New owner of a 2002 sportsman 700 and need help witha few questions
 

I had just got this 700 4x4 used so my questions are, Do you guys recommend the dynojet kit? I have no problems with fuel or acceleration and was just wondering if this is a "must do"? Also It looks like i have a little water seeping out the weep hole on the water pump. Still have the plastic cover installed, So i don't know if that warrants the seal kit AND the new metal cover??? Also would you rebuild the carb with 1500 miles on it; again no running issues or throttle response issues. Also last but not least I think this is a canadian model if that is such a thing, but anyway is it just a matter of time for the Ducati electrical system to crap out? I don't believe this one has the new Kouskan mod. AND finally i'd like to drain and refill the coolant but i have the repair manual and the owners manual but nothing really touches on what the procedure is. Can you help me out?

Coolant leaking through weep hole,then yes time for a new water pump seal and also the oil seal.Plus get the newer metal water pump cover and gasket. The BEST way to replace this seal is covered in the manual. Don't do as some have done and used picks,screw drivers and pliers or you take a chance on bending the combo oil pump/water pump shaft.No better time to replace that crappy Ducati ignition as the flywheel and stator has to be removed to get the outer case off to replace the seals. The choice is yours on that one.Shindy make a good carb kit for the 700.New Shindy Carb Repair Kit For Polaris 700 Sportsman 2002-2006 03-417 | eBay Radiator has a drain valve or you can pull the lower hose. All that has to be done when you replace the water pump seal. Main thing is raise the front end when you install coolant,leave the cap off and let the fan cycle on and off several times to help purge trapped air pockets. Add coolant as the radiator level goes down. Then you can replace the cap,top off the overflow reservoir and test ride.This may take a little time to purge all the air so be patient.

Thank you sir for the information. Do you recommend doing the rebuild even though I'm not experiencing any problems??? Or do you recommend the dynojet kit?? I guess from what I've read guys like it for higher altitudes but other than that don't really notice much of a change being a stock quad??

If it's still running ok,it might be one of the Ducati ignitions that hold up.The choice is yours on that one. Don't go for that RM stator system that's cheaper than the Kokusan as it still used the Ducati lighting coil for an ignition source as I've had the lighting coil fail also. Then you'd have to find another used Ducati stator. My two cents on the Dyno jet kits is that you're paying for that titanium needle mostly. The Mikuni jets they use are remarked to their sizing so you really don't know what size jets they are. Just stay with a Shindy kit if the carb needs to be rebuilt. Higher altitudes you can always drop the main jet,raise the needle clip and some people even remove air box lids instead of changing jets if they are temporarily going into higher altitudes rather than mess with jet changing.

Yeah I dont forsee higher altitudes in my near future lol. Now do you know where I can find a procedure to flush or drain/refill the coolant system?m The manual doesn't really touch on a procedure to do it?

Look back at my first post on the coolant..

sorry sir. Thank you!!

anyone have any ideas to which brakes to replace with? EPI or polaris factory front brakes???

EBC are the best you can get and what a lot of shops stock along with oem pads and shoes. We sold more of them than we did oem. Mainly because they were cheaper and just as good or better than oem.

again thank you so much sir. Now what are your thoughts on tie rod ends? Looks like just the right side has some side to side play. should those be replaced in pairs or just do the side thats loose?

If the other 3 tie rod ends are tight,you can get by with replacing just the one. Jack it and check for any play on the swing arm bushings and ball joints while you're at it also.

OPT I have a few more questions for you. Do you recommend any fuel cleaner/ treatment for the sportsman 700 and what fuel octane do you feel it runs at its best? Also I did install new odi grips on the quad but had to move the brake and throttle controls closer inboard about a 1/2''. Will I need to adjust the throttle cable or since it was working just fine I have no issue? Also seems like the old owner had jerry rigged a battery to the rear rack and I'm in the process of putting the battery in the correct position, So I have a question as to how the negative and positive battery cables are ran into the battery box? Any pics would be of great help. Any easier way to change the front brake fluid out without using the mityvac?

My two cents either Marine Stabil or Star-Tron. Throttle slack at the thumb lever should be no more than 1/8" or the etc contacts can touch and cause hard starting or won't start unless you give it throttle. Mityvac is the easiest way but you can use shop towels to soak up fluid from the reservoir,top up with fresh dot 3 or 4 fluid and start bleeding the rear caliper first until the fluid is clear.Then move to the front right caliper then the left. Just keep the master cylinder full at all times. This video on a 2003 shows how the battery is mounted and cable location. Same as your 2002 model.

Thanks once again. what do you recommend for fuel octane? Also Any brand you prefer for rear wheel bearings?

87 or 89 octane. Premium fuel you're just wasting money. Look at this site. Shows a lot of parts that can be used instead of oem parts and purchased at most auto stores,etc.http://apicdn.viglink.com/api/click?...d-m888094.aspx

Wheel bearing install
 

When you press out the old bearings, do you press the new rear wheel bearings in as well?? They were nice and tight pressing out, but I have since cleaned the hubs and rid of all the corrosion.

You can press them in or what I did was simply put the bearing in the freezer,heated the hub with a propane torch and just dropped the bearing in. Then replaced the large snap ring.

