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Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4

8K views 11 replies 2 participants last post by  T.Ray 
#1 ·
I question my cooling fan even working on my 2005 Suzuki Eiger 400, I'm wondering if the engine is just not getting hot enough for it to kick on or the fan just is not working at all. Usually I'll take little short rides on it around the two acre property stopping frequently and turning the bike off, but I have watched the ODO before in the past and run it a mile or so before I cut it off, fan still not on. Would you think that would be long enough or not idk? Best I can remember I've never heard it come on. I never took it on long rides before.

If anyone is familiar with the Suzuki Eiger 400 it's air cooled that has a oil cooler with cooling fan mounted between the engine and the oil cooler. It has like two electrical wire leads coming down from fan motor made into a sealed screw in like thermostat just to the left of the screw on oil filter I tried posting a thread on a Suzuki ATV Forum that I'm a member of, but it's like a ghost town over there.

Last few times I posted anything I'd get several views but not much response to a thread. One of the older thread's one guy was sending people that PM'd him a copy of the Suzuki Eiger 400 service manual in pdf, but I'm not even sure he's on there anymore. I'd like to know the procedure on how to test the cooling fan out, or get some information at what oil temperature the cooling fan should come on.

Tony
 
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#2 ·
I have the Cat 400 which is identical. Take wires off sensor. With a jumper wire connect those two wires. With key on fan will work if fan is good. To test sensor, you can’t use water, it has to be hot oil. If you need specs on sensor, I can look it up in my SM.
 
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#4 ·
First off thank you for the reply, So that is like a plug in where the wires go into the sensor? Yes I would like to have the specs on the sensor if possible, that's got to be a bi-metal sensor switch then. I was just looking through the side panel at it today not really getting close enough to inspect it good.

Tony
 
#3 ·
Forgot to add that my fan will come on when using low and driving 8-10 mph in the bush. Temps were in the 80’s on my recent adventure.
 
#7 ·
Catman I finally got a response from a guy on the Suzuki Forum website that I'm a member of . He verifies your claim, that those Suzuki engines have to get pretty hot before the fan engages on. I copied his response to this thread and show it here below. The first paragraph is what I said at the start of the thread.



Quote:
Originally Posted by T.Ray View Post
I have a 2005 Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4 Auto, I want to test the cooling fan to see if it's even working. To be honest I have not rode this atv long enough to know when the cooling fan should come on, I can't remember if it ever has. Usually I just do short little rides on the property, couple arces so I don't know if it's not getting hot enough for it to come on or just not working at all. If anyone would happen to have a copy of a downloadable service manual that would be appreciated.

Tony

His Response:
I bought my 04 Eiger brand new in November 2003. The fan takes a long time to come on and only when sitting still. Rolling say 10mph or more it will not get hot enough to come on. And when it does it cools so easily that the fan will cycle back off in 30 seconds or less, even pulling a bush hog behind it up hill.

The only time mine comes on is pulling the bush hog at 1-2mph in heavy tall brush where it is rolling to slow to get air coming in the front. Or if I cold start it and let it run in the shed for about 1 hour it'll cycle on for about 20 seconds then cycle off a couple minutes.. then on and off regulating the temp once it has finally reached fully warm. These engines cool very easily.

Once, I had a stick get stuck in the fan while bush hogging some 15 feet saplings in very heavy brush and blackberry thickets on a 40 degree hillside forcing it to pull up full throttle 2'nd in lo-range jumping up and down on it making it continue inching fwd up it spinning all 4 tires. That day it ran about ten hours doing that rough hillside and the temp light came on.

I shut it down and looked at the fan first because I didn't hear it cycle and found the stick in it.. then pulled the stick out and installed a new 10a fuse (it's fused so it doesn't burn the fan up if something stops it from turning). When that happened it was only shut down maybe 2 minutes, and I had it taken care of right there in the thicket and restarted right away.

The fan came on when I restarted and the temp light went out in about 15 seconds, and the fan continued to run about 2 minutes then returned to the normal cycling once it cooled it back to normal. It has over 24,000 miles on it now and uses no oil yet. The head has never been off, and the clutches are the original and it has had the absolute hell worked out of it.

I used it to drag cedar out of the hills commercially because I couldn't afford a log skidder and I bought my Suzuki to drag with, I had a loader to load with but the Suzuki was my skidder until I retired it to just farm use. Now I ride my grandchildren on what's left of it. Looks rough.. but still runs very dependably.
 
#5 ·
Here’s procedure for testing sensor. You really don’t have to pull it if you can hook up a MM to it and drive around with it attached. I just don’t know if oil temps will get hot enough in your conditions. Where I go I use low a lot due to going slow with steep rocky terrain. It’s an old logging road.
Text Document Paper Font Paper product
 
#6 ·
Here’s procedure for testing sensor. You really don’t have to pull it if you can hook up a MM to it and drive around with it attached. I just don’t know if oil temps will get hot enough in your conditions. Where I go I use low a lot due to going slow with steep rocky terrain. It’s an old logging road.
View attachment 341231
Thanks for the information, yep looks like that has to get pretty hot to active the switch. Now I can test the fan first to see it it will come on,again thanks. The MM I have is a cheapo, I really need to get one that has all the bells and whistles on it.

Tony
 
#8 ·
I don’t think mine as ever came on driving at speeds over 20 mph and out in the open. Like I said, just slow going in the bush and hot outside temps. Those book temps seem pretty high but what is normal oil temperature for any engine?
 
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#9 ·
So yesterday I’m hauling my little boat through the bush to get to a remote lake. Temp was around 55f, Low gear, speeds 5-6mph and the fan cycled quite often in the 45 minutes it took to get to the lake.
 
#10 ·
660catman what would you consider to be maximum speed running in low gear range with no load, just atv only?

Tony
 
#11 ·
Personally 20mph just due to noise level. I’m sure it limits out but I don’t need to find out where lol.
 
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#12 ·
660catman I did the jumper wire test on the electric fan over the weekend, the fan comes on and works like a champ. By the way I got a added bonus when I removed some of the plastic working on the Eiger. I found my oil filter removal cup tool laying on the top side of the skid plate. I turned my shop upside down looking for that tool about a month ago :grin.

Tony
 
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