I was looking a my wife's 2000 Trail Boss owners manual and it says you should remove the oil fitting on the oil tank and clean the screen on the fitting. I checked in my owners manual on my 1998 Magnum 425 and it does not mention anything about the screen. My question is before I tear apart the fitting, does the 1998 425 have the screen fitting? If yes, what type of sealant should I use when reinstalling the fitting?

 

MagnumMudMan,

My understanding is that all Polaris 4 strokes using the dry sump and external tank have the screen in the lower fitting of the tank. The various years of Sportsman that I have worked on do. I clean the threads on the fitting well and coat them with standard pipe joint compound. I do not use teflon tape but some do. The Polaris service manual calls for "Loctite PST 505 or equivalent pipe thread sealant or PTFE sealant tape". Just about any pipe thread compound will do just fine. The fitting and tank have a "tapered piep thread" that, by nature, are soemwhat self sealing. The compound is mostly a precaution, but it is required.

It is a large fitting requiring a large wrench. Be careful tightening it. It is very easy to over do it. Steel fitting in aluminum tank will strip the threads out pretty quick.

DJ

 

Deej,
When cleaning the screen, do you ever find anything in it. I mean, is it pretty necessary to check it at every oil change. My bike (sp500) has about 350 miles on it. The oil has been changed about 4 times. How often would you clean/check the screen. Thanks.

 

My son has a 2000 TB 325 It does not have an external oil tank. It is wet sump thats why it hold more oil than My sportsman I think? Will take a closer look tonight. Its time for its first oil change anyway Maybe I will do it tonight.

 

walexa
Based on the advice from Deej, (thanks Deej), I removed the oil fitting and cleaned the screen on the fitting. The only thing I found was some fiberous material on the fitting. It was not much and probably did not impede oil flow at all. I had changed the oil three times previously without removing the fitting. In the future, I will probably remove the fitting every other oil change, depending on the looks of the oil coming out of the tank. Hope this helps.

 

I would agree with MagnumMudMan. All I have found in the screen is the fibreous material. I will certainly check the screen every second or third oil change, but no more.

DJ

 

I cleaned mine on the first oil change.....20hr and I too had the mysterious fiber material on mine as well.

Will probably check every other oil change too.

Hugh