2016 Polaris RZR Turbo Overheating Issues Resolved
Garth Hillman • September 20, 2018
Proven product to keep your 2016 Polaris RZR Turbo running cool!
Polaris 2016 RZR Turbo Cooling Package
I would like to take a moment and tell you about our 2016 RZR Turbo Cooling Package.
In August of 2015...
...shortly after the release of the 2016 Polaris RZR Turbo we began receiving calls about overheating problems with this side x side. At first we thought that maybe the air hadn't been properly bleed from the cooling system but as the months went by we had logged at least 60 calls from people all over the US. At that point we decided to address this issue and see if we could find a solution.
...shortly after the release of the 2016 Polaris RZR Turbo we began receiving calls about overheating problems with this side x side. At first we thought that maybe the air hadn't been properly bleed from the cooling system but as the months went by we had logged at least 60 calls from people all over the US. At that point we decided to address this issue and see if we could find a solution.
We were having problems finding a unit that someone would let us proto-type a cooling package for so
I decided there was enough of a need for this that I would purchase one myself and get to work. So I went
down to my local Polaris Dealer and got one.
The first thing that was obvious to me was that the inner cooler had a very high fin count (FPI or fins per inch the fine aluminum material that zig zags back and forth between the tubes in the core) if the fin count is to high it will restrict air flow through the radiator core.
What was happening in this case was the airflow restriction would eventually cause the inner cooler coolant to get hotter and hotter so that any air that was getting through could be as much as 45 degrees above what ambient temperature was.
This in turn would raise the engine coolant temperature (engine radiator positioned right behind inner cooler radiator) eventually to the point the engine would overheat and go into limp mode to protect the engine. We also felt like the engine radiator could be bigger and the fan as well.
The first thing that was obvious to me was that the inner cooler had a very high fin count (FPI or fins per inch the fine aluminum material that zig zags back and forth between the tubes in the core) if the fin count is to high it will restrict air flow through the radiator core.
What was happening in this case was the airflow restriction would eventually cause the inner cooler coolant to get hotter and hotter so that any air that was getting through could be as much as 45 degrees above what ambient temperature was.
This in turn would raise the engine coolant temperature (engine radiator positioned right behind inner cooler radiator) eventually to the point the engine would overheat and go into limp mode to protect the engine. We also felt like the engine radiator could be bigger and the fan as well.
I have been in the automotive cooling industry for close to 30 years, through those years I have seen, built and worked on a lot of radiators. We had a good understanding of what was causing the problem, now we need to create a solution that would take care of it. We strive to build our cooling products to remain in the factory location so as not to change the look of your ride. We also design as much cooling efficiency into our product to give you the best bang for your buck.
Here is what we did...
First thing we did was to build the engine radiator 4" taller than the stock unit about 35-40% larger.
We triple passed it, this means that in a cross flow design (this is) we place a baffle or plate 1/3 the way down the tank on the upper inlet side of the radiator.
We went to the outlet side and went down 2/3's down that tank and placed another baffle.
What this does: the coolant comes into the inlet at the top of the radiator from the engine and travels across the top 1/3 of the radiator core, then it will drop down to the baffle on the other side forcing the coolant to travel back to the other side, where it will drop down making the final pass through the bottom third of the core then returning to the engine.
With this type of design over the traditional single pass design (going in the top making one pass through the core and out) we have seen 20-25% greater cooling efficiency over the single pass. We use this design in 95% of the radiators we build, it works that well!
First thing we did was to build the engine radiator 4" taller than the stock unit about 35-40% larger.
We triple passed it, this means that in a cross flow design (this is) we place a baffle or plate 1/3 the way down the tank on the upper inlet side of the radiator.
We went to the outlet side and went down 2/3's down that tank and placed another baffle.
What this does: the coolant comes into the inlet at the top of the radiator from the engine and travels across the top 1/3 of the radiator core, then it will drop down to the baffle on the other side forcing the coolant to travel back to the other side, where it will drop down making the final pass through the bottom third of the core then returning to the engine.
With this type of design over the traditional single pass design (going in the top making one pass through the core and out) we have seen 20-25% greater cooling efficiency over the single pass. We use this design in 95% of the radiators we build, it works that well!
Second thing we did was to build the inner cooler, it has a smaller surface area but it is twice as thick as the original making it about 40% larger in cooling capacity. We also used a 14 FPI count (fins per inch) so we could get better air flow through both radiators.
Third thing we did was to build a shroud for the radiator so we could make certain the air had to be drawn through the core and nowhere else. This enabled us to go from the 12" factory fan (1300 CFM) to a 16" SPAL fan pulling 2100 CFM.
Fourth thing we done was the biggest challenge of all making it all fit in the factory location with almost no modification. We believe if we can build a quality product that fits every time and lasts we have accomplished our goal.
After we released this product we had customers calling with comments like, I can actually drive my side by side without constantly having to back out of it to keep from going into limp mode. Another one said I'm running 25 degrees cooler, one said I'm an engineer asked me if I was, he couldn't believe we could design and build a replacement unit that was so much bigger while making it fit so well allowing room for any obstacles that were in the way.
We take great pride in what we do and have a desire to help our customers find solutions to there cooling problems.
After we released this product we had customers calling with comments like, I can actually drive my side by side without constantly having to back out of it to keep from going into limp mode. Another one said I'm running 25 degrees cooler, one said I'm an engineer asked me if I was, he couldn't believe we could design and build a replacement unit that was so much bigger while making it fit so well allowing room for any obstacles that were in the way.
We take great pride in what we do and have a desire to help our customers find solutions to there cooling problems.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article and I hope you will return and view our future posts.
Link below to this product and our how to install video on our website.