So i headed out ice fishen this morning and there was about 7-8 inches of fresh really light fluffy snow on the lake. I got about 200 yards out(snow blowing all around) and the belt started slipping really bad. Managed to turn around and limp it back to shore. By the time i got back home on the road it seemed fine. Pulled it in the garage and started looking at it.Noticed black snow in the base of the machine(wasnt sure what was goin on).When i pulled the side off i rubbed my finger in the clutch housing opening and it was wet and black. Im guessing it was sucking in the blowing snow while driving to cause this? is there anything else it could be?I got the housing off and all looks well, but i dont know much about it.How much damage would this cause to the belt?should i replace it?the machine has 950 miles on it. Has anyone got a way to prevent this from happening? Any info/help is greatly appreciated! Thanks....

 

my guess is you got it right w/ the snow getting in. just dry it out and blow all the belt dust out of the clutches after if dries to clean it. if the belt hasnt been slipping very much chances are its fine. belt should be setting at the top or slightly above the secondary clutch . just make sure the seal is in good shape and completely seals the cover when you put it back on.

 

Actaully,after i posted i went down and pulled the air box cover off to see if that been sucking in snow also and there was some gathering at the back of the box and the filter was damp(Never occured that this would happen).So i think the snow is the problem,just to light right now for faster travel.I cleaned the clutches out with air like u suggested and reinstalled the belt. It's actually about a 1/16 below the pully on the secondary. I'm guessing thats not too bad???But again i know little. I'll be sure to check seal before re-installing the housing. Thanks for your reply and input, much appreciated!