Kodiak Water in CVT

[ATVin4evr]

Hi,

I'm new here and I have a Kodiak 400. I recently purchased it and took it this weekend for my first ride with it and had some trouble with water in the CVT. At the beginning of the ride the transmission put power to the tires extremely well. After about twenty miles I found some water and wanted to see how the new quad handled it. After I went through the water slowly everything was fine. After I splashed in it a little more I noticed some slipping in the CVT. I ended up tipping it on end and trying to drain as much out as I could and after a while I got the water to drain out and evaporate. I am looking for anyone that knows if the water came in through intake or if it came in through a leak somewhere. I am also looking for someone that can give me tips on drying the CVT out.

Thanks much

 

[Jaxom]

Without knowing the model year, things could be different than this...
1: You probably have a drain plug on the CVT/Belt housing. Black plastic, looks a bit like a flat tab that has a hole in it. It pulls straight out. Remove the plug.
2: Rev it up a bit in nuetral after draining.
3: "Probably" not a leak in the cover seal but merely ingesting water through the CVT snorkel that allows cool intake air. Check the hose clamps that go around the CVT boots, intake and exhaust.

 

[MrSled]

Jaxom said it all...

If you get too much water over the fenders it will ingest it thru the snorkels,

 

[ATVin4evr]

It's a 2001 Kodiak 400 and I didn't have too much water coming up over the fenders. At least not nearly as much as I could have with my Honda Rancher. Is there anyway to prevent water from coming in the CVT intake besides a huge snorkel? Thanks for the help i'll take a look for that CVT drain on the bike and consult the manual. Thanks

 

[ATVin4evr]

Just to kinda update on the Kodiak today on my lunch I found that my CVT intake tube is not even attached to the CVT intake port. I'm not sure how this happened however I will be watching this from now on.

 

[Jaxom]

That would do it!!! Sometimes the hose clamps work loose from the vibration.
It MIGHT be time to remove the side cover on the CVT to inspect for any foreign objects in there. You will also be able to confirm the existance of a drain plug or install one if needed.
G'Luck, Jerry

 

[ATVin4evr]

Ya i am surprised it held out water as well as it did because I was essentially forcing water into the cvt and i'll have to take off the cover. There is possibly a lot of mud in there. Thanks for all the help!!

 

[LazyBastard]

The kodiak 400's certainly do have a drain plug, but it is NOT plastic as described above. The drain plug is a metal bolt in the bottom of the engine located at the bottom of the belt compartment.

Regarding the connection between the belt compartment and the snorkel... that is a weakness of the model, actually the only weakness I can think of as the machine is otherwise bulletproof and can withstand more abuse than any other machine I've ever known. The rubber boot isn't nearly long enough to attach properly. Its ok on the engine side since its clamped onto aluminum, but the snorkel is plastic and somewhat flexible. Your two best options are to either replace it with a longer piece of hose with the same diameter (though it can be difficult to find rubber hose that size), or to GLUE it really well.