I have a 2001 Sportsman 400 just turned 600 "easy" miles
I have only had it for about 150 of those miles and know the guy that owned it real well..
my question is this since Ive owned it, it has what I believe to be the infamous gear noise
the Polaris automatics have...but it just bugs me incase it isnt normal!

I know when I put it into gear it has a light "clunk" or somewhat kinda noise..
and like when plowing when you do alot of forward to reverse shifting,after you have been doing it for a while like a half hour or so the noise is a little louder,like the oil
maby thined out or something,cause its not as bad when its cool.
And also the first time I noticed this,Id tryed going from reverse to low
and it went right in smooth..is this cause its a low gear like reverse or close to reverse
etc.??

And If you try to go from one gear to the next too fast...its alot worse.I assume also
that everything hasnt had time to slow down and thats prolly why its louder or doesnt want to
just slip in gear??? Im just making sure it sounds normal considering? and or if theres anything I should try,I have a book on the way,but Id like to know now how to adjust my linkage?
anyone have a link that may help etc.? sorry for all the questions,but I like to keep my stuff up to top notch[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] and fix things before they are worn out. thanks alot for any help!

 

anyone [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

Well all I can say is WELCOME to the Polaris family. Everything that you have described sounds normal. Polaris is great at everything but being quiet. The 400 is a very reliable machine with ample power. I would just change the fluids and have fun riding. You can minimize the clunk noise when going into gear by turning the idle down a little.

 

ricksrr, does the 400 have an ebs clutch on it? if so , or even not, does it "creep" when in gear at idle? we've ran into the clutch bearing housing in the ebs to have worn shims and it lets the belt ride up on the side of the housing and grab against the clutch face. this will make it a little harder to get into gear and also make it clunk into different gears.

 

thanks for the replys, no it doesnt creep.I tryed the idle..
I figured it was normal but after having quiet machines its a scary noise
but if its meant to do it I can deal with it seeings its a great machine other than that!
I want to change all the fluids but dont have a manual yet,its on order,Id really like to change them now but have never worked on and automatic Polaris other than my boys scrambler 50cc
and thats far from the 4x4 sportsman lol

hey while I got someone reading...will I need a lift kit for my sportsman when I put on my new 27"
big wheel kit???? thanks in adavnce[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Hello> I am a new guest. Just a quick introduction. I am from Michigan and work for a large Sheriff Department. Been with them 33 years and currently carry the rank of Undersheriff which obviously is directly under the Sheriff. My hobbies consist of working on other peoples ATV and some motorcycles. I'm quite knowledgable on Harleys in the Unltra Class Line from 2000 to current and also Honda Gold Wing GL 1800 but through my lifetime I have had every type of ATV that has been made and have made it my passion to learn as much as possible on how they work or suppose to work. I am very familiar with the Polaris line and somewhat on the Can Am Line if I can share some of my experiences with you please let me know as I have several CD and charts and have done a lot of research on the best type of oil, filters and other basic mainteance issues that may or may not be helpful. I have read some issues on the clunking on polaris when shifting. This is normal as it basically gear slop and give.
Just when going from forward to reverse try not taking off fast and let the gears get into the grove and take up the free play and your good to go. Just something you are going to have to live with, but no big deal
as they will last many of years.

I have a year around heated 4 car gargage that basically has enough room for my two cars the rest is a hoist and ATV repair manuals. If I ever can be of assistances please ask or I can learn from you people also.

have a good day. also dont hold it against me that I'm in law enforcement. got to make a living

Richard Miller

 

Welcome to the forum! If it doesn't clash or grind a little then it's not a Polaris! Had that complaint for years OPT

 

If bought at a trustworthy station and now all have to be checked by the federal government through weights and measurers and the octane rating. If you think if you stop at a sunoco station your getting sunoco gas your probably wrong. There are different Oil companies and a lot of different gas companies use the same tanker or vendor

If its for a ATV dont use Flex Fuel or anything lower than 87 octane. it just saves on spark knock and other potential problems. I have always used premimum in by ATV especially in the winter for plowing as the engine works pretty hard and it sure saves on me shoveling. I/m sure its no big deal, just **** that way. Always try to keep your gas fresh and try not and store it unless you sometype of gas Stable to prevent it from going bad. Also especially in the winter kind of keep it full to prevent gas line freeze up. Other than that dont sweat the gas stuff unless the store looks shady or not used much or way out in the country as they might have old gas anways. But I really would not worry about that either if your option is to run out of gas .I hope this helps.

 

Down here in Texas with all the ethanol gas (premium down here has it too,depends on what state,country your at and the requirements) the best preservative I've found is marine Stabil, have used the red Stabil before and had to pull the carbs off my old Honda and clean em up! So far after a year I can crank it up and ride when the weathers good with the marine Stabil,seems to keep the fuel a lot fresher and cleaner! Another good one some friends are using is Star Tron treatment. I used to think "top tier" gas was a farce or gimmick until I used some of the no name gas from places such as 7-11,Quick Trip,Murphy,etc and my old truck would have a dead miss at idle!(water,etc) Didn't matter what area I filled up at! Started using Chevron only and with all the mileage it has, runs and idles like it did when new! To me there is a difference mainly because of the better additives top tier stations use! Granted a lot of different gas brands comes from one refinery,but many won't have the additive package that the top tier stations have! It finally made me a believer! Just my old opinion Again welcome! OPT

 

you have a excellent point on gasoline and I have heard pro and cons on stabl. I try and stay away with gasoline that is mark 10% ethenol as when people buy it for their cars it is usually used up in a short period of time ATV engines are not set up the same as a car, so regular vehicles can take a more variety of different types of gasoline. the best thing if to remember is when you use stabl befoe you store it make sure you ride your bike or let it run nfor a little bit to make sure its mixed good in the tank and also that its proceed through the carb or fuel injectrion system as most quads have a throttle body system. My friend has a 1989 Polaris sportsman the ungly green in color 500cc where the the design of changing the oil was terrible with the large outside storage tank with the tip stick that was almost impossible to get a accurate reading and he has always used Klotz octane boost in his and he has tore his carbs apart, I believe they were Makuni but I could be wrong and he has never had any problem. I have used Klotz before where you delute it down and the ATV runs great and has a sweet smells to it like what you smell at a race track. I have always burned Premimum in my ATV just because of the extra octane and I beleive it also will last longer if not used much. The best things is if you have a heated garage and can drain your tank and run it till it's out of gas will prevent varnish etc but then you have to be careful wit moisture. Wow. So many variable. Since I live in Michigan I try and always keep fresh gas in my toys (Motorcycle, ATV and Generator. If you have a gas pump and you see gas has been in one not used for some time pump it out and burn it up in your car or truck and later on refill your toy. If you have a ATV with a fuel **** shut off switch and access too the breather shut it off and run it out of gas in the carb and try and fog it before it stals and make sue you use the choke too as this helps make sure all the gas is sucked out of there.

thanks for the tip of the gas.

Rick