If you read a review of the Cub Cadet Challenger 750, you’ll see that some models are higher quality than others.
But even the best models don’t quite land on the list of best cheap UTVs, as several competitors offer better overall quality and performance at cheaper prices, including:
Either way, the Cub Cadet Challenger 750 offers a number of good qualities. But it also suffers from six common recurring problems, including:
- Gears Sticking and Grinding
- Faulty Clutch
- ECU Controller Issues
- Engine Parts Go Bad
- Excessive Engine Noise
- Overheating
This guide will discuss each problem in more detail, along with proven ways to prevent and overcome all of them.
Gears Sticking And Grinding
The gears sticking and grinding tends to be one of the most commonly experienced problems among owners of the Cub Cadet Challenger 750, and includes the following symptoms:
- Gear shift sticking when attempting to shift gears
- Gear shift not sitting firmly in the Park setting
- Gears making a grinding noise when shifting to Reverse
- Grinding noises when accelerating just after shifting
Causes & Fixes
These symptoms mostly point to an issue with either the vehicle’s shift linkage, or the clutch system.
But they can also be a result of the design of the the Challenger 750’s drivetrain and transmission.
Applying The Brake To Shift
The Challenger 750 is designed so that owners need to apply the brake pedal in order to shift.
And this can be a little finicky, as the pressure you need to apply to the brake pedal may vary depending upon the gear you’re trying to shift to.
Owners usually find that they only need to brake lightly to shift to Low, High, or Neutral, but that they need to brake harder to go into Reverse or Park.
Shift Linkage
The shift linkage is the most common cause of the gears sticking and grinding.
The lock nuts that hold the shift linkage’s turnbuckle in place are prone to vibrating loose, which results int he shift linkage moving to an incorrect position over time.
To stop the gears from grinding, you’ll need to move it back into place.
You’ll need to locate it within the engine bay, and use two wrenches to fully loosen both lock nuts while holding the turnbuckle in place.
You’ll then need to rotate the turnbuckle back in the direction that it has transferred away from. You can use the gear shift to test out the correct position as you do this.
Once you’ve got it back in place, tighten the lock nuts down and you should be good to go.
I also highly recommend applying WD-40 Specialist Greaser to all of the moving parts connected to the gear shifter, which should help alleviate hard shifting.
Faulty Clutch System
Much of the hard shifting in and out of gear mentioned above can be attributed to clutch drag, which is common with the stock clutch in these machines and causes problems for the Cub Cadet Challenger 550 as well.
You may also experience the belt slipping and making a whining noise when idling or coasting downhill.
Causes & Fixes
The clutch rollers and clutch weights are the main culprits of this clutch drag and belt slippage, along with the low quality of the entire clutch system itself.
The clutch weights tend to wear against the side of the clutch, which deteriorates them and leads to clutch sheaves.
The rollers contain a bushing that wears out rather quickly and makes them stick, causing further wear to the weights.
Unfortunately there is no real way to prevent this, and many owners find themselves needing a clutch replacement after just a short period of driving.
And if these clutches are replaced under warranty, the same issue recurs leading to multiple clutch replacements.
Preventing A Failing Clutch
You can be proactive and take some steps to avoid a failing clutch or prolong the stock clutch’s lifespan.
No Prolonged Idling: idling for prolonged periods will wear your clutch out faster than usual.
It’s best to cut the engine while stopped for extended periods rather than letting your Challenger 750 idle.
Blow Out The Clutch System: Your clutch system will build up with grit and grime after so many miles of riding, regardless of where or how you drive.
This will lead to excessive wear on the clutch if not removed, which is confirmed by many mechanics.
You should be blowing out both your primary and secondary clutches with a compressor every 100 to 200 miles of driving to help prevent this build-up of gunk in the clutch system.
Electronic Control Unit Goes Bad
The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) is another source of issues with the Challenger 750.
The vehicle running badly or not running at all, lack of spark, and the fuel pump not priming are all signs that the ECU has gone bad.
