Driver's side radiator hot air - very hot on feet

[ajdgator]

I just got my new gator 825i today...after driving for about 5 minutes the air blowing onto my foot on the accelerator and up into my body was very hot. It is 96 degrees here in Cen Fl, but this is like a full blast heater blowing at you in the 96 degree heat. It's so bad that I don't want to drive it.

Is this normal? I looked around and removed the storage tray and fiddled with reseating it. I have to test tomorrow.

Please let me know if this is as expected. There is a rubber gasket around the steering shaft, but nothing around the brake feed-thru.

Thanks,
Andy

[CCGATOR]

Why don't you go back to the dealer, drive another 825i and compare it. Have them drive yours and explain why this is happening. Absolutely not normal. Have driven several different 825i machines and none do this.

[El guapo]

Mine also blows hot air back but not to the point where it's unbearable. I've also seen this on other posts. It sucks now, but this winter in WI it may be a plus!

[ajdgator]

thanks for the replies. I appreciate the knowledge from this site.

Still hot as hell after reseating the storage box. I can feel it coming thru strong above and right of the gas pedal, The faster I go the hotter and harder it blows. There are a few holes in the firewall as well as the steering feedthru. It seems like a plate or a insulated liner is missing. They installed the winch wiring front and back, perhaps they forgot to reinstall a panel? Is there an exploded drawing showing the firewall assembly? or a picture without the storage box?

Does anyone's gator have the drivers side sealed or protected with a plate or cover or anything. the passenger side is sealed tight and cool as a cucumber.

It's always summer here except for a few weeks in Feb, so this will suck forever.

I will contact the dealer on monday. Otherwise this thing is awesome, I towed my dual jet ski trailer and launched from a steep boat ramp with no stress at all. Must be about at least 1700 pounds, and uphill.

I went for a ride with the kids this evening, and after 15 minutes I had to go home because of the heat in my face and feet from the firewall. I do have a full no scratch windshield, with the flap. open or closed same heat.

[pcbunn]

Doesn't sound normal to me. I havn't notice any hot air with my Gater which I received on Tues this week, now has 4.5 hrs running time. I would notifiy the dealer and or check out a demo model, looking at the fire wall area to compare with yours. All I've noticed is the loud fan running occasionally when temp gets get warm but no air in the cabin.

[srb08]

I was out today for about two hours running trails and gravel roads. I did notice some warn air around my right foot when the fan was running but it never got uncomfortable. I'll take a look at things tomorrow in the light.

[ajdgator]

when I remove my storage box under the hood there is a clear view of the driver side pedals and floor. This plastic box that fits loosely is the only barrier. If you remove your storage bin, is there anything to stop the radiator air flow into the cab other than the plastic drop-in bin? There is no top panel in the drivers foot area, no knee panel. I can look up from the floor and see the bottom of the bin, or daylight if the bin is out.

If there is no other barrier, I cant see how everyone does not have this problem. There is nothing but the seal (or non-seal) of the drop-in bin to stop the airflow.

[srb08]

I looked at mine this morning. There is nothing to seal out the air except the tray. I went for a ride with the tray out, got a lot of hot air on my right foot. When I put the tray back in, I noticed that it did not fit as tight as before. I did not have the tabs completely seated in the slots at the back of the dash. Make sure the tray is completely seated and the small wings on each end are inside the hood and fenders. My tray has room to rattle, even when fully seated but does seal the opening.
Cheap heat for the winter?

[missouri gator]

I just got my new gator 825i today...after driving for about 5 minutes the air blowing onto my foot on the accelerator and up into my body was very hot. It is 96 degrees here in Cen Fl, but this is like a full blast heater blowing at you in the 96 degree heat. It's so bad that I don't want to drive it.

Is this normal? I looked around and removed the storage tray and fiddled with reseating it. I have to test tomorrow.

Please let me know if this is as expected. There is a rubber gasket around the steering shaft, but nothing around the brake feed-thru.

Thanks,
Andy

Andy, Mine is the same way on hot days its almost unbearable. I have the 620 gator also and its not that way, if you figure any thing out let us know!

