I got a used 97 Explorer 500, same as the Sportsman. I talked to the guy who owned before me, he was an older gentleman and said he took it ion for services very spring. The bike is in excellent shape. I want to do the services myself. I have read on here that you have to be careful not to "over grease" some of the zerks. How do I know witch ones? I don’t have a manual, can you guys give me a rule of thumb? Or should I try to order the book? I thank you for any help you can give me.

 

Just be sure you catch them all, and I think he meant not to push grease out. There aren't any rubber seals, so I just put in enough to ride without worry. I'm not sure if you have a swingarm, but if so, be sure you catch the ones at the front of the swingarm.

 

Put the quad on a stand and take off all the wheels for the first time and you should be able to find all the fittings.You should then be able to grease the whole machine even with the wheels on once you know were the fittings all are.I grease the whole quad once in a while but grease the front tie rod ends,bushings,rear u-joints every second ride because they need more attention. Keep a eye on your brake pads and when they wear out buy heavy duty EBC brand pads.

I will also be riding a 97 500 Xplorer if I roll my bike again because I will not ever buy a new pod again for what it cost last time.

 

Here is a copy of an old post I made.

As far as the manual, don't even hesitate. The Polaris manual is excellent, well illustrated, and quite cheap (about $40 Canadian). The Polaris part number is 9915686. This manual covers the Sportsman from 96 to 2000. Excellent.

Yes there are zerks that should not have too much grease. See below.

Use the Polaris recommended grease or a good quality marine grade (waterproof) grease.

This covers the zerks on the old ones as well as the new HO. It is a bit lengthy but the info is all there.

This list agrees with the zerks illustrated in the Polaris Sportsman Service Manual.
This is the list for my '98. The differences with the new ones are discussed below.

2 - L&R front lower ball joints
2 - L&R outer tie rod ends (not on newer units)
2 - L&R inner part of front control arms
2 - L&R front inner U joints
1 - lower steering post (not on newer SP)
1 - upper steering post
1 - u joint at prop shaft leading to front
1 - u joint midway on prop shaft (under recoil)
1 - yoke joint in prop shaft (also under recoil)
1 - foot brake pedal pivot point
6 - L&R rear lower control arms (2 outer, 1 inner)
6 - L&R rear upper control arms (1 outer, 2 inner)
2 - L&R ends of rear anti-roll bar
2 - L&R rear inner u joints ('98 and older only)
2 - L&R rear outer u joints ('98 and older only)

This totals 32 zerks on my '98! The newer '99s and 00's should have 6 less, totalling 26. The newer units do not have greasable outer tie rod ends (less 2 zerks), and they have dual CV joints instead of u joints on the rear drive shafts (less 4 zerks).

The newest (2001) Sportsman will be missing the one on the lower steering post.

So the way I see it there are 25 on the 2001s.


Other Notes:

I slip grease into my ungreasable inner tie rod ends using a grease needle.

Polaris warns that 3 pumps maximum should be used in the prop shaft yoke.

Polaris recomments that the u joints are filled until fresh grease is expelled from all 4 sections of each joint. This way all water and dirt should be expelled.

Greasing is relatively quick once you figure out how to access all of the zerks.

Other than grease, change the oil and filter regularly. I use the Polaris 0W40 synthetic oil (the recommended oil). It is not cheap but for the amount you use it won't bankrupt you.

Hope this helps,

DJ

 

And what are the consequences of more then 3 pumps in the yolk?
the reason I ask is because I pumped the hell out of mine the other day.I havent ridden it yet

 

500DUSE,

I believe there is a seal or boot or something there that can be forced out of position. I have not looked at the service manual for a while so I am stabbing here.

The driveshaft on my Sea-Doo had a similar problem - too much grease could force the seal out of position.

DJ