well if it ever get overhauled it might get the cam an piston,..but ant goin threw the head ach of changeing carbs,....but long as it runs like it should ant gonna do nuttun to it but fix a few things an ride it!,...shifter an cv boots on the rear all i can find wrong with it other than normal ware...

 

Dont mean to jump on an old post and ask a new question. But I'm new to the forum and can't seem to find how to start a new thread.

I have a 2002 sportsman 500 that when I shift into gear (forward or Reverse) the machine starts to drive. It is really hard to pull out of gear because the gears are engaged. I've pulled the gear selector apart, cleaned it and put new oil in it. This doesn't happen all the time. But i'm concerned it will destroy the transmition if I dont figure it out. Any Ideas??

 

This was / is a common problem and like I've posted before seems like it happens more on the 2001 and 2002 models more than any other from my experience at the shop. Several things can be causing it,but most of the time alignment on the clutches was the biggest culprit on this. You can pull the clutch cover,have it in neutral and running and look at the where the belt rides at on the front clutch. If it touches the side of the clutch sheath instead of running dead center on the one way bearing,it will pull the rear clutch making it hard to shift,creep in gear until you kill the engine,then shifting is normal.The rear clutch should not turn or barely turn while the engine is at an idle! Most of the time I had to add shims behind the rear clutch to "align" it with the front. Also you want to check the belt for any "hour glassing" or burnt areas. If the belt looks bad,replace it also. Other important areas to check are the fiber washer behind the front clutch one way bearing and wear on the brass washer in front of the bearing in a "cup" so to speak. If the one way bearing moves easily from side to side,this can be a lot of the problem also. To replace the fiber washer and the out side washer,a special $90 spider tool is needed along with a clutch puller to remove it from the engine. Actually cheaper to pull the clutch and have the dealer replace these along with the ramp buttons if worn. Broken rubber engine mounts can cause problems also. You can use a pry bar on the front mount to see if it has separated,if so just replace it. These are most of the problems that can cause this,alignment seemed first on the list to me,belt second,one way bearing washers third,motor mounts fourth. But that's just from my experience with these two year models. Again check if the belt is touching either side of the clutch sheath. If touching the inside,shims need to be added. Belt touching outside,shims need to be removed. Here's the diagram of the clutches and shim# but you can also match this shim up at a good hardware store from the existing shim behind the rear clutch. Hope this helps as my fingers are worn out! Item #2 on the shim. Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse
Item#2 and #18 on the drive clutch fiber and metal washer.http://www.cyclepartswarehouse.com/f...2002&fveh=5582
Plus a good cleaning of belt dust can help. Make sure you're in an open area! On posting just click the new thread area at the bottom of the page,either in this section or the normal thread area for future posts. For replying to posts just hit "post reply"

 

Higher duration cam and a 40mm carb vs a 34mm.
Those two things woke the 500 motor right up in the mid and high range power band.
The Scrambler had the H.O treatment (1998) a few years before the Sportsman (2001).
Many people made there own Sportsman 500H.O before Polaris did, by adding the Scrambler cam and carb.