[ajdgator]

I put HVAC metal duct tape on the joint between cargo bin and firewall frame to seal the gap under the cargo bin. This helped, but still hot on my right foot (open sandels since I am jet skiing). I then tied a rag around the steering shaft under the drivers compartment and this helped a great deal. I need to seal the small holes and figure out a better rag seal for the steering shaft. That is the main area where I can feel a blast of air at 20-30 mph, coming through that slit rubber bushing.

When I am driving 30mph I can put my hand under and feel the hot blast around the steering shaft and lightly blowing heat from the left side of the underdash. So now it's not like a hairdrier on my feet, but still much warmer than the passenger side.

It would be great heat in the winter, but it hardly gets cold in Orlando. I guess indiana is cold except for a few weeks when DEEREesn dont drive?

The test drive is deceiving since you dont get to drive it for 20 minutes at 20-30 mph,

I will call the dealer tomorrow and expect to hear the surprise and sorrow in their voices. This seems like an issue I will have to remedy.

Thanks all for your input.

[Cotton5000]

Iv had my gator for a month and noticed the same problem and I took the bin out and put cardboard in and used gorilla tape to hold it. I did it to every inch but the heat index was around 130 here last week so I'll have to check around the steering shaft it the only place I havnt sealed.

[ajdgator]

I called the dealer, and as expected shock and sorrow....They will come by next week and pick it up and take a look.

In the mean time, I got some gray foam from our shipping dept. 3" thick, 8" x 8" and 3 1" thick 7" x 12". I wedged 8" the foam up into the hood latch hole, and a 1" to the left of it, and then 1 piece on the left and right sides up against the glove box and drivers left panel. I also added some metal tape over all of the holes in the firewall and around the steering feedthru. And taped the entire cargo box forward edge to the firewall, carefully sealing around the cables that go into the center console under the hood latch.

Test drive last night for 30 minutes... ahhh cool as a cucumber...
Some friends suggested foil lined firewall blankets, maybe a pain to fit in.

[GATORDONE]

I was just notified from deere that they are aware of heat problem and are working on resolving the problem. It won't be a overnight fix. so we will have to be patient, Do what gatormover say's and contact deere about this and they will move faster on it.

[GatorMover]

Well, might I say "shock and sorrow"? ... I hadn't heard of this till 4 days ago. First customer came in with this. I was thinking must be heat transfer from somewhere but after reading this I see what's happening.
Shocked? not at all-sorrow? hey, I don't build it just the messenger and partner with the customer in his purchase.
I suspect the statement above describes the scenario- Most Gator owners trips will be short so I'm not surprised it hadn't came up before. Guys are getting a lot more run time on now so things will start to show up like this. Time will prove out just how good these new buggies really are.
If enough people bring this issue up there will be a PIP announced and that's it. Take advantage of how the system works!

[pcbunn]

Pretty easy to reduce most of the warm air by closing up the holes and gaps with gaffer's tape for those who are bothered by it. Can't seal off the fire wall completely but alot of the warm air will be stopped.

[ajdgator]

Well, I need to take back my "cool as a cucumber".....after a 30 minute ride last nite it was warm, not hot anymore, but warm. It was about 75 last nite after the rain and I could feel the warm air up in my face and body as I drove 25 mph. It felt like it was 100 degrees blowing at me. I could feel warm air from under the dash. It seems the air is coming from everywhere, especially the sides where the fender meets the dash, there is a 1/4" gap. It seems to deflect off of the hood and redirect to the firewall and under the bin. I am going to my dealer today to make sure mine is not missing something. Probably not.
It seems there is no easy fix. I have been thinking about an insulated blanket of some type that will follow the interior of the hood and then roll down in front of the firewall.

BTW, what is the best way to notify Deere? Dealer?

[missouri gator]

I sent an E-Mail to JD customer support today about the floor heat issue, also mentioned the fuel gauge problems and the fuel tank being to small. I think GatorMover is correct we need to bring these issues to there attention.

[ajdgator]

Just got back from the dealer. I took them on a ride and a tour of the underhood....Nothing is missing from mine and they agree that it is very, very hot and it is obvious why. Most trips are short, with workers dressed in pants and boots, so it's not noticed?.

