clear.

couple questions.

did i do anything wrong after it going under?

could water have got in the differential vents also? i routed them a little higher than they were from the factory.

Captain-Yamaha · May 26, 2011

You did everything right, but next time, get a winch

crkid · May 26, 2011

bump

swampcat07 · May 26, 2011

I would drain and check the oil. Keep changing it until it is not milky.

If it was me, and believe me I have been there. I would have cut the ignition as soon as you went under and then floated it to shore. Once at shore I would have pulled the plug and tipped it on its rear. Once the water is drained out of the exhaust I would have tipped it back down and tried to start it without replacing the plug. This will push the water on top of your cylinder and keep it from hydrolocking. The I would have took it home and changed the oil and filter a few times.

I think you did everything fine with the CVT you should be fine there as long as the water was not too dirty.

If you did not already bend anything you should be fine with a few oil changes as long as the water was clean. If not a ring job is in your future but nothing to worry about until you start getting power loss.

**Ajmboy** · May 27, 2011

I think you did everything right and also got lucky. Give it a good washing and change the oil. Check/replace the air filter.

I used to get my 05 Kodiak when I had it, pretty deep in water..

* Added year,manufacturer, and descriptive issue to thread title as per guidelines.

yamaman · May 28, 2011

you need to check oil for water. check both diff for water also. you should have pulled spark plug before turning engine over. if water got in the cyl you could have bent a connecting rod. if oil is milky do not run engine. water in oil = no oil pressure. you are pumping water thru engine not oil. water is heavier than oil so it is at the very bottom of engine. drain oil and change filter till oil is not milky. you might have to clean clutch and re grease.

Edited May 28, 2011 by yamaman

DirtDemon · May 31, 2011

I have to agree with everything Swampcat said, the last thing you want to do is pin the throttle when the intake is under water. You suck water into the cylinder and things can get real ugly. Water does not like to compress, you can break a crankshaft, rod or piston if you hydro-lock a motor and the faster it is spinning, the worse damage you will. The best thing to do when you submerge your quad is to kill the motor as quickly as you can. You definately want to change the oil and check all of the other lubricants for water contamination. Here is a picture of the kind of destruction that can occur when an engine tries to compress a cylinder full of water.