I posted a few weeks ago about getting water in my Auto Cats belt. I have all the materials I need to snorkle the various vents etc to help make it water tight.Unfortunately I had no time the last few weeks to install said materials.Well I was out riding the Dead Horse trail in northern Wisconsin today. After seven miles I had to drain my belt housing.No biggy 5 minutes we were on our way. At the 18 mile mark I was powering out of a corner wneh a loud screech and a clunk came from the belt housing as the wheels locked up.Being semi-intelligent I figured something was wrong...Upon noticing aluminum fillings being blown out the top tranny vent I really knew something was wrong. Pulled off the top vent housing which exposes the top of the belt on the rear pulley. One of the bolts that holds the main tranny cover on had backed out and made a mess of things. Dinged up the front clutch,chewed a groove across the inside center of the belt,shaved the lip of the outside rim on the rear pulley about .250 and finally lodged under the rear pulley and belt housing.We tore it down,filed off the lip left on the pulley,put it back together and hoped for the best.I had no more problems the rest of the day and did manage to have a great time. I have one month left on the warranty so it should not be a problem getting fixed.Gotta go wash off the 20 pounds of Ashland county off my fat carcass.
Mike

 

Its instances like these that have kept me away from any belt driven tranny. Not that they are to be expected, just the fact that they can and do happen occasionally. I would hate to be stranded on account of it. No bashing intended, just my reasoning for not preferring an auto.

Mike, I hope you get that taken care of and get back on the trails quickly. Good luck in the future with your quad.

 

Andy,
I have purchased my last "auto" tranny.I have had three quads over the last three years. All have been belt drive. My first was a Polaris 300 Xplorer(cheapest 4x4 i could find),loved it but was underpowered for myself and a passenger,So I moved up to the Grizzly with 27 in Blackwaters.This thing was a piece of crap,so I sold it after less than 300 miles. I wanted an Arctic Cat and wanted switchable four wheel drive, which left me with the Auto Cat. I will just have to snorkel everything and make the best of it or trade the auto in for a manual.

 

Thats one of the reason that I got my 'Cat 500 and a manual now that is odd but it will go like their is no tomm.

 

Mike,
Sounds like you were able to make the best out of really bad situation. Just wondering if you had your Cat in to the dealer for any services or inspections, etc. where they should have found the bolt backing out? I did my own break in oil change, etc. but did not see anything in the owners manual that would have indicated to look at anything like loose bolts inside the tranny.


Have any other Auto Cat (or Suzuki Quadmaster) owners ran into a similar problem?

 

They probably would not have looked at these bolts as you have to remove the vent cover from the top of the main belt housing to see them.I guees I look at it as "S#&t happens".