Went riding yesterday and got in some deep muddy water,It flooded the auto belt casing causing it to slip.I took the drain out and about a 1/2 qt. of thick muddy water came out. I made it home ok but I was thinking. Should I take the belt cover off and clean and inspect the belt? And I heard of the bearings going bad when this happens.Where is the bearing and can I regrease it before it goes bad. Anybody with simmular experiance please respond. THANKS

 

I've had that problem many times. All I can say is to drain it. Mine makes a horrible grinding sound when I ride it now. My dealer said it would be fine to just ride it, but the only way to get rid of it is to have the bearings and all replaced. If you find out anything let me know.

 

You will have to pull the belt cover on the right side of the machine.In the housing you will find two bearings that support the end of the clutch shafts.These are usually the ones the are full of water/mud. They are suppose to be sealed, but do not hold up very well.Whoever the dealer was that told you it's ok to ride with bearings growling, doesn't know much about A/C Autos and needs to go to school.The vibration setup by the bad bearings will cause the transmission seals to fail and then you have serious problems.I had to replace these bearings in my 500 Auto 3 times in 300 miles..that's why there is a 400 shifter in the garage now. These bearings are inexpensive compared to a transmission failure. I have also had to replace the pulley sheaves due to the drag of bad bearings causing the belt to wear on them,the 500 Auto is a good machine, but if your going to be around deep water/mud you will have to snorkel it, or replace bearings after every trip.
Shiftin'