I recently purchased an 04 600 vtwin and have been doing some research on it. After going over the quad I have some questions.

The U-Joint yoke (one side CV and one side U-JOINT in front) seems to wobble a bit, it seems that this is normal as long as its not 1/4" or more of play (Does not turn)

I have also noticed a clanking noise when accelerating / deaccelerating, also read that this is normal ?


Lastly, I went to service it and after reading the manual and looking at the quad it seems that servicing the diff fluids / trans fluids is going to require taking off plastic (for trans) and going to be a PITA (any suggestions on filling the fluid? I read somewhere that someone used a straw which seems to me more trouble and its worth).

If its truly a PITA to change these fluids I will probably take it to the dealer since these arent changed as much. However I would rather do it myself to make sure its done if there are any tips or tricks...

 

Welcome to the forum! A little play in the u-joints is normal,but any excessive play to where you can push it back and forth should be addressed and u-joints replaced. The clanking you hear is the Polaris infamous "gear lash" which is more noticeable on the twin cylinder engines, you just have to realize that there is play between the clutches,transmission, and drive shafts and is noticeable on rapid take offs. This is normal unless you have a cv joint on either rear drive shaft going out,but it will be more pronounced! Small long funnels work the best on filling gear cases, transmissions,etc. MAIN oils to use are Polaris Demand Drive hub fluid, Polaris Gear case lubricant for the transmission, 0w40 Mobil 1 oil if you don't want to pay dealer prices for engine oil. Wix oil filters,Fram,etc will work. IT'S not that hard,best if you have at least an owners manual or a cheap Clymers to help you do it the first time! Another important thing is whether you have a LATE OR EARLY model 600! Ignition changed on the later build machines from Ducati to Kokusan! Best way to tell is pop the front panel and if you have separate cdi and coil you're fine! If you have a "coil pack" integrated coil and cdi that says Ducati,save up some extra cash as it will eventually fail! The new kit is around $475 and comes complete with stator ,flywheel,cdi,coil reg/rectifier,and harness adapters. Check this first as they can go out at any time! See all the related posts on the 600 and 700 ignitions! Good luck OPT

 

Thanks for the heads up, I would think that it would have already failed but if not I will check it (I am assuming pull start will still work if it fails on trail)... is it simple to pull back of cluster off and check or am I in wrong place? I have no idea what to look for so Ill look for something labeled "Ducati" lol....


Back to the transmission fluid... it states that I need to "remove the foot well" by removing "4 screws"... I have looked at removing the foot well and its bolted to the plastic, is it assuming the main plastic pieces are already removed? I didnt want to take racks and plastics off if there was a quicker way to access tranny fluid.


Thanks!

 

You don't have a pull start(recoil assembly if that's what you're referring to or if you're referring to being pull started by another machine,WON'T happen on a Polaris with automatic clutches! ) Plus you don't have to pull the foot well,just reach behind it(or pull it out a little to expose the fill bolt) 9/16" fill bolt! Just use an extension,socket, and ratchet OR if you have flex(socket) wrenches,just reach around the rear of the foot well and break the bolt loose! That's why I have so many tools! You have to pull the front rack and pop the FRONT panel off to expose the electronics,then you can see if you have a separate cdi and coil or not! OPT

 

Thank you sir!

So just look for a coil with ducati labeled? I'm pretty sure mine was made after 03 of february, is there still a chance it could have POS ignition system?

Ill try to reach behind foot well, just is a pita when your not sure what your looking for and trying to go off of the manual to locate a bolt you cant see lol....

 

Think there were only a few that got out on the 04 600,hopefully yours is the later model ignition! PS the drain bolt is right under the foot well facing towards the front of the atv( small 7/16" bolt between the case bolts) OPT

 

OPT, I was able to easily find the transmission plug thanks to you! Couldnt reference the manual too well b/c the foot brake was hiding it!

Could you also explain where the front / rear diff drain / plugs are?


Also, I rechecked my U joints and it seems like the front to the wheels are slightly loose (cant turn), and the trans to the front dif is slightly loose (can turn). Now in my experieince the transmission to diff should be TIGHT, but then again thats on a car thats not running at an angle. I have read that the front diff to the wheels has some play in it, but what about the front diff to transmission?

 

Front diff has a small 7/16" drain plug at the bottom,and the fill plug is locate on the left side of the diff toward the front and is a flush mounted bolt with a hex head fill bolt (5/16" OR 3/8" ? ) they all change in the later model gear cases.USE ONLY Demand Drive Hub fluid for the front diff!!! The rear diff has a drain plug on the right side and the same kind of fill plug on the left(or can be the small 7/16" bolt again, can't remember everything ,drain and fill to bottom of threads(think it holds about 5 ounces,use Polaris gear oil OR 80/90 GL5 for the rear diff. NOT the transmission oil!) PLUS all the prop shafts have a little play in them, one of the reasons of the drive line lash when you take off!! OPT

 

Changing the fluids can be a real pain. I have two small oil pump cans that have a 3" or 4" flexible nozzle on them, I have one for the front diff and one for the rear diff, just pull the trigger a few dozen times and they are filled in less than a minute with no mess. For the transmission I use a short piece of clear vinyl tubing hooked to a small funnel on one end. The vinyl tube fits snugly into the fill hole of the transmission and you can just pour the fluid into the funnel with no leaking at the fill hole. The only thing that i haven't found a cheat for is how to keep the engine oil from running under the frame when removing the oil filter. Also use a battery tender. I keep mine hooked to one all of the time and still have to original battery in the bike. That's 7-1/2 years and counting. I plan on changing it out this summer, my luck is bound to give out and leave me stranded sooner or later.

 

7 1/2 years on the same battery! You've been blessed by the battery gods! Better get one quick cause I may have just jinxed you for saying this OPT