Just got my '00 Scrambler 500 back from the dealer today. Had a basic service check. Left the dealership, went down the trail not more than 5 minutes and incountered a very loud whistling sound from underneath that got louder as I picked up speed. I stopped, looked things over, and started up again. Same sound, would not go away. Stopped a second time and noticed what appeared to be transmission fluid pissing out from underneath, also noticed the chain was loose.
I crept back to the truck, about 2-3 miles dealing with this sound while crossing my fingers. Sound started to lighten up just as I got back. Any thaughts???

 

I got the e-mail that you sent. I'll just reply here.

I did not have any noise at all. Only thing odd was that it didn't want to stay in reverse. Kept jumping out.

I got the Scrambler back yesterday. Covered under warranty. Mine is only about nine weeks old.

I got buried up to the boards in pea gravel. I could heard gravel getting crunched between the sprocket and the chain. Also, when I found the leak, the chain had become very loose. I really think that the gravel loaded up in the sprocket, tightening the chain to the point of over stressing the tranny.

Hope yours is still under warranty.

Dave

 

Did you have a new clutch spring put on or did the clutch get messed with? I had my spring get into the housing and it made the god-awfullist sound you ever heard. It could be your spring has moved and need repositioned.

 

Rippin,

Thanks, I'll check it out. But it still doesn't explain the leaking and the loose chain.

 

Got your e-mail. As you have read, this happened to me twice on my 500 and almost a second time last weekend up in Berlin,N.H. I'll try and explain my theory, bear with me. The owners manual says to leave a 1/4 to 3/8" free play in the chain. I did that and everything was fine, up until I went through some deep mud or got stuck in some sugar sand. That's when I heard the chain popping. When I got off and looked at the chain it was really loose and I saw tranny fluid pissing out the bottom. The tranny cracked on the outshaft side by the sprocket. This happened twice. Last week with my 00' 400 4x4 I got into some mud and heard that popping sound once again. I left about 3/4" of play this time. The tranny didn't crack but the chain was as tight as it could get. What I found was the chain loads up with mud and/or sand and gets between the chain rollers and sprocket. I would estimate that each roller loaded up takes up about 1/32" of tension. If you look at your chain and sprockets, you'll noticed that between the front and rear sprocket you come in contact with the chain with about 32 teeth. If you do the math, that means if you load up your chain and 32 teeth get mud or sand in between the rollers and sprocket at 1/32" each, you have now tightened your chain 1 inch. If you only have 1/4 to 3/8" freeplay in the chain, something has to give. If it's not the chain then it's your outshaft sprocket(tranny housing). I now leave about 3/4 to 1" freeplay and torque the carrier bolts to 40-45lbs. As far as the noise you heard, that was your gears running without oil, I had the same sound. I was there when they took the tranny apart and there wasn't any damage from the limp back to my truck which was about the same distance. If your quad is out of warranty, I would speak with the dealer since he performed his majical maintainence last. If he doesn't cover it I would call Polaris direct, they back there products up and since this is a major item I believe they should help. Besides if you bought your quad new I believe the drivetrain alone is covered for a year. I spoke with a guy by the name of Cori at polaris, he gave me an extended warranty on the quad when I explained what happened. Polaris doesn't recognize this as a ongoing problem but the more I watch these forums the more I see cracked trannys. Sorry for the long write up, I hope it helps. Craig

 

Craig,

I also have a SC500 4x4, and have been thinking about going to the Xplorer 400. Do you regret that you got another chain drive ?

I want a more utility type machine, but after the chain/tranny problem, am a little scared of the chain. Although, with all the moving parts in the rear of a Sportsman......I don't know. Maybe the Magnum is the way I should go.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Yes I do regret getting another scrambler, I wish I listened to my instincts and went with the sportsman back in May. I wanted speed back then and now I can have both with the HO Sportsman. I'm selling the 400. It's a nice quad but I need the utility for hunting. I don't care for the concentric drive though for obvious reasons, but now that I've figured out the problem it's been fine.