UTV Troubleshooting Guide
Like a typical car or truck, your UTV is a vehicle that requires regular maintenance to remain in good working condition. And sometimes, despite your best efforts, your UTV may malfunction in strange ways that require special attention. Fortunately, troubleshooting your UTV isn’t too hard and many problems can be addressed with the right tools and knowledge.
Arizona Honda in Snowflake is your Grand Canyon State UTV dealer. Here are some of the most common issues you may encounter with your UTV along with the solutions you need to correct them.
Battery Issues
Your UTV’s battery can malfunction for several reasons, just like the battery in a car or truck engine. Here are a few battery issues you may encounter:
The starter doesn’t function properly. This may be because of a dead battery, which requires replacing, or because the battery has not been charged up enough, which requires charging on a tender. There may also be a poor terminal connection, and you can address this by applying grease to terminals and treating them with an anti-corrosive after you tighten the terminals securely.
The battery fails to recharge, which generally means that your battery’s life is expired or that the battery has been run down until it died. Unfortunately, there’s no fix for this outside of a complete battery replacement.
The terminals may be corroded, which also signifies a poor terminal connection. Clean, tighten and lubricate the terminals to achieve proper functioning again.
The electrolyte levels drop rapidly on a refillable battery, which could represent a hole or crack in the electrolyte cell, which again means you’re looking at a replacement.
Engine Trouble
You may struggle with power levels on your UTV or it could fail to start entirely. Here are some problems you may encounter:
The engine power is insufficient, which could be due to a number of factors, including a clogged injector that needs to be replaced, an empty fuel tank which needs refilling, a dirty or broken spark plug that needs cleaning or replacing, a ruined ignition coil that needs replacing, or a wrecked crankshaft position sensor that needs to be replaced.
The engine overheats, which could be due to low coolant levels that need topping off, a loose or broken radiator cap that needs tightening or replacing, a motor-driven fan that isn’t turning due to a broken fuse or a corroded coolant flow path, which requires you to flush your cooling system.
The engine may struggle to start, which could indicate that fuel flow is insufficient or nonexistent, so you’ll need to check the fuel tank, filter, electric fuel pump and injector. There may also be water in the fuel system due to a loose fuel tank cover, which requires you to drain the fuel and refill it with fresh fuel. There may also be an issue with a weak battery that needs charging or terminal cleaning.
General Problems
There may be some other issues that aren’t traceable to either the battery or the engine, so they can be more challenging to address:
The brakes may grind or fail, which could mean there isn’t enough brake oil or there could be air in the braking system, or that the disc brake’s plate or clippers may be loose and need tightening.
The transmission may make noise, which generally requires that the gears need replacing.
There may be insufficient vehicle power, which could mean the CVT transmission is sliding, requiring a replacement of the transmission belt or the clutch. It may also mean that the parking brake is malfunctioning or that the disc brakes aren’t uncoupling completely.
Don’t forget that you can always contact the Arizona Honda service department if you need some help with your UTV maintenance tasks. It’s a good idea to get your vehicle professionally serviced at least once a year anyway, and if you’re having troubles that you can’t diagnose or amend at home, then our mechanics will be more than happy to take a look.
In the market for a new UTV? Browse through our website to see our full stock of new and used UTVs for sale at our dealership in Snowflake, AZ. Talk to our staff about our financing options if you’d like to use them to fund your powersports vehicle purchase. Arizona Honda proudly serves the cities of Show Low and Holbrook, AZ.