[Zaydon]

I have a 2012 prowler hdx 700, I'm new to the forum so let me know if I do something wrong. So far the issues I'm having with it are; hard start condition, it will crank and crank but won't fire, sometimes if you fiddle with the gas pedal it will start, and sometimes it will fire right up with no problems so I'm thinking it's something electrical. Secondly, a really weird issue, I have oil IN my coolant radiator but absolutely no coolant in the oil, I'm sure that it's oil in the radiator because I flushed it and then changed my engine oil at the same time and have already noticed the oil level dropping while the coolant starts to get muddy looking. The coolant light will also come on while the engine is idling for a short period of time but as soon as I start driving the light will turn off and it seems fine (I don't have a gauge to see exact temp.) So I'm just wondering if there is a gasket on the water pump that could be allowing oil to mix with the coolant. Besides those issues it runs great. it's got about 3400 miles on it with a new motor at around 2500 miles. Any helps appreciated so if you've had similiar issues let me know how you solved them thanks in advance!

 

[dpdavidson02]

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully we can help! No other symptoms? Any white smoke in the exhaust? There is a seal in the water pump that could allow oil/water to mix, but I'm thinking if it was defective you would have water in your oil as the water system is pressurized, and the lower end oil is not. I would suspect a leaking head gasket around the cylinder head bolt hole, possibly one of the O-rings has failed? AC uses a multi layer head gasket, and O-rings to seal the layers around the bolt holes. You said a new motor at 2,500 miles? Was yours rebuilt, bought new, or used?

 

[Zaydon]

I'm not sure if it was a rebuilt one or not, I know they couldn't rebuild the original motor but it was done by a local ac dealer. As far as smoke goes it never blows any, and I can rub my finger on the exhaust and it's surprisingly clean, hardly any soot. It sounds a little funny whiles it's idling, it's hard to explain but it's not really an engine noise like knocking or anything but more like something having a hard time spinning. So with it getting hot while idling I was kind of leaning towards the water pump making the noise, also what would be the easiest way to find out if it's the head gasket without tearing to into it? By the way Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[dpdavidson02]

My thinking was two fold! With the water pump seal leaking I would think you would find coolant in the oil. The coolant system is pressurized to 12-16 psi, and the oil on the bottom end is not, so any leak would go from the higher pressure to the lower. On the head gasket, AC uses one of the bolt holes as an oil passage for flow to the cam. They use a MLG as a head gasket, and seal the bolt hole areas with a small O-Ring. Again the pressure differential lead me to this thought! The bolt hole that serves as an oil passage is close to the water jacket hole in the gasket. I use a coolant tester on mine for any head gasket concerns. Simple hand pump with a gage to pressurize the cooler system. I pump mine up to 10 psi, and let it sit for a few hours, if the pressure bleeds off I have a coolant leak somewhere (hose connections, thermostat housing, and other things) If it does not bleed off, I then start the motor and see if there is a rapid increase in the reading, again this will determine the head gasket is leaking. I found my pump on ebay for 24.00 dollars, and it saves me pulling many heads off! Most shops should have this tool, or maybe Auto Zone has one you can rent/borrow!

 

[Zaydon]

Ok I will try finding a pressure tester this week and give that a try, I will let you know what I come up with thanks!

 

[jimmyhendrix]

My 2012 Prowler has an EFI issue, and the fuel gauge reads full, when empty....any clues?