They sent me the JD report:
"Solution # 89681
June 23 2011
Complaint: Radiator fan blows hot air into operators station
Problem: Open areas in firewall allow hot air from the radiator to blow onto the operator and passengers legs
Solution: This is normal operation of the radiator and operators station. To minimize effects of hot air perform the following:
- Verify the under hood storage compartment (M163638) is installed which limits the hot air entering the operators station.
- Vent the windshield and rear window (if equipped) to increase airflow through operators station.
- Remove cab doors (if equipped) for warm weather operation.
Please open a report only DTAC case to report the complaint."

What? Open the windows and remove doors? WTF? Normal operation?? For any of you who do not have this issue with an 825i, drive for 20 minutes ( now in the summer) at 20-30 mph and let me know if you feel any heat. For me it is unbearable here in Orlando. The dealer agrees and sees the obvious areas where the heat gets in. The dealer is great Sunbelt Tractor in Orlando.

The 625 is air-cooled and does not have a radiator. The 825 uses the exact same body....with a radiator and firewall full of holes. Are there any engineers at all at JD?
I called JD 1-800-537-8233 and logged a problem. They told me to goto the dealer and have them log a problem. You should too , if it's hot enough to annoy you.

[KudzuCove]

I am glad you posted this issue, because I thought it was really odd how hot my foot got by the accelerator. I noticed this from the first day I got out and drove my new 825i last month. I only got to drive the new Gator in N. Ala. for one week before I had to travel again out of the country. We had already put 10 hours on the Gator and took it in for the initial oil change. The service did not identify any heat issues but I did not ask them to look for anything yet. I had several add ons to my Gator but can not understand why this heater feature can not be redirected or protected by the firewall?

We will have to keep sharing our fixes. Thanks for sharing what you have tried so far. I will be home next week and look forward to some more rides!

[Gator_Racer]

the water lines run right next to your foot if you want to help cool your foot off get some plumbers insulation black or grey that will help a lot

[asp]

I have the same problem in the summer, right now the heat feels good but it is very uncomfortable in the summer. I notified the dealer and he said he has not had any complaints yet.

[cryoman16]

this thing has bee unbearable since day 1 i have to drive about 5 miles bettween farms & the heat is a killer, also after making 2 trips i am out of fuel, not sure i will be keeping this thing much longer
I have the same problem in the summer, right now the heat feels good but it is very uncomfortable in the summer. I notified the dealer and he said he has not had any complaints yet.

[Txcoastjason]

I had my first warm weather drive today. Drove it no more than for 15 minutes and my wife and I both noticed it was uncomfortably warm by our feet. I too am going to look and see about covering firewall holes etc. Anyone feel like they have this issue solved?

[cryoman16]

i tried reversing the fan on the radiator by swaping the leads but did not really help. john deere said to open the window?????? the only fix i see is to fill in the area behind the radiator with fiber glass insulation then the engine would run hot.

[allenflucas]

I have the same thing going on, mine is at the dealer now, didn't think about asking them about that, but will tomorrow..

[GATORDONE]

Deere has informed me that they are aware of problem and are looking into a fix in the future,When will that be who know's!:Cnfsd:

[apple]

GATORDONE; keep us posted if deere comes up with something

[GATORDONE]

Most definitly will, I'm getting tired of my legs and feet roasting also :mad:

[pugwash4]

well i have a 2008 850D and my feet get warm aswell not just new gators but i can manage with it

[Txcoastjason]

I am thinking about trying to get something like a "dynomat" like product on that firewall (where possible) and was thinking about some some weatherstripping foam to fill the big gaps. All I can think of at the moment. Not a lot between the radiator and the cab looks to be the culprit.

[Regulator]

I am thinking about trying to get something like a "dynomat" like product on that firewall (where possible) and was thinking about some some weatherstripping foam to fill the big gaps. All I can think of at the moment. Not a lot between the radiator and the cab looks to be the culprit.

Check out my pictures down the page a bit in the "Muffler Silencer" post in the "Forum: XUV Tech John Deere Gator XUV 2011 - ???" section...I have pics of where I installed my DynaMat material that I got from Eastwood...it made a big difference in the noise deadening...I also put it under my floormats, so it should help with the heat that comes in those holes too...

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[Txcoastjason]

Thx Regulator! I saw ur pics. Definitely going to do a lot of the same ie under dump box, under seats, etc. did u use any on the front side of the firewall behind the radiator and wheels but in front of the cab? If so did it help much?