Causes & Fixes
These ECU issues are generally the result of the odd way in which the unit is installed within the harness.
The stock wiring harness essentially plugs into the ECU upside down, which allows water to collect in the plug itself over time.
To inspect the ECU, pull the black and gray harness off and check for any corrosion.
You should also check the pins in the ECU to ensure none have broken off inside the harness, which is common.
If there is corrosion or the ECU Controller is damaged, it will need to be replaced.
Before reinstalling a new unit, clean out the harness good using an electrical cleaner. A clean harness and new ECU should fix this issue.
Engine Parts Go Bad
The clutch and ECU are not the only parts of this machine known to deteriorate faster than you’d expect.
Many of the engine parts are susceptible to deterioration as well, including the:
- Timing chain
- Camshaft
- Sprocket
- Piston
- Rings
- Valves
These stock parts tend to wear down rather quickly as they don’t seem to be of the highest quality to begin with.
And the replacement parts are not cheap, usually costing hundreds of dollars depending on what you need.
Now you must be thinking this has to be attributed to some kind of neglect on the part of the owner, right? Think again.
Owners who report adhering to a strict maintenance schedule, never missing an oil change, using top quality oil and fuel, and taking the proper preventative steps with their vehicles still suffer from these parts going bad repeatedly.
Excessive Engine Noise
As the Challenger 750 makes use of a 735cc engine, you’d expect some pretty aggressive engine noise.
But the engine noise in this vehicle borders on extreme, making it hard to hear your passengers while out for a ride.
The engine noise reverberates of the many plastic parts of the vehicle, amplifying the noise and making it worse the faster you go.
Fix
You can overcome some of this noise by laying down some sound deadening mats under the seats and top of the engine compartment, which should muffle the noise pretty good.
Overheating
The Hisun engines installed in the Cub Cadet Challenger 750 are prone to overheating. This can happen for any of the following reasons:
- Radiator clogging
- Fan not triggering in time
- Airlock in the coolant system
- Head gasket has blown
Radiator Clogging
One of the more common causes of overheating is the radiator becoming clogged from off-road riding.
This happens when mud, sand, or grass cakes up on your radiator and prevents it from cooling properly.
Be sure you’re cleaning your radiator fins out using a water hose frequently, especially when you’ve been through the mud.
You’ll want to remove the grill and soak it in Simple Green Cleaner from time to time as well.
Fan Not Triggering In Time
The engines in the Challenger 750 are set up for failure in that the ECU in these models is factory-set for the radiator fan not to kick on until the engine hits temps of 200+ degrees.
This doesn’t give the fan enough time to keep engine temps out of the danger zone of 220+ degrees once it kicks on, leading to overheating.
This is especially problematic when it’s hot outside of when riding at high elevations.
The best way to avoid this problem is to have your factory ECU tuned, with one of the benefits being the ECU is reprogrammed so that they fan triggers at lower engine temps of 190 degrees or so.
This helps to keep the engine temps out of the real danger zone.
Another option is installing a toggle switch on the dash of your Challenger, which essentially bypasses the ECU and gives you full control of turning on the fan as you please.
Airlock In The Coolant System
When your engine overheats, it’s at risk of letting in air which can form an air pocket in the coolant system.
When an air pocket forms, it creates airlock by blocking the coolant from being pumped properly, leading to overheating.
The only way to stop this overheating from recurring when you get air into your system is to follow a process of bleeding that air out.
Blown Head Gasket
If while bleeding the air from your system you notice bubbling from the coolant reservoir that won’t subside, odds are you’ve blown a head gasket.
You can use a head gasket test kit to confirm this, and make a replacement if needed.
Parting Thoughts
While there are plenty of owners who are happy with their Cub Cadet Challenger 750, many others express frustration with the amount of time their machines spend in the shop and the extra money they sink into them as a result.
But all UTVs have their common issues, and you can read about some of the common problems with some of the best cheap UTV options below:
