UTV Inc · Tech Guide
Sand, rock crawling and staging all have one thing in common: no air through the radiator. Here is what is actually happening, and what a fan override kit changes.
At speed, air forced through the radiator does most of the cooling. Below about walking pace there is almost none, so the fan is all you have — and the factory fan only switches on after the coolant has already climbed. A fan override puts that switch on your dash so you can run the fan before the temperature gets there.
Nothing is wrong with your machine. A radiator is an air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and it needs moving air to do its job. On a fast trail you have more of it than you need. Line up at the bottom of a dune, crawl a rock section, or sit in staging with the engine running, and the air stops while the heat does not.
The mechanism
What the factory fan is doing
The factory setup is thermostatic. A sensor watches coolant temperature, and when it crosses a threshold the ECU switches the fan on. That is sensible engineering for normal use and it keeps the fan quiet and the draw low most of the time.
The catch is that it is reactive. The fan comes on because the engine is already hot, which means every low-speed section starts with the temperature climbing and the fan waiting. In deep sand, where you are working the engine hard at low ground speed, that gap is exactly when the gauge starts moving.
The fix
What a fan override changes
A fan override kit puts a switch on your dash that runs the radiator fan whenever you want it. That is the whole idea — it does not make the fan stronger, it makes it earlier.
Run it before you need it
Flip it on at the bottom of the dunes or before a rock section, and the fan is already moving air when the heat arrives instead of catching up afterwards.
Cool down after a hard pull
Idling with the fan on for a minute after a long climb pulls heat out much faster than idling without it.
Plug and play
Our kits use the factory connector. Nothing to cut, nothing to splice, and it comes back out if you sell the machine.
You can still leave it alone
Switched off, the factory logic works exactly as it always did. The override adds a mode, it does not replace one.
Check these first
The other reasons a UTV runs hot
A switch will not fix a cooling system that is already struggling. Before you blame the fan, rule these out:
A packed radiator
Fine dust, mud and grass seed blind the core from the front. It can look clean from the outside and be plugged solid between the fins. Look through it toward a light.
Low or old coolant
Level first, then condition. Coolant that has never been changed transfers heat worse than it did new.
A blocked front end
Light bars, winches, skid plates and bumper accessories all sit in the airflow path. Anything solid in front of the core costs you cooling.
Intercooler heat on turbo cars
A turbocharged machine has a second heat exchanger with the same low-speed problem. We build a separate intercooler fan override for the X3 for exactly this reason.
Our kits
Which one fits your machine
| Machine | Kit |
|---|---|
| 2015+ Polaris RZR and General | Plug and play back-lit LED radiator fan override |
| 2019+ Polaris General and Ranger | Plug and play override, pulse plug |
| Can-Am Maverick X3 and X3 Max turbo | Intercooler fan override |
| Can-Am Commander 800 and 1000 | Amber back-lit LED plug and play override |
Fan override kits
Every kit we make, plug and play with a back-lit switch.
Switches and panels
Matching switches if you are building out a full dash.
Engine accessories
The rest of what we build on the engine side of the machine.
Questions we get
Frequently asked
Why does my RZR overheat in the dunes but not on the trail?
Sand loads the engine hard at low ground speed, which is the worst combination for cooling. You are making plenty of heat and almost no air is passing through the radiator. On a faster trail the air moving through the core does the work for you.
What does a fan override kit actually do?
It puts a dash switch on the radiator fan circuit so you can run the fan whenever you want, instead of waiting for the factory sensor to decide the engine is hot enough. It does not change the fan or the cooling system, only when the fan runs.
Will running the fan constantly hurt anything?
The fan is designed to run. The practical costs are a small amount of extra electrical draw and some noise. Most people switch it on for the low-speed sections and off again once they are moving.
Is a fan override hard to install?
No. Our kits plug into the factory connector, so there is no cutting or splicing, and they come back out cleanly if you sell the machine.
My machine still runs hot with the fan on. What now?
Check the radiator core for packed dust or mud, check the coolant level and condition, and look at what is mounted in front of the radiator. A fan cannot fix a blocked core.
Tell us what it is doing. We will help.
If your machine is running hotter than it used to, that is usually worth a conversation before you buy anything. Everything we make is cut and assembled in Mesa, Arizona, and we have been at this since 2004.
(480) 718-5511 · sales@utvinc.com · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Arizona time