Had my 96 Xplorer 400 at the campground this weekend and since the motor was rebuilt, it has been running real well. A new issue popped up after one of my kids brought her boyfriend up and they took it out mudding. I got on it Saturday and now I noticed it has a slight popping noise when I back up and give it gas or it pops a little going forward at certain speeds. Not horrific sounding, but I can tell it is slipping. The drive chain is fine and adjusted correctly and the sprokets look very good. I checked the dipstick to the trans and it was clean with no metal shavings on the magnet tip. Is it possible the silent chain was stretched? A guy has a 96 Xpress 400 at the campground and his silent chain is bad and it grinds horribly. Mine isn't like that, but I can tell it's popping. Looked up how to change it and the parts are affordable, just labor intensive.......but then again, what isn't on these machines, lol.

Thanks,
Mike

 

Check carefully first around the front sprocket inner splines. May have to move the circlip back a little plus have the rear wheel off the ground and move back and forth. Just making sure the splines haven't started to strip on the drive sprocket. This was a weak link area also. If you completely rule out the front and rear sprockets and chain,the the kiddos may have done a number on the silent chain.. Don't be too harsh on em if this is the case as they just finished what was probably going to happen a little later on.Chains don't stretch on just one event,usually happens over a period of years. Yes the chain is cheap compared to what the amount of labor is involved.Somehow doesn't seem worth it,but it will just get worse if you wait. Don't forget to order new case seals also. Plus not a bad idea to check the belt also.Could just have a glazed or burnt spot if they were really getting on it in the mud which can sometimes mimic a chain jumping.

 

Thanks OPT,

I dropped my fourwheelers off at my shop today but didnt have time to look at the drive sprocket yet. I will give them a good bath and jack the Xplorer up and check it out. If I dont have any wear in the sprockets, I will order up the chain and seals. Am I right that there are 3 seals needed for the transmission? I looked at the manual and I see three seals total. My fluid is clean and it doesnt leak, but the seals would be a good idea since the trans will be out anyways.

The noise it makes is a slight popping when I back up. It does it in forward too, but more so when I turn. Its not coming from the front end but rather the back so it rules out front driveline problems. I looked the manual over and watched a video of transmission removal and it looks fairly straightforward. Does the rear swing arm have to come off completely, or just the bolts removed? Thats the only part that I might dread. If the chain is just starting to get loose, do I need to be concerned about gear wear at all? The guy at the campground with the Xpress 400 has been bugging me about doing the chain in his but I really dont want to work on his charity case because he is kind of a mooch and I have done enough fixing on his machines already. His machine grinds horribly in reverse and almost as bad in forward when he really cranks on it but it doesnt stop him from trying to lift the front end when he takes off. I'm assuming his is past the just needing chain part.

Thanks,
Mike

 

Swing arm doesn't come off to remove the transmission,but clutches,exhaust pipe and some body parts do.Correct on the 3 seals needed.Before you start tearing things apart,check for any play back and forth on the rear drive shaft housing in case bearings are worn,causing the problem. If this area is ok,then plan on tearing the transmission down. It's not that hard after you get it out of the frame,plus several videos on this that can help. Always check for other wear areas such as the main slider gears and engagement dogs on the gears along with the shift forks. You don't want to have to do this job twice! Plus the service manual has a good step by step on the transmission tear down.DOWNLOAD 1996-1998 Polaris ATV Repair Manual ALL MODELS - Download ... Here's a couple videos on this also,but neither mention replacing the silent chain.. This is a must if you ever tear one apart. Just replace it and inspect the other parts.

 

OPT,

I finally got a chance to look it over. From what I see, the front 11 tooth gear moves a bit on the splines of the shaft. The teeth don't really look bad, but the gear definitely has some play in it when you rock the machine back and forth. I ordered a new gear but I am wondering, will I need to replace the shaft too? I did a gear on another Xplorer that had the teeth rounded over and I remember the inside splines having some wear, but the new gear fit tight on the shaft when I installed it. I cant really get a good look at the shaft splines unless I pull the chain and brake assembly to get the gear off.

Mike

 

Just having you check if the teeth were rounded off(had a lot of them also) plus if the splines of the sprocket could have been stripped causing it to jump teethe on the shaft. Have had that happen before. Even a new sprocket will get a little play after a while on the shaft as they are a lot softer than the shaft itself. Never had to replace the hardened transmission shaft on one.If the sprocket is halfway decent,the chain doesn't have any stiff links that could cause jumping,then probably is still a stretched internal chain. Just trying to rule out anything external that could be the problem before the fun part of tearing into the transmission..

 

Thanks OPT,

When I said the gear moved a bit on the shaft, I may have underplayed it a bit. It actually almost moves one whole spline, which leads me to think the gear definitely needs to be changed regardless. When I do the gear, I will check for any play in the shaft. I'm really hoping I dont have to tear into the transmission, that doesnt sound fun, lol.

Mike

 

If internal splines are worn enough could be jumping when under a load.Sounds like it needs to be changed anyway.Hope that's the problem.