A friend dropped off his grizzly at a local dealership, the service guy told him to never use synthetic grease because it will cause the centrifical clutch to slip. Polaris recommends that this in my owners manual but the service guy says they see the slippage in yamahas and polaris atvs. Any ideas on the above statement?

 

Kevin,
Trust me on this one... SOMEBODY doesnt have a clue what they are talking about. If you have a CVT/PVT transmission, then you DON'T have a "wet clutch".
If you dont have a wet clutch, then there isnt any way for the oil to come in contact with the clutch. Service guys ARE NOT mechanics... more than likely, he heard something like that and decided to try and sound intelligent to you.. THERE ARE situations where Synthetic oils cause clutches to slip. But that would be on machines that have more conventional transmissions like most Hondas, Yamahas, ETC...

 

speaking of grease...I have a sportsmen 335 and the owners manual recommends a 2 or 3? different types of greases depending on what grease fitting (axles, suspension, etc..) I have just been using Mobil 1 synthetic grease on the 20+ fittings on the machine. Is this OK?

 

Jumbo,
Mobil makes quality products and using there grease on the numerous grease fittings is great. Most any grease would be good. It is the guys to don't grease that need to worry. I grease after every 4th or 5th ride and anytime I have been in the water or wash my machine. The grease forces water out which is a good thing.
Scott.

 

If there is no such thing as a clutch on a PVT, there are a lot of people giving money to HPD for nothing!

There has to be some mechanism for disconecting the drivetrain from the engine. This is the clutch.

When your machine is idling while you're sitting still, the engine is disconnected from the drivetrain (PVT, shaft, et al) by a centrifigul clutch. This is why when you first rev a Polaris with PVT, the engine has to achieve a certain RPM before the clutch engages and connects the engine to the rest of the drivetrain.

Let's say your ATV is sitting still with the motor running. If the engine pully contacted the belt while turning with the same RPM as the engine and the other pulley (connected to the wheels) remained still you would constantly be putting wear spots on your belt.

I hope this helps,

Kevin Staton

2000 Polaris Magnum 325 4x4

<a href="http://www.korrnet.org/watvclub" target="_new">Windrock ATV Club<a>

[This message has been edited by kevin_staton (edited 07-19-1999).]

 

Scott,

Polaris uses a "Wet" clutch, otherwise known as a oil-bath clutch. The clutch plates are imersed in oil to help keep them cool. On the Magnum 325, the same oil is used to lubricate the engine, cool the engine and cool the clutch plates. The oil may have other duties that I haven't mentioned in relation to the clutch.

When you talk about slipage from playing in the water, you're talking about the PVT belt. This is not the same as the clutch.

Does anyone have a good schematic of a Polaris drivetrain? This might help everyone understand the different parts a little better.

------------------
Kevin Staton
Windrock ATV Club
2000 Polaris Magnum 325 4x4



[This message has been edited by kevin_staton (edited 07-20-1999).]

 

Relax Kevin,
He said they don't have a wet clutch. Then again you can get them wet and make them slip by playing around in too much water.
Scott.

 

Kevin,
That is news to me. Polaris calls there Centrifugal Clutch (like any snowmobile) a PVT (Polaris Variable Transmission). Call it what you want, it has been known as a Centrifugal clutch long before they started calling it a transmission. By it's very nature a Centrifugal clutch will interrupt power to the rear wheels when you drop below a certain RPM. It would seem pointless to have another clutch to interrupt power. I know there is a gearbox that transmits power from the engine to the Centrifugal clutch. The gears are lubricated with gear oil. Are you telling me there is a clutch in this gear box. If so, where do you get your information? Have you actually torn one apart? I know the weights, springs and helix determine the RPM the clutch engages, upshifts and down shifts at. These items are external to the engine and affect the pulleys the belt runs on. It is kind of like changing gears on a bicycle but infinitely variable. These items are what the performance companies are selling as CLUTCH kits. So help me out, I have not been inside a Polaris engine as of yet, do they indeed have a second wet clutch inside. If so, for what purpose?
Thanks, Scott.

 

Kevin,
Short of the Expedition, if you have a "wet" clutch on your Polaris, THEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS. The clutch mechanism is inside the big black plastic housing on the left side of the quad. Go get your tools and pull it off. Basically, all it consist of is some hopped up pulleys with weights and springs that effect initial engagement, upshift RPM, and backshift... ETC.....
Your Polaris engine is just that... an engine, it is seperate from the transmission. the "gearbox" is just that, a gearbox. It consist of several sets of gears, an input shaft, and the output shaft..
IF youre not entirely sure, just go to your local Polaris dealership and ask to see the fische for your machine. Or ask for the part number on the "wet clutch" pack.
It DOESN'T have a wet clutch... UNLESS YOURE IN TOO DEEP OF WATER AND YOUR COVER GASKET LEAKS!!
I've tried to find a picture on here that would explain more, but if you happen to pick up a Polaris brochure, it has a somewhat helpful picture in it..
Good Luck...

 

Kevin,
By the way, why dont you just call HPD or HDP, whatever, tell them you have a 325 Magnum, and you want an oil bath clutch setup for your machine... Maybe THEY can help you to understand what everybody is trying to explain.