See how the coolant went down as the fan kicked on. This is what it's supposed to do and if there are no more bubbles or external leaks once the fan kicks off and coolant level rises again,you can top off the radiator and over flow bottle. You do need to address that noisy drive clutch. Spider clanking against the guide towers.Sounds like the guide button are worn down to nothing.

 

yes i see how the coolant level dropped, i was filling it back up to the top and then slowly the level would rise again when fan went off and would go into overflow coolant tank until that was overflowing.. But bubbles keep coming up after pushing accelerator. I did a 10psi pressure test of cooling system from the radiator just now and only went to 9.5psi after 10 mins.... while that was happening i sprayed all the coolant connections with soapy water to see if there is any air leaks, but it all seems tight.. ( and the engine was 140psi )

should i keep riding it for now sort of thing and keep an eye on the coolant level/engine temp? i put a thermometer on the head and the radiator fan comes on at about 170deg.

whats this noisy drive clutch problem you speak of? i do hear this rattle sound you speak of.... where abouts do i open to find the problem ? isnt the drive clutch on the opposite side where the pully belt for transmission/ clutch is ?



thanks a lot

 

the rattle noise is coming from the recoil start housing. It maybe the recoil thing in there viabrating as its missing the pullstart rope

 

Try it out and see if it doesn't overheat or pukes out coolant and fan cycles on and off properly. Hopefully you have it solved. If the recoil area is making that much noise then I'd check into it pronto as the bendix can fly apart and damage the stator,same for the recoil parts such as the ratchet cover bolt and cover along with the ratchet itself. Also noise from the clutch can radiate toward the recoil side. Easy way to tell if the guide bushings are worn is to pull the cover and you can hear the clutch better,plus you can twist the spider and see how much side to side play it has against the guide button towers.

 

I took it out for a Hoon, The radiator fan was on rather a lot. I have a oil leak from the plug in the oil tank, i had previously put gasket sealant around the plug to try seal it but its dripping a lot again.It has a copper washer. is there a over sized plug i can get for it ?

 

You need the teflon washer to seal up the tank right. Polaris used a thin metal washer earlier on that didn't last and the teflon will eventually do the same and leak. Not cheap but I'd at least get a couple that will last a good while.Plenty of people having the same problem on using different washers that didn't work. $2.56 at Partzilla. 5850135 WASHER $2.56

 

Thanks for that. I will order one. I just have opened the cover for pull start. The whole pull start and all its mechanism is missing. the bendix seems a bit loose in its place and there is no tension on the spring that engages it and thats where the rattle you pointed out is coming from. I tried to run it with the cover off and the bendix removed so i could hear if it was infact making the noise, but couldnt start it with a rope around flywheel LOL. Lots of mud and **** in cover.

So im going to order those BUT, I dont know what model and year it is .

when i brought it, was listed as magnum 500 2003.
The body plastics say magnum 500HO
BUT pull start housing says its a 330..... COuld be another cover but how do i really know what it is ????

cheers

 

Look at the 17 digit frame number etched on the frame,10th digit is the year model. You have an oil tank to drain,then it's a 500. The 330 just had and oil cooler up front.Pull starter could have come off a 330 model as it and the 500 used the same recoil.Some people have ordered after market recoil covers.NEW POLARIS COMPLETE RECOIL STARTER PULL START ASSEMBLY SPORTSMAN 500 1996-2011 Plus you can find a starter bendix cheap on ebay if needed also.Polaris ATV Starter Drive 250 300 350 400 500 Bendix | eBay

 

thanks for your help so far.

I got some teflon washers. how tight should i do them ? the first one i did to tight so the ptfe washer squished out and pulled through. I tried the 2nd one and put a SS washer on the outside so it hopefully spreads the load?

just gave the bike a nice run, it was only going max 35 mph. Any idea how fast they should go ? gauge goes up to 60mph..... guess cant tell rpms as no read out. how many rpms should it do flat out ? maybe i can stick a rpm/hour meter on it to see...

thanks

 

14 foot pounds (19 Nm) on the oil tank drain plug. Sounds like it's time to remove the clutch cover and check the belt and clutches out.Top speed should be at least 55+ May just need to blow out all the belt dust from the clutches(in an open area) and fit a new belt if it's glazed or worn. If that doesn't help that much,then probably time to replace the fiber washer and brass washer on the drive clutch along with the 6 guide buttons. Rear clutch has 3 rollers that you need to check out. Plus the drive clutch can be removed and let a dealer rebuild it if you don't want to get that involved.Rear clutch you should be able to rebuild if necessary.If you don't have the manual here's one that goes into detail on clutch repair.2003 Polaris Sportsman 500 Service Manual PDF Download Plus several videos on this.