I have an early 04 600 & soon after I bought it my dealer told me of a cold weather upgrade for that hose from the valve cover to the air box. It was an insulated hose but I noticed there is no filter inline anymore. Should I be concerned? my valve cover is also leaking oil onto my exhaust manifold.

 

Sounds just like mine, I have the same insulated line and oil leaking slowly out onto the manifold.

 

I would get the cover, it comes with the gasket. The differences in price may be due to the fact that mine was an '03 700 and you have the '04 600. I assume they're somewhat similar. But if the cover is OK, why would a new one be better? I can't say, this is the kind of call you have to make yourself.

Like I said, though, my new one was metal, the old one was plastic and had deformed over the years.

My understanding of the cold weather upgrade is that water vapor can freeze in the filter and line, plugging it and causing an over pressure condition - the hose now comes with a slit cut in it, kind of as a pressure relief.

 

Im taking mine off tonight, will it show if its bad??

 

Mine was obvious, no question about it. The seal is a tubular silicon rubber o-ring that fits into a groove on the valve cover, and is compressed against the flat surface of the head. If I recall correctly, there are seven 10mm bolts holding the valve cover on. Assuming these are torqued correctly, how could the seal fail? I mean, really, without the valve cover deforming, or the bolts coming loose (they do use Loctite), how could it fail? I suspect that valve cover, but only you will be able to see it and know for sure.

 

Once you had your new one did you use Loctite again?

 

OH the seal can fail, on the exhaust side it was flattened quite a bit from the extra heat on that side (and glazed). Nothing should be made of plastic like a valve cover, it is just Polaris being cheap, just like the plastic water pump covers going to heck, then the put a metal bracket over the plastic to reinforce it....go figure....If it was all aluminum there would be far less problems....

 

Yes, I used Loctite when replacing the bolts (and a torque wrench). I forget the torque specs, and mine may be different anyway, I have a Haynes manual that they were in (my ATV is up at the lake, I'm at work, 150 miles away). And maybe 02magnum is right, and your cover is fine. But I say again, my new cover is metal, not plastic, it came with a new seal, and it was only about $20 more than the seal alone.

 

Is the metal valve cover & seal from polaris?

 

Mine was ordered right from Polaris (through a local dealer).