Hey all, Im sure you guys have heard this all a thousand times as i have read thread after thread about this same issue here and other places, however i am looking for a little information. But first a little about myself. I am 20 live in Central Maine and have a Polaris sportsman 600 twin i bought from a friend for $1,000 (practically stole it.) When i bought the machine I knew it had the leaking seal. I replaced the seal once and got it wrong and had fluid leaking everywhere. The second time my uncle replaced the seal and the leaking stopped and life was good. However it was short lived. After a few rides the leak came back, much smaller but still leaking. I tore the atv apart again and cleaned out the area around the water pump seal and impeller, flushed the coolant and the radiator with a hose, and drained all coolant and replaced it with new coolant. The leak went away and life was back to being good. Although today i took the machine for a test run and stopped at different intervals during the ride to check if the seal was leaking at all, and it didnt leak the entire ride. When i got it home i stopped in my driveway and took a peak under the machine, just as i was getting ready to put the atv away i noticed a big puddle of coolant on the ground. I looked to my dismay and saw that the coolant was streaming out of the machine while it was turned off.

The questions. Why would the seal all of a sudden go out like that and cause the fluids to leak? and Do you think that the shaft might be bent on the inside? It does not look or feel bent while running but seal after seal seems to be going bad and i cannot pinpoint why.

Thanks for any help you can give me.
Zack

 

Welcome to the forum!You are talking about leaking from the WEEP hole? First off did you leave the radiator cap off when you installed the coolant to purge the air out of the system when the fan kicked on? Could be pressure build up from this? Also if you or your friend DIDN'T take the flywheel and stator off and the complete outer case to replace the water pump seal and oil seal properly,then its possible you could have bent the shaft! Shaft could be bent just enough to not leak or just weep a little while running,but when stopped pressure build up could force it out at the distorted part of the seal! A lot of people try to short cut on this and pry the seal out from the front side.(I've seen the YouTube videos on this and just shake my head!) Some can get away with this method some can't! I've replaced at least a couple bent shafts because of this! Also if water pump seal wasn't seated properly,can leak also! Plus did you have the ceramic side of the seal washer facing toward the engine and rubber side towards impeller! Can leak this way also. OPT

 

Yes the leak is coming from the Weep hole. When we replaced the seal we took off the water pump housing on the right side of the wheeler down by the rear brake pedal. I removed the seal gently as i had seen in a few forums and my uncle put the water pump seal in while i wasnt around so im unsure of how he did it although we did not remove the stater or anything on the left side of the machine. The seal is installed the correct way with the rubber side to the impeller and the metal cap end toward the oil pump seal. When i rode the ATV previously it had a small leak at all times because i assumed until now that the coolant that was in it before was making it leak because it was very dirty (full of mud and sand) which led me to think that the radiator might have sand in it, and i flushed everything out. When i re-added the fluid i added it right through the radiator cap. I rode the atv for about 35-40 minutes for the ride with no other leaks, once i got back home and let it idle in the driveway for 3-4 minutes while i took care of some stuff in the house and came back i could see the fluid streaming out onto the ground, not dripping but running out as if the seal was missing entirely. This ATV has me at Wits end right now because i cannot seem to find out where the problems lie and i really dont have the cash to replace a bent or warped shaft and do not have the means to change one myself.

 

Unless I'm missing something does sound like the shaft! Invest in a manual and when you have the funds you can tear into it,the shaft works the oil pump and water pump and the oil pump housing (behind the cover) has to be pulled to replace the shaft! PS You said coolant was dirty? Is there any build up on the shaft close to the seal that you could lightly emory cloth off,OR is it smooth, and no grooving also? Just checking? OPT

 

The shaft was clean nothing built up on it. The shaft does not have any pitting or anything else as far as damage on it. It does not seem to move or wiggle at all when running. I dont doubt any information that you have given me but im wondering why after flushing the radiator and cleaning out all of the fluids the leak went away, but then after a long ride it came back. It seemed like the two extremes, no leak, then completely flowing out.
Another question to bounce off of you, Is there a possibility that there could be an issue at some other point and the fluid is overpressureizing and blew the seal out? I took it apart tonight and with the seal in the machine it did not look damaged. When i got the machine the seal was destroyed, chewed up and looked bad. This one does not. Although if it comes to replacing the shaft the wheeler is going to be sold. I do not have the funds, the space, or the tools to perform a major takedown of the machine currently. The dealer quoted me well over a grand just in labor to replace the shaft not to mention the parts.

 

If the seal flange is flush with the case and no gouge marks,etc the only thing I can think of is to try the coolant again,leave the cap off until the fan cycles on,coolant should drop in radiator which would purge any air. Then top off radiator and check it out again.If still leaks especially after two seals,then I would think its the shaft. Good luck OPT