I just got my brand new 500 sportsman. I have about 6 hours on it and I am hearing a rattling noise that comes from the shifter area whenever I give it gas. I could just be paranoid because it's a new machine. One thing that concerns me is this. On my first day out I was riding the trails and realized that I was in Low gear. While driving I switched to high. Big NONO i have come to learn. Could this have caused any damage to my transmission?

 

You probably didn't hurt it, for I have accidently done the same thing. Always stop and press the foot brake to select gears, also let the machine idle all the way down.(kind of tricky under water). Polaris atvs are great but they can be rattle boxes.

 

Both my Sportsman's have their own unique rattles, the 500 more so than the 800. I've never shifted mine from L to H while moving, so I can't say what it would feel like or sound like if you did it. When you did it, did it crunch or clunk or jam up or anything like that? Did the rattling start after you did this, or has it been there since day one?

 

It was literally 45 minutes into my first ride with the machine when I changed the gear. When I did, it made a slight grinding sound like when I am lazy with the clutch in my civic. Very slight though. As for the rattle. I noticed it the following wknd. after this mishap. It isn't a significant sound but enough to have me curious for the simple fact that the machine is brand new. My coworker thinks it may be the heat shield on the drivers right side as it is close to the shifting arm.

On a side note. Do your Sportsman's look to be leaning slightly to one side when looking at the back end??


PS: Thanks for your feedback.

 

xjjmno.....Check your heat shield, mine rattled and squeaked bad after about 10 miles I fixed it myself, save me 100 miles round trip to dealer. Polaris has a lot of rattles where the push pins hold the plastic to gather, after I fixe my squeaks and rattles these 08 sportsman 500 are assume, I like my 08 over the 04 any day.
Sean

 

Mine doesn't lean, at least not enough that I've taken notice of it.

 

Sportsmanrocks-----I think it is my heat shield. You said you fixed this problem yourself. How so?????

 

Well this might sound like jerry rigging but it work, see that heat shield is 3 pieces and held by rivets and the rivets work lose and then rattles I would of drilled them out and put bolts in but then they would rub on frame. So I take JB weld and put all around both sides of rivets and the seams. Theirs two bolts that hold shield to frame and two tabs on shield that rube on frame, pry those tab away so it don't rube on frame. This heat shield was a quick fix for the melting plastic problems Polaris had in the past and not built to fit properly. Make shier the shift linkage is not rubbing on shield to. Sean

 

While in high, push the shifter forward and hold it, if the rattling stops, it's the shifter. Mine did it, it was a warranty adjustment by the dealer.

 

I'll do that and post my results. Thanks allot.