As I haven't started a build thread yet on my Challenger (or anything else for that matter) I figured I would start one for my pit vehicle, a 1988 (ish) Kawasaki Mule 1000 I picked up off of eBay many years ago.
The Deal: I'm rough on the year but it was the relatively early 2000's when this popped up on eBay from a buyer with very low feedback but close enough (Miami) at a low starting bid ($1K). This was before auto bidders so I waited until the last few seconds, dropped my bid and got it for just over the starting bid. I emailed the seller and told him I would be there the next day to get it. Luckily he came through and early the next morning I hooked up my 10' lawn trailer and headed South. When I got to Miami ~6 hrs later I noticed one of my trailer hubs was warm so I stopped by an aut store, bought some tools and grease and repacked the bearings in a church parking lot. Picked up the Mule and headed home with no issues.
The Equipment: The Mule 1000, aka KAF450-B1, has a 454mL 2-cyl water cooled engine that it shares with the 454 Ltd motorcycle. It utilizes a belt drive with torque converter and the engine and transaxle employ a common oil/lubrication system. The independent rear axle has a locking mechanism on the dash for slippery conditions. Accessories on this fully equipped 2wd UTV include lights and a horn.
In the eBay ad the pictures showed the "Beach Patrol" logos on the bed and some slight damage to front push bar. While I expected some rust from a former Ft. Lauderdale beach vehicle I was presently surprised that it was not too bad and the machine seemed well maintained. It had obviously hit something in the left front and the push bar rubbed the tire under hard turning. I pulled the push bar, removed the wheels and inner fender liners and could see that lower control arm was slightly out of line. As the control arm had some good surface rust I pulled it and straightened with the vice/hammer combo, media blasted and then primed and painted it. I repacked the bearings, checked the brakes and decided to change the brake hoses and pads while I had it apart. Unfortunately no photos of all this work.
Although it doesn't get used much I do use it every year at a local SPCA Shelter fundraiser (Pet Walk) where it gets loaded with two 55 gallon plastic barrels which hold water we use to fill, and refill, and refill dog bowls throughout the event and along the mile walk route. The walk is 10/12 so it was time to address the overheating issue that we started having last year. Nothing like procrastination as a motivator.
Got her in the shop and up. Removed the thermostat housing and the cooling issues started to become evident.
A couple of broken bolts later and we have lots of corrosion. Maybe should have run more antifreeze...
Yep, that is not good.
Next, water evidence on top of the head.
Pulled water pipes from block (where coolant hoses attach) and not only were they very corroded (with pin holes) but they were almost entirely blocked as well.
Pulled the belly pans to get to the lines running forward to the radiator out.
These came out easily and all hoses are fine and pipes are solid. They will get sanded and painted before being reinstalled.
Next, pulled the radiator which I knew was damaged but not leaking, amazingly. When I did the front end repair I saw the damage and during the past year sourced a used radiator on eBay. Normally these used run over $200 but I scored this one for $125 shipped!
New and old. Swapped the fan over and that is good to go.
Next, pulled the impeller housing cover. Impeller looks fine and spins freely and smoothly. I am not going to pull this as there was no evidence of oil in the water and I don't want to replace the mechanical seal if it isn't required. For the cost of a gasket I know this is fine. I will have to replace one section of pipe as the hard pipe going into this housing had bad enough corrosion to warrant replacement.
Still undecided is if I will replace this fan switch. They are discontinued so hard to find and I am not sure if this one is totally dead. I have a switch on the fan now and plan to add a temp gauge. This switch is easy to get to so replacing later will not be an issue. I'll test the switch to be sure it is dead.
More later when the new parts arrive.
