Hi I am a new user here..I own a '02 500i with 324 mi on it,I was plowing snow last week when the belt started to slip...I took it in to the dealer and he discovered that the crankseal was leaking oil into the clutch housing therefore coating the belt with oil,the repair would cost over $600.00 can. he could not explain why it was leaking,I felt this was not acceptable and contacted AC for some answers,they could not come up with anything other than it is just a seal...voicing my displeasure they reluctantly agreed to replace the belt for me....thats a $225.00 touch...I am happy for that as the bike is 15 months over it's warranty...talking with an x-pro snomo racer he thinks the problem may be with the crankcase vent tube being horizontal...when it is cold out(and winter here is always cold)and you warm up your bike,condensation forms in the tube and layers until the tube is plugged therefore causing high pressure in the crankcase and ultimately causing the seal to go,he says he has seen this lots in his experience with guys warming up their machines,he says to either reroute the tube to a vertical position or simply just don't warm it up...just start and go....what are your thoughts on this?Has anyone else had this problem?

 

This was a common "when i say common i mean i have heard it happen to a few people one being my step dad" problem with some of the 500 auto's. Not sure about the other automatics. I beleive it was actually the bearing not the seal that was the culprit. From the factory the bearings weren't pressed in all the way, ours went unnoticed for about a year and a half, but with only 30 some miles on it. It was covered by the extended warranty though. Best thing you can do in this case is get the dealer to contact Cat, or just do it yourself and explain that you have heard of a few machines that have had this problem.

 

We have seen this happen to a couple units, I have not discovered why the seals have been bad but the one I have noticed with the wear is the seal that is in the clutch drum and rides against the clutch. After replacing seal have never had repeat failure, never had bearings out of place. Hate doing this job, it is a real mess with the oil mixing with belt dust and anything else in there. If you do it yourself be warned that stuff is hard to clean up and will immediately dirty and ruin solvent or other cleaners. I would let the dealer do it just because of the mess and having to dispose of it.

 

I have a 500i, 2002. Your problem is two fold. You did the right thing, taking it to your dealer from whom you purchased it. They are your representative and should do everything to make sure you're taken care of when a problem arrise. Sounds like your snowmo guy is very well familar with such problems and the dealer should have thought of it first. The problem as described, should be covered by the manufacturer, through the dealer. I'm sure AC would cover such if they were of the understanding that it was normal riding and a break down under normal circumstances. You shouldn't have to do the job of explaining. That's the dealership's job. Cat pays them to take care of all warranty problems even if the machine is over the limit. The catch here is "within reason". Your problem sounds very much within reason but I'm not your dealer. Selling parts and service is a major part of dealership. If the dealer can get the funds from us, they don't have to wait for the manufacturer to send it. Who gets charged is fine with the business. I don't know your dealer but maybe you should consider another before purchasing the next quad. My AC dealer isn't located in my State. I have nothin' but good things to say about them.
Chuck