It seems that a new gremlin has reared it's subltle head in some of the threads which I have recently been reading. It seems rather rare at this time but I wonder how prevalent it really is.

A few riders have reported worn exhaust valve cam lobes presumably caused by the compression release system. Have you had a failure of this nature? I saw a Sportsman in the shop with the valve covers off and asked the technician what it was in for. He said it was camshaft failure caused by dirty oil. He said that in Polaris engines the first component to fail if the oil is not changed frequently enough is the camshaft.

So if we change the "Polaris oil" religiously and the cams still fail is it a design defect... or faulty "Polaris 0W-40 oil?" I wonder? What has your experience been?

 

My 500 has a slight ticking at idle. Doesn't bother me, and have 700+ miles on it. I met a dude on the trail who had one, and his did the same thing(he was worried about it)....I changed my oil at 200 miles, and 720 with Polaris 0w40.

Rainman

 

Mine has close to 2000 miles and 107 hours. I have the tick/rattle all the way through the rpm range. I just hope that it is not the decompression ball on the exhaust valve side of the valve train causing wear.

With a Victory motorcycle in the family and the previous owner of a 400 2 stroke I have been exposed to noises that seem to be unique to the Polaris family of engines. Maybe I should just get used to it and not worry?

 

Thor

My 425 Magnum is also developing a ticking in the engine. I check the valve clearance and it was fine. I guess hearing weird engine noises is all part of the Polaris experience.

 

I ride with probably over ten Polaris machines that have the 500cc 4-stroke, and they all make the same ticking. some seam to be a little quiter, but they all do it. From new to old.
One of the Sportsmans has over 5000 miles on it and it still runs fine.
I kind of hate the sound, but it seams to be nothing more than a noise.

 

There is nothing new about that gremlin. We have done more than several cam changes. Polaris has warrentied every one of them so far back to '98. We have seen this as early as 548 miles and we have also seen it as far as 4000 miles. When I had my head off to get ported there definitely was excessive wear at 400 miles. I am not worrying for the simple fact Polaris is standing behind them. Dirty oil is a factor however it is not the deciding factor. A couple of us have a theory, if you want to find my post titled "decompression ball". It was posted a while back but you could probably find it in the search.

Also not all of the ticking is coming from that area. Take a listen to the waterpump. Generally this is where most of the noise comes from. There is no worry in that area though.

 

<< Also not all of the ticking is coming from that area. (valvetrain) Take a listen to the waterpump. Generally this is where most of the noise comes from. There is no worry in that area though. >>



Thanks, how does one diffentiate between the two noises?

 

Actually I use a long screwdriver, they work well as stethiscopes. I have no idea if I spelled that correctly, LOL. Put the tip against the motor and the handle against your ear. Works great!

 

I have posted several times about this problem and I have several emails to Polaris about this problem. They tell me to contact my dealer and they tell me nothing is wrong. I hope in the future if I have some sort of engine failure they take all this in consideration. My Magnum still runs great it's just that dang ticking, you are right about the noise coming from the waterpump area, but why? My dealer also told me that the oil pumps make a ticking noise?????? I don't understand but I will keep riding!I usually put about 100-150 miles then change the oil so maintenance is not in question.I also noticed a small amount of wear on the camshaft when adjusting the valves so I am sure the rocker also has some wear.It has 430 miles on it(far from worn out).

 

The oil pump and water pump are ran off the same shaft so technically the noise is coming from both. As far as the cam if you have problems, Polaris is standing behind them. So ride it like you stole it.