Hey fellas just signed up to the forums. I have an 04.5 Sportsman 500 HO with 1300 miles on it and occasionally the front diff will engage with the switch off. I've been told that it could be caused by the fluid being low or needing a change. The place I got the wheeler from sold me some Mobil 1 Synthetic gear lube 75W-90 and said its fine to run that in the diff and the tranny. They deal in used wheelers, I called an actual Polaris dealer and he wouldn't give me a yes or no answer if I could use it in the diff, he said most definitely not in the tranny though. Can anyone shed some light on this situation?

 

No, don't run it in the tranny!!! The transmission utilizes a lighter oil. Pay close attention to the difference between an '04 and an 04.5! I changed out all the fluids on both my 400 and 500HO after 5 hours and replaced them all with Amsoil synthetics. Mobil 1 is good engine/gear oil too but I don't know if they make what you need for your tranny. For your front centralized hilliard (front diff) you need 5 oz of Amsoil Series 2000 75-90 Gear Lube. For the tranny you use 24 oz of Amsoil Series 2000 Chaincase Oil (TCC). I also run Amsoil 0-40w Synthetic Oil with their SMF103 oil filter. Stick with that product and keep it serviced and your set!

 

Thanks TreeDoc, guess I'll be taking this unopened bottle back. Where could I get Amsoil, I'm not familiar with the brand?

 

You can still use what you have, just don't dump any of it in the tranny. The Mobil 1 is actually a good product. Amsoil is sold by independent dealers. There corporate structure is sort of wierd to most...almost like Amway is marketed. In my area I have a few automotive repair shops that carry it and many motorcycle dealers have it as Amsoil does a ton of race sponsoring. In fact I saw a new Honda Motorcycle commercial where a family is all riding Hondas of various sizes. On the close-ups they show I noticed the AMSOIL on the rider's jerzee's more than I noticed Honda's logo! I thought that was a pretty big statement coming from such a huge manufacturer to allow so much press to another company. Anyway, ask around at some of your local bike shops or go on to www.amsoil.com and I think you will find a "Dealer LookUp" feature on their site. It's an oddly marketed product but it's the best!

 

Thanks again TreeDoc you probably just saved me a hefty repair bill, oh on the tranny fluid, my manul calls for 32 oz of fluid, why do you recommend 24?

 

https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/tcc.aspx Is this the product you were referring to as far as tranny fluid goes?

 

That's the stuff!! Honestly, I don't know why I said 24 oz [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img] It takes two bottles and just a portion of a third to fill it. Being that I have 2 machines I buy a couple cases at a time. I became a "dealer" of sorts to get a price break and I buy direct and have it shipped to me. When I do I buy stuff for my trucks, Utes, and whatever else I have that needs quality oil.