How many of these have you tore down?
I have done a few dozen and the ones with AGL mainly needed a chain from strech.No bearings or gears.
I have a few qts of the GOOD old Polaris mineral spirits chain case lube around to for those you dont want to pay for the AGL.

 

Just wondering what you are basing your opinion on, for this statement. Is it something like the looks of it, smell, color, cost or something else? Like I said, just wondering.

 

I started working on Polaris ATVs in 1990. I have been using Castrol Syntec in the trans on all of mine and ALL of my customers.

I have never had to replace a chain, gear or bearing on any of mine or my customers who let me use it my lube.

I have had to tear down dozens of trans that used the Polaris crap to replace chains and bearings.

I KNOW the Castrol is better. What you people chose to do is your business.

 

I had to open up ONE trans that I used the Syntec in. A guy had a 95 425 that used the Syntec in the trans for years.

His son got drunk and mad at his wife and slammed it into gear so hard it bent a shift fork.

When I took it apart it was so clean inside it was amazing. The parts were so slick I could not hold on to them.

I had to wash the parts before I could work on it.

The reverse chain was not worn and this was a very high mileage quad.

 

"Thats", a good answer!

 

I have a 03 Sportsman 500 HO that we are taking with us on a month long hunting trip leaving Friday morning. I have changed all the fluids but the transmission and was going to do that tonight. The guy I bought it from owned it since it was new and he always used Royal Purple 75Wx90 synthetic gear lube which was what I was going to put back in it. Now I am wondering if the Castrol Syntec 5w50 would be a better choice for the transmission. Should I go with that instead?

 

That's hard to say. The trans on your 500 runs off a huge chain. It is said that gear oil is too thick for proper lubrication on the chain.

That is what the "experts" claim but who knows. If I had a choice between what you are running and the Polaris crap I would run your oil.

How many miles on your 03?

 

I bought it from the original owner and it has 980 miles and about 270 hours. I have a bottle of RP 75wX90 synthetic at the house but can stop and get a quart of Castrol Syntec 5w50 on the way home if that is what should be in it. I just want to put the best stuff in it I can and it won't be the Polaris stuff.

 

Don't put Demand Drive Fluid in the tranny, its made for the Hubs.

I use shell Synthetic snowmobile chain case oil in the tranny, it does not really state its Viscosity weigh but the internals of the Polaris ATV tranny is almost the same as there sled,with a "chain" being the dominant part ,not cogs.
I can tell chain case oil is thicker then motor oil.

 

My "03 500SP is 8 years old now and the tranny has done fine with fully synthetic 75w/90 gear oil since it was 3 months old. It's run in temps from 35*C to -30*C with no issues.