Well I seized the motor on my 2001 HO the other night and I still can’t believe it happened. I have 1600 miles and 256 hours on it. I had the dealer do the 20, 100 and the 200-hour services. What happened, the motor ran out of oil and locked up tighter then a frogs-***. The oil filter came loose!!??

I am one of those people that wash off the machine after every ride to check for damage. Grease after every major ride and pre-check before all rides for fluids and PSI’s.

How did this happen? God only knows. It had been 56 hours since I had the dealer last service the machine (200 hr) and I had preformed a complete power wash, grease and fluid check after the last ride. Have I ever checked my oil filter to make sure it is tight, not that I remember.

The night it happened I had let the machine run about 10 minutes before leaving the house as usual. Drove down my street (about 1 half mile) to the path at the end of my street. Once on the path about 100 yards I opened it up as usual and after about 30 seconds everything came to a screeching halt. That is when I found oil all over the side of the machine and that the Sportsman does not have an oil light.

Like I said thank God because I had my cell phone and was only a mile from home. I had family come with our other Sportsman and tow me home. We checked the path from my house to where it locked up for oil traces and found not a drip anywhere until about the area where I had started to floor it on the trail. I can tell you the motor sounded normal, until it locked up!

Moral of this story …….. Check everything before you ride! As for me I am SOOOOOoooo glad I spent the $419 (with tax) for the 36-month warrantee. If I had not I would now have a 14 month old HO with who knows $$$$$ damage. I would also be fighting with the dealer about how there man was the one who put the filter on?

Believe me when I say both the dealer and I are happy it did not come to that. I had the machine in the next day. The motor was ripped down and all new (moving) parts ordered. Time out of service for me, 10 days.

Cost to me, 0 $ because I have a zero deductible warrantee.

Lessen learned, a big one.

I hope this can save someone else that may not have an extended warrantee!

Mark

 

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I am glad to hear that your warranty is covering the repairs, but frankly I am a little shocked that they are covering them. Generally, the oil filter coming loose would not be considered a mechanical failure (sure leads to one though!) and more of a maintenance failure. I generally don't check my oil filter tightness either before I ride, but I make sure they are tight when I change the oil. I am guessing that since you had your dealer do the maintenance and probably didn't get the filter tight, they have not told Polaris or the warranty insurer that the failure was the result of a loose oil filter (since they are probably at least partially to blame).

 

As for what the dealer told Polaris ...?.....?.... I was told don't worry this will not cost you a dime. But as I said in my first post the dealer was just as glad as I that I had the Warrantee !