hey all, i'll start out with i'm very much a newbie and have little mechanical experience. i used to do some work on my old truck back in my high school days but that's been a while. anyway i just bought my first atv and it seems to run ok but it seems like the belt is slipping at times and it makes a noise that seems to come from the clutch.

when i first got it it seemed something made a nest in the exhaust vent from the clutch cover. i took it apart and cleared that out. when i took it apart to clean it out it seems like the belt is really loose on it. i can push on the belt between the clutch and driven pulley with out much force and make it touch together.

the first problem i notice is when in high gear it is real slow to move but once it gets going it can go pretty fast without a problem

second problem is when i put it in reverse it has a real hard time trying to move. if i push on the override button and give it gas it seems to "catch" and will just about throw you off the front.

i posted a video of the engine running with the clutch cover off so you can see/hear the noise. i wish i would have taken some pictures of the belt while i had the cover off, i can do that if it will help.

YouTube - Polaris xplorer 400 clutch noise

thanks in advance for any help!
z.b.

 

Before you rip into the machine try the simple stuff, so replace the belt. Just a questin how many miles do you have?

 

thanks for the reply, it has 500 miles but the odometer doesn't work so.... i'm trying to get a new belt here locally and try that.

 

may need clutch worked on too, doesnt sound to good and it never did release all the way in the video, coudlnt tell much more from video

 

in the video i didn't let it idle down all the way or killed it. when i shut the engine off it will go out all the way, i'm not sure about when it's just idling though. i found a place that has a belt for it and i'm picking it up tomorrow so we'll see if that helps.

 

you really should buy a polaris oem belt(stock) for best results.

 

Tough to hear a "clutch noise" with the 400 2 stroke motor running in the background. To be honest, that's all I can hear. Clutch sure looked like it went in nice and smooth. I also wondered why it didn't return but you say you didn't let it idle down. Does it return out smoothly if you let it idle down? If it does...I think it's OK...but hard to tell from a video.

In reverse it has a limiter so it will keep you from going fast in reverse, dogs out the engine. As soon as you push to override it should take off like you mentioned...so it kind of sounds like it's running the way it should...but again, hard to tell from a video and a paragraph.

Yep, simple things first...try that new belt. I also agree buy a polaris OEM belt. Let us know how it goes.

Wenty

 

i was told to always hold over ride in while in reverse!! would mess it up to not to!! dont know if this is true but the one time i forgot it didnt sound to good,..no problems every other time so far

 

The override button just lets you have full power and 4x4 in reverse. It's not supposed to get up to speed otherwise. It's a safety feature.

 

Going in reverse against the reverse limiter shouldn't be done, it's not recommended. It's there as a safety feature to prevent one from losing control in reverse/high speed. But, going in reverse slowly before you hit the limiter is fine, no reason to override. You should use the override anytime you need power or to get the tires turning(mud, etc).

Wenty