1997 Xplorer400 no longer started on electric starter so I pulled recoil start cover and found several tablespoons of oil in the bottom. Pulled starter and found the same. Cleaned it all up and reassembled and it starts perfectly.

Question is where did the oil come from? It looked like regular engine oil but a bit dirty.

Drains on starter and recoil have never been opened. Opened drain on crankcase but only got a few tablespoons of dirty oil.
Bike has low mileage... less than 2000 miles. And has not been beaten up.

 

I believe I had this happen to my 1997 Explorer. I ended up replacing the outside counterbalance seal. The "dirty oil" is probably the 10W40 used to libricate the counterbalance shaft.

 

I'm by no means an expert but I thought the counterbalance was between the recoil and crankcase housings. And it appears to me that the only opening into the recoil housing is the shaft to the flywheel.
So how does oil get from the counterbalance to inside the recoil housing?

Gwyette, When you say you replaced the outside counterbalance seal, where is this seal and how do you get at it?

Or anyone else who can explain to a novice this oil in recoil housing question.
Thanks

 

My apologies ! It's been a while since I had this job done. Actually, I removed the flywheel and the slotted nut beneath the flywheel . I then replaced the outer crankshaft seal. When you remove the outer engine side cover it becomes apparent that there is no other way for oil/fluid to enter the recoil starter housing other than by this seal. So the fluid builds up in the bottom of the housing and eventually drains into the starter from there and causes the starting headaches you were experiencing.. I purchased my quad used with about 1100 miles showing on the odometer. Up until about the 3000mile mark it was an ok machine. After that and up to the 6500 mile mark (when I sold it) the quad was a pain to maintain. (By the way, I did not give my quad hard usage either and I always made sure it was working properly before I went any distance). Things to look for - lubricate speedometer cable, rebuild starter, battery must be in state of good charge (bulbs can be expensive), chain adjustment to be done regularly, bearings in sprocket housings need to be checked, struts don't last long, front axle seals leak, hub fluid needs to be monitored, output shaft bearing needs grease, and most importantly keep an eye on the swing arm bushings - not the plastic ones but the hard "washers" which are welded to the chassis to act as supports for the "bolt" which support the swing arm. Hope this helps.

 

Gwyette

Wow! Thanks for taking the time for a thoughtful reply!

I appreciate the maintenance tips.....many of which I was not aware of. Since I sometimes get way off into the boonies ( no one for 100 miles and only old logging trails), I am always worried about a breakdown and how the hell I would get the bike out! So your comments are very appropriate. So far the bike has not let me down.

As for the oil leak, I kinda figured it had to be the crankshaft seal at the back of the flywheel but never thought of the counterbalance oil...just thought it was from crankcase residue.

Now I wonder how much oil, if any, was left in the ctrbalance and how long it had been leaking or dry.
Do you know the symptoms of an oiless ctrbalance? (BTW I have no idea what a ctrbalance does, so this may be a stupid question)

From your description it sounds like the seal can be changed simply by removing the recoil cover, flywheel and nut.....a fairly straightforward process not requiring anything else.
Am I corrrect, as I suspect I will be doing this in the near future?
And changing only this outside seal stopped the leak?

Thanks again for your help!

 

A friend of mine just went through the same thing. His pull start was frothing like a milk shake machine. If you run like this for very long it will eat the bearings out of the counterbalance shaft and you will be in a world of crap. His cb bearings went, let the cb gear jump back and forth chewing up the crank drive gear and then he let it sit for a month before pulling it apart and everything has a nice rusty look. Nothing was separating the cb oil or coolant anymore. It was a little nasty pulling apart. He got lucky and we won an auction on Ebay for a used drive gear (usually $83.19 as cheap as we could find it) and cb shaft ($379 as cheap as we could find it) for $137.50 combined. I got them in the other day and they looked really good showing almost no wear at all. My point is, don't ride it until you have all of your issues diagnosed. I think that he is going to replace all of the bearings, seals, and spacers while he is in there just for good measure. Have you checked the counterbalance dipstick?

 

Glad I was able to help. Installing a new seal is not a big thing. The slotted nut behind the flywheel actually needs a special tool to remove but if you have a little time and a friend with a welder you can fashion one from a piece of thick wall iron pipe and a nut. (The slotted nut has a left hand thread by the way). The counterbalancer quells the vibes created by a large displacement single. There is a drain plug under the motor accessable by removing the skid plate. Empty the old fluid and replace through the dipstick hole. It takes 3.75 fluid ounces of 10W30 but you can check the level on the dipstick. Not enough fluid and major engine damage can occur.Also remember this quad has about 14 grease zerks.

 

The slotted nut is left hand thread and you can carefully use a punch, screwdriver, or maybe a nylon block or something like that to gently tap it loose. Good luck.

 

Gwyette and Lawdog

Thank you both for the info.
Will attempt to replace crank seal before I lose any more cb oil.

Gwyette. I have a welder friend but I am not sure what I am trying to do with a piece of pipe and a nut to make a tool????
Guess I will get in there and try Lawdog's punch/hammer approach.

But could you first confirm that once I remove the flywheel and slit nut that the seal readily comes out and is easily replaced. The exploded views I have off the Polaris website are not very clear on what needs to be removed other than the flywheel.

BTW for some reason, there does not appear to be a Clymer or equivalent manual available for this model. Can find one for 97Xplorer500 and Sportsman500 but not for my 97 Xplorer400L (W97CC38C).
Anyone know where I can get one? Or on which models/years this 97 400L engine, drive etc were used so I might find an alternative manual?

Thanks again

 

Haynes produces a amnual for 2 stroke and 4 stroke ATV's from 1985 - 1997. I have one. As far as the pipe is concerned, if you section up one end and alternately remove and leave sections you can replicate the tool necessary to remove the slotted nut. A small piece of plate with a nut welded to it will allow use of a socket to remove the nut.