Ask the Editors: Humming Warrior, Hidden Dragon
Please don’t serenade me.
My question is would this have caused engine or transmission issues that I may not know about? The quad seemed to drive fine afterwards, but I don’t know if that hum noise indicates damage being done. Matt_Behnke
If the machine hasn’t made the hum you noticed since, it’s very likely no permanent damage was done. About the biggest element in the Warrior’s favor is that it is a fairly simplistic mechanical design- the air cooled, chain driven, manual clutch setup doesn’t have a whole lot of components to fail.
Were we to guess, a hum can sometimes be produced by a hot, overworked clutch. Other than that, there would have been other telltale signs of impending mechanical failure. Again, if the quad has since returned to normal after cooling down, it’s very likely nothing was permanent.
To be on the safe side, perhaps changing the engine/ transmission oil wouldn’t be a bad idea. Not only has it likely broken down to some degree due to the low-speed, high heat conditions, it is always a good indicator of what’s been going on internally. Broken down clutch plate material, gear teeth or even top end wear will all have been collected and easily spotted in the old oil.
