My neighbor had bought a outlaw 500 awhile back and road it with ripped cv boots till the cv joint gave out. Well he said he would take 700 bucks for it, and after looking around on ebay i figured i could get it running fairly cheaply, This just goes to prove how bad my eyesight is these days, since i didnt notice all the other things that needed to be fixed also.

So i start of by buying the outer cv joints and all the boots. This is where i find out that you should only use oem inner boots because they have the molded in metal ring. O well, nothing alot of rtv wont fix. So i fix the rear end and throw some new bearings in the rear while im at it and put new brake shoes on the rear. Take it for a spin, literally, it did a 360 on me while powering thru a turn due to the bald tires. So i put two new rear tires on it and take it for another test ride.

Pull back in the shop to look over what i found on that ride. Front brakes where really spongey, come to find out the bleeder screw was broken off in the front right caliper. So i buy a used one of of ebay and put it on and bleed the brakes. Now they work really good. Allso put new shoes on the front. Take it for another test ride. Find the front end moves around alot when using the front brakes.

Pull back into shop to find that the connecting rod for the steering is worn so that you can hold one front tire and the other will move in and out. While i have it jacked up i notice that one wheel is of the floor and the other isnt, i have a bent shock. I also found other problems and bought some more parts. Just put on a new steering stem busing to fix all the play there. Put on new connectiing round. Also new headlight bulb and 2 used shocks that i bought of off ebay. Take it for another test ride and hear some squeaking coming from the rear end. Take a look and discover one of the busings for the tortion bar is missing. Just got finished ordering that part.

Thank god the engine runs right. Im sure i need to put a oil change on it asap. I think ive pretty much covered all the problem areas allready,(that need immediate attention) but i have a suspicion that the thermostat is shot. I have tested the fan and it is good.

The upside of this i that by the time im done, i will know this atv from front to back and can be sure that everthing is up to snuff. It does run like a beast, and it felt like it wanted to stand up on me earlier while gooseing it going down the drive way, but that may have just been the front shocks unloading themselves. At least i have my blaster to blow off some steam on while waiting for more parts.

Rant over,

 

Can get expensive on parts for the Outlaw especially if not maintained properly. At the shop we used Hiflow oil filters on almost all the KTM's and also the Outlaw. These are a lot cheaper than Polaris or KTM oem filters and very good quality.Use a good quality oil also.These engines are beasts and will last if properly maintained. Look here under cooling system on your model as there could be something else other than a thermostat problem. http://parts.polarisind.com/Browse/Browse.asp Good luck on this beast of an atv! OPT

 

i feel your pain, as i've been there and done that w/my 05 scrambler

 

I'm going through the same thing....
I paid 1400 for a 2003 Predator and thought it was good to go. I test drove it but only up and down a short street at 10 MPH due to tight neighboring homes.

I cant even rember all the stuff I've ordered for this quad. We had it for around one year now and maybe 50 miles have be put on.

The cylinder now waits in a box to be sent out for repair and replate. DANG!

 

used sport quads are prone to taking a beating- need to really go through'em closely before buying.
a lot of people sell a quad because they don't want to put the time & money into fixing it...

 

Yea, i have to totally agree with you there. The key is maintenaince, that way you only have to spend allittle at a time, instead of letting the whole thing go to crap.

Polaris tech, is hiflow a brand name like fram? Fortunately i did get a new oil filter that he had when i got the atv. The flipside is that the new polaris dealer is way on the other side ot the city head out to the country side. It would probably cost 30 dollars in gas to make a trip there. I wonder if i can order oil thru the mail. Since i need to do a oil change, is there any particular type of oil that is recomended besides the ps4? If i do end up using another type of oil, do i need to do anything special because of the different oil, eg drain all the oil lines?

Allready on the list of parts that will be needed soon.
front and rear sprockets
chain
front tires
tie rod ends

Thanks for the replies. Ken

 

Hiflow is the brand name of the filters. A lot of KTM riders used Motul at the shop,NOT cheap,but 0w40 Mobil 1,Amsoil,Polaris PS4,etc would be as good in my opinion. You can sometimes find the best prices on oil filters,etc by just trying Amazon. If you plan on keeping this machine I suggest you get a good shop manual! The maintenance intervals are quicker than any other Polaris because of this engine! OPT