I posted earlier about maintanance for the 400 Prarie belts. I was told two different things, one to clean inside there pretty good, and another to not touch it. I hit some pretty good mud yesterday, and even got to use the winch for the first time. (just click on the little camera to the left<--) I was wanting to clean out inside the housing, but do I need to grease anything, anything I shouldnt touch at all? Nobody seems to open the 300/400 belt covers very often. Sorry for the question again, but if im gonna open it up, I want to do it right. Thanks for any help.

 

If the 400 CVT is anything like the 650 CVT, then it is pretty fine to open up and clean out. I just wipe mine out with a damp rag every few weeks to make sure everything is nice and clean. You don't have to grease anything in the CVT, it's not like a Yamaha. Just wipe everything down, don't put anything on the belt though that could cause it to slip.

http://djnemesis.clanradium.com/images/cvt

There are some pics I have taken of my CVT with the cover off and me doing spring installs and belt deflection adjustments.

Have a look, may give you a little more comfort seeing how I had mine in pieces. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I've taken mine ('98 Prairie 400 4X4) apart several times. It's a bit of a pain because you have to remove part of the fenders and the foot rest area + brake cable to get the cover off, but it's not a really big deal. It's just not a five minute deal (I'd plan on at least a hour).
When you get in there, you would want to wipe (or blow with compressed air is best) everything down. There aren't any easily lubeable parts in there and most of the drive and driven clutch parts should be be lubed at all. In fact if you do have oil in there, it is probably a leaking shaft seal behind one of the clutches and should be replaced right away.
If you're not familiar with snowmobiles (they have the same type of drive and driven clutches), you take the belt off by twisting and spreading the driven clutch apart (that's the bigger one). You should be able to do this by hand although with considerable effort ad should not need to use tool to pry it apart or aything like that. They can be stiff and kind of awkward, but you'll get the hang of it. Once you spread the drive clutch, there will be enough slack in the belt to allow you to slide it off the driven clutch (while still holding it apart). Sometimes it's easier with two people. Taking it off the drive clutch after removing it from the driven is obvious.
Again, absolutely no oils, lubes, greases, etc whatsoever on the clutch surfaces.
Another important thing is to get ahold of the big O-ring seal that fits into the groove around the iside edge of the big cover. These often get all fouled up and it is best to just replace it every time. Failure to do this will likely lead to leaks when you get it wet.
Hope this was helpful. I don't check this forum too often any more, so if you need more info e-mail me at home. mikeames@ispwest.com

 

Thanks for the replys guys. I was told that they are similar, but different than the 650CVT. I just want to clean it and inspect my belt. After all the mudding I did, it only squak'd one time and didnt really slip, just made a noise. I will get a new gasket for the housing. Got something to do with my leave now! Thanks.