Has anyone had a problem with a SP500 getting hot or breaking an axle? I went to Kentucky this past weekend with 10 other four-wheelers five being Sportsmans, one flipped and was done the first day, two kept getting hot, one broke a front axle, and the other had a rear axle bolt come out and get bent (he straightened it and put it back in and was fine). This outing didn't make Polaris look very good, being that the other brands didn't have any trouble. Granted the Sportsmans were put through more than the others but they still were limping when we went home and the others weren't. Just wondered if anyone else has had an overheating problem or an axle break.

EADS

 

Overheating yes, had trouble since day one. Problem was first a disconnected cooling fan, then a faulty thermal sender, then a cooked cooling fan. Finally caused a blown head gasket, but all covered on warranty. Bent a front axle and cost me 300 CDN about 210 US. Much happier now that it is lifted up and using 27" tires, much more ground clearance. My buddies come over and just want to see all the places it can go, swamps, mud holes, 50 degree inclines. They're more impressed than I am. Gotta hide the key.

 

Yeah i have seen a broken front axel on a 97 sp 500, it was caused be a torn cv boot that was not relplaced The owner never did a maintence program Pure lazzy is what he is, now it needs all the u joints in the rear, also greese does wonders, But some think that it is not needed well let that be there choice they will learn maybe.

 

EADS,were you buy any chance riding in Livingston? I ride there a lot and the wet clay mud in the mudholes has a tendency to clog up radiators (they need to be flushed out with water)This type of terrain(mud, sand & water) tends to wreak havoc on machines that have not been well maintained,I.E. ripped cv boots not greased etc. I spend a lot of time riding there and I ride with two Sportsman 500s I have seen mud clog up the radiators on all our bikes causing the high temp light to come on. I have seen a couple turn over as well (mine included). Livingston can be a very extreme place to ride and really hard on equipment.

 

Yes my 99 sp500 overheats to,even though its water cooled. I just look at it as the total polaris experience.

 

While this post is active, I'd like to know if there is a simple way to check the temp light. I haven't been too concerned , the fan seems to work fine. I've just never seen the light. Seems like somebody posted before about grounding the sensor, but I'm not sure.
The only problem I've seen here with the Polaris is with the belt, but in my opinion it was rider induced.
Brian

 

We were riding at The Land Between the Lakes. It seems as though you guys think I don't take care of my machine. I keep up the maintenance on it two to three times as often as the manual calls for, so that's not the case. This is the FIRST problem I've had with my quad since bought new last year, and it's reaching 1500 miles so I'm not too upset. I was just disappointed with it breaking down knowing the way it's been taken care of. This is the first time the temp light has ever been on and I thought the problem was a clogged radiator too, so we sprayed it out and it still got hot. Also, I filled the coolant reservoir up almost to max before the trip and when I noticed it getting hot the reservoir was completely full. I thought once the fan cooled it down enough for the light to go off that the radiator would suck the coolant from the res. but it stayed full? I'm wondering if it isn't the water pump. I haven't checked it yet but plan on it tonight. BTW, I'm not knocking Polaris I wouldn't trade mine for anything I just wondered if anyone had encountered this before.

EADS

 

My SP500 is 7 months old and the temp light has been on three times when the fan didn't start like it should have. The first time it was a week old. I moved the wiring and the fan came on. This happened twice on the trail. Finally after seven months the fan quit and would not come on. Luckly I was at home when this happened. The sensor was bad and the dealer swapped me a new one free if I did the work. He saved me $45.00 since the warranty ran out at six months. I now know how to by-pass the sensor if it should go out on the trail but if the fan motor goes out I'm cooked. The temp light comes on almost immediately when the fan doesn't start. Anyone have any ideas if this should happen on the trail?

 

I have a friend with an Xplorer (pics are in my Yahoo folder) and he has broken 17 axles. He is kinda harsh on the bike. But, since he is a mechanic, he can fix it. All of these were broken prior to installing 28" vampires. And, as yet, has not broken one. He did hear a "popping" sound in the transfer case as he was backing out of a hole and was at an extreme angle.
What happened to you is not a good thing, but could always have been worse. It may never happen again. At least what happened is fixable. Wonder if your axle breakage sounded anything like my Hummer's half-shaft snapping? :-)

 

I posted earlier about testing the light by grounding the wire leading to the light from the sensor on the engine. On the left side of the engine you will see a single wire leading to the sensor. About six inches from the sensor there is a connector disconnect this and ground the end from the light. Make sure the ignition is on though. The light will light. This is a test only for the bulb.