Hello there I am new in the forum and also new to ATV riding as well .I will be very thankful if somebody give me some idea where from can I have a metal shavings under right engine cover (recoil cover).I have polaris sportsman 500 2008 .Also I have this famous rattling noise from the bendix area. I know that is comming from bendix as I have used statoscope.

 

Bendix rattling can be from a worn out garter spring or worn starter bushings in the recoil cover and engine case that the bendix rides in.Or a combination of both. Item #9 on the parts breakdown.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse As far as shavings check the bendix teeth first and all the recoil parts. Hopefully nothing is missing from the recoil. Make sure the pick up coil face and flywheel are clean of any particles also. Cheap bendixes are everywhere now if needed.

 

Thank youfor the fast reply ,much apriciated I can see you help to a lot of people inthis forum glad to have people like you around.
Firstly Iwant to mansion that I would buy aftermarket bendix right away just to try itand see if I eliminate some questions but as I am located in EasternEuropethe only option for me is to buyOEM one from dealership as aftermarket are with price for shipment bigger thanthe part itself and Europe is not very rich in Polaris parts.
The ATV is fairlynew with 198h on it year 2008 not much of abuse looks mint too.
About thegarter spring I am not sure what role does it play in bendix performance any infoapriciated ,how can I inspect if loose or not?
The otherspring in the bendix seems to be very soft don’t know normal or not? Whenbendix outside the casing and I hold with one hand the gear that starter spinsand I made sharply turn the bendix engages all the way then go back but engagesvery easy .The spring is moving freely.Also what is free length of it so I canmeasure if possible.
Bushing inthe recoil cover doesn’t have almost any play when I insert the bendix Rod
Bushing inengine case have more freeplay but I don’t see any cracks or grindings
The enginecase that hold the bushing from trust washer side of bendix have some sigh ofwear on the edge but may be factory setting .Seen on the picture.
The metalshavings are not dust size ones but bit bigger .They are not too much but I amaware if that’s normal for the starter process of moving flywheel or not? Ineed to know to prevent any further damage.The metal particles are to the leftand right under bendix and under flywheel but I guess metal pieces go only downand not up so must be the bendix contacting flywheel and not something else butstill consern to have metal pieces in there .I can use to the noise if I knowit can do no harm to the engine.
I can seesome rounding on the flywheel teeth edges from bendix side and some scratchedsigns on the bendix gear that contact the flywheel . I put picture of bendixbut flywheel is dificult to show.
No signs ofwear in the starter shaft that turn bendix or bendix gear that contacts thestarter shaft.
When I takebendix and holding in my hand to the gear that starter moves then shake it hardI can hear noise not rattling but like dull clicking from the bendix but I cantpin point where exactly.

 

Dont know something happened with the word spaces and photos I will try again to upload

 

Since you say the metal parts are large,fully expand the bendix to see if any counter weights has broken and thrown chunks. The other thing is to pull the flywheel to inspect the stator for any broken pieces along with closer inspection of the recoil starter internals. There is no measurable length to the springs in the manuals that I've seen. If the bendix doesn't retract back sharply,the spring could be weak or stretched.Same thing applies to the counter weight spring. Only 4 parts are offered to repair a bendix on the later models. If either the weight spring or return spring is suspect they can be replaced.Items 14 and 15.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse Any part that's damaged other than these parts offered,then the bendix has to be replaced.Another thing that can help on the 500 to stop future damage to the bendix is to "blip" the throttle immediately after the engine starts. This creates enough inertia to kick the bendix teeth back away from the flywheel quicker. I've heard people cranking these machines before and could hear the bendix still engage to flywheels. Not very good for the life of this part.. Plus looking at your pics,looks like you're missing the collar,and circlip at the end.If that's the case,that's the source of the rattling noise you've been hearing and also the chunks of metal. Plus this is what the bendix looks like. Very cheap over here. Don't know if you can get them like this.http://www.ebay.com/itm/STARTER-DRIV...NUieWo&vxp=mtr

 

Thank you for replay "OLD P TECH" If I understand you properly I can order both springs on the bendix as spare OEM parts from dealer.I Still cant understand what role the garter spring play what exactly does it do apart from holding the counterweights.I will order both bushings to try fix the problem I guess they can be bought from dealer.


When I said bigger shavings didnt ment that big they are big as 1/4 rice seed split along they are slim and long.


Anyway I will try bushings first and spring If I can find and then the whole bendix and let you know what happens. I am pretty sure that particles come from bendix contacting the flywheel but dont understand is that normal proces or good working and synchronized parts dont have any signs of wear.


Something else if the return spring on bendix isnt that sharp at returning bendix what exactly that cause .

 

The main spring(coiled spring) is responsible for the bendix gear to contact the flywheel teeth and also responsible for the gear to retract away because of its tension. The garter spring basically does the same function as what the main spring does but it is responsible for pulling the counter weights back. If the main spring is weak it can cause the bendix teeth to "hang up" on the flywheel. That's why I suggested on all the 500 engines for people to "blip" the throttle immediately after starting to give the flywheel a little extra enertia so that it would help kick the bendix gear back. This engine was the main one for bendix hang ups. The 700,800 engines had more torque and a stronger bendix to begin with and didn't suffer from this. Really irritated me to hear people crank their machines and still hear the bendix grinding against the flywheel.. Sort of like the noise of sharp nails on a black board.. They were the ones that came back complaining the most when their bendix finally failed

 

Thank you for your patience answering me . Isnt it better to just put stronger springs on the bendix can that make bendix worse I mean not to put super strong spring because then the bendix will not engage but just little bit stronger . Lastly I find out when I rotate bendix not the way to engage but the other way is not movin very smooth is still moving but with little effort is that normal. Thank you again for your answers is really helpful If I was near I am surely buying the beer ).

 

Normal to feel a "drag" so to speak when you turn the bendix the opposite way. I'd stay with oem replacement parts on springs etc.Bendix may not work properly with different springs. Sure would be easier and cheaper to get parts or a complete bendix on line rather than pay what dealers charge,but I understand that in some places that's hard to do.