Can you throw the hub in the oven too??? What temp do you think you will need???

400 degrees in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or so while the bearing is in the freezer. Have a hammer and punch handy in case you need to seat the bearing further.

OPT thanks again for bailing me out. your infinite knowledge has saved my bacon once again. Now next question... What color wire can I tap into the ignition wire circuit to hook up a wire for the warn 2500 provantage winch? They say to tap to a wire when you turn the key to on or start so you can run the winch. The wire from warn is red, but seems like there are a few red wires in the ignition wire bundle? Thank you!

Any of the small red/white wires are powered up only when the key is on. Should be an unused one in the main harness depending on model or you can tap into an existing wire.

So your saying red wire with a white stripe??? Will the winch be powered when the quad is started??

Main winch power leads to the battery or the prewired harness if equipped.The smaller red wire with white stripe was power up for the commutator/switch.

You lost me opt. I need to connect a switch control wire to the ignition switch to both run and battery on to control the winch so I don't have to turn the quad on all the time.

The small red/white wire is only for the switch control. You should have a commutator or solenoid of some sort that is the main power for the winch motor and cables hook to the battery.

No solenoid but a relay that controls forward reverse and what not to the winch. The control switch mounted on the handle bar needs a power when the key is turned to on or run. They say to use a circuit tester to find a wire that has power when the ignition switch is turned to on and run. So I was asking without having to test all the wires which wire to hook up to.

Like I mentioned ANY red/white wire is only powered up when the key is turned on. You should have a spare one in the main harness or simply tap into any red/white.

Okay. Thank you.

Front ball joints and front half shaft removal
 

opt can you replace the ball joints in the front??? Looks like they are sealed into the shock/strut tower??? Also the cv half shaft is shot on the same side. Manual says to pull sharply to pull it out the front gear case, but I am getting no joy. Any suggestions?? Thank you.

You may have to heat around the drive shaft area along with using PB Blaster,Liquid Wrench, etc to help remove it. Usually short,fast, rabbit style jerks can pop one loose. On the ball joint some have heated them up and either used air or a grease gun on the zerk to remove the ball joint like in this video. OR just buy a puller from ebay or amazon.POLARIS ATV BALL JOINT REMOVAL TOOL TRAILBOSS TRAILBLAZER SCRAMBLER SPORTSMAN | eBay

I don't even see in the manual anywhere we're their is a procedure to change the ball joint; so what is the torque on the nut once you get the new one in??

Under body and steering they show the designated Polaris tools along with the ball joint puller/installation tool.The manual I have shows using the tools to remove the ball joint.In the same section under "steering/a-arm exploded view" it gives the torque on the ball joint nut. 25 foot pounds. On the critical parts such as engine,front diff,rear gear case,etc the manuals go into greater detail because of all the parts involved. On ball joints,replacing a-arm bushings and repairs of that nature they don't go into a lot of detail. I guess they figure that you should already have a general knowledge of atv repair or you're a certified tech. That's why some,not all of the You Tube videos that people have posted can be helpful if you get into a bind.

OPT one more for you. Trying to re-assemble the plastic pieces for the foot wells and I'm having some issues as to the proper config or parts that go on. The parts diagrams are pretty bland and i Was hoping you would have a better idea what goes where since i believe it wasn't correct when I disassembled it. SO, left foot well doesnt even show in the diagram pic but from what i gather it mounts to 4 rubber mounts(item#30) and then to 4 black phillips head screws(#40). Correct me if I am wrong? Now the kicker is these spacers(item#31). Shows it going to the right footpad on the rear 2 mount locations;BUT shows that i need a quantity of 2. Does the other spacer stay on the right or go to the left pad? And last but not least, screw item #32 shows like it goes to the plastic spacers, but again item #40 screw shows a set of 4 for the right foot well. Item #40 lists 2 different part numbers for left and right which i get, but why throw item #32 in the mix???? Please if you can clarify or just have a chinese blue print around that would work too.

First off the 700 isn't Chinese..:) The spacer goes to the rear of both floor boards and the longer screws go at the back also. Just click on the screws/parts in question and a picture of them pop up in the order section.Polaris ATV Parts 2002 A02CH68AA-AB-AC-CA-CB SPORTSMAN 700 REAR CAB-SEAT-MAIN FRAME Diagram

Your right it isn't. Lol. Just a figure of speech we use to copy off of another vehicle. So what about the rubber mounts??? Item #30???

2 on each side and they go to the front floor board frame,held on by the nut#29. Then the floor board screw then goes into the threads of the rubber mount.

That sounds a lot better opt, BUT the mount description says that the 4 mounts are for the LH side only????

That very well may be if you just have one plastic spacer that goes on the back of the right hand floor board and the front of the floor board is flush with the frame. Hard for me to remember all this stuff from 15 years ago... :)

Yeah I know it's a pain in the bottocks. Their are 2 spacers so who the hell knows where the other one goes.

If the two spacers fit properly on the right side,use them and use the 4 rubber mounts on the left hand side. All that matters is that the floor boards fit to the frame ok and no stress is on them.