[allenflucas]

I got the old Duct tape out and helped mine a lot today.. still gets warm but no as bad for sure..

[Regulator]

Thx Regulator! I saw ur pics. Definitely going to do a lot of the same ie under dump box, under seats, etc. did u use any on the front side of the firewall behind the radiator and wheels but in front of the cab? If so did it help much?

I didn't do any inside the hood area at all...yet...I plan on adding some in there when I get a bit more free time...I wanted to do this in stages so that I could see where it works and where it didn't seem to do much so that I might help someone else if they wanted to try the same stuff...If I have any left, I am gonna do that one section up under the dump bed that is just in front of the hydraulic ram where there's one big square section...the only reason to do it would be to keep the dump bed from getting too hot on my dogs feet when it gets hotter out....

Doing it in steps, or a bit at a time also gives my fingers time to heal up from cutting them on the edge's of that aluminum sheeting that is on top of that stuff...they warn you to wear gloves and be careful with that stuff, but I'm big and bad and tough and didn't need no stinkin' gloves...now my fingers got about 4 or 5 cuts on the ends that are like paper cuts, but hurt ALOT worse...I can bet my sweet ass that I will be wearing gloves the next time I cut and stick that stuff on anywhere else on my Gator!!!...it's no fun trying to stick that stuff on straight when you have tears in your eyes!!!...:lol:

I paid just under $150.00 for my stuff from Eastwood, and I am very happy with it so far...it's real easy to work with if you take your time, and it really deadens the noise of the Poly Cab and the engine a bunch...when I get the rest of it placed up under ther hood at the firewall, I will report how much it helps with the excessive heat in that area....

Larry in MD :Jestr:

[cryoman16]

the heat is so bad now that after a short drive over the farm my legs & ankles are on fire, should of kept my kubota it was a slow work horse. this thing is a damn toy that has a small gas tank, hard time starting after it gets hot, overheats when you try to pull a field drag & has no power steering. i have contacted john deere 3 times once they called & told me to take off the windshield the other 2 times they never replied & the dealer, tri green, could give a shit less.

[Kiwi06]

Hey Cryoman,

Sorry to hear you are having such bad luck. I have open cab with just windshield and roof. Normally not too hot, but on hot days when the radiator fan kicks on, I do feel the heat. (I am "temperature insensitive" - grew up in hot humid Fla. - so I might not be the best to judge heat. :Blsh:) I would think it would be a problem if it was blowing like that into a closed cab. (I haven't tried to see whether it comes thru "firewall" or just around openings in door, or what.)

I have worked my 825i hard without suffering overheat problems or hard start. Sorry your dealership is so poor. Mine is great! but I haven't had to use them for the Gator (yet). Wish I could tell you how to rectify. :Cnfsd: Best of luck!

- Steve in CO

[RMOSSSO1]

the heat is so bad now that after a short drive over the farm my legs & ankles are on fire, should of kept my kubota it was a slow work horse. this thing is a damn toy that has a small gas tank, hard time starting after it gets hot, overheats when you try to pull a field drag & has no power steering. i have contacted john deere 3 times once they called & told me to take off the windshield the other 2 times they never replied & the dealer, tri green, could give a shit less.

ADD some floor mats. I am in PA and put on about 10 miles with 90 degree temps. Mine was much like what you describe, prior to floor mats. I bot JD floor mats and then put my own on top of that. Great insulation. Cuts out almost half the heat. I still need to insulate the fire wall.

Kubota is a good machine. I have a Kubota engine in my T - 180 Bobcat, but I still am happy with my 825i. I was in some woods this week where I should not have been. With almost a foot of clearance I easily got out.

Be patient!
Rich:Ysnd::Ysnd::Ysnd

P.S. Remember you have EFI on the GATOR. You must give the engine a few seconds before you try to restart, otherwise you will have problems. I did the same thing on my HONDA RANCHER and I played around for half an hour till I could restart. Listen to the fuel pump. Once it pressurizes, then go ahead and restart.

[allenflucas]

My gator did the same thing, I Duct taped all the opening up over the opening,, and every where else I thought air could get in. It helped , still gets some hot air, but not as bad..