Hello, I have an 06 Scrambler that the left front wheel doesn't spin on. I replaced the armature plate, and checked for power down at the hub on the coil wires. I am assuming now it is the magnetic coil itself. I was told to get a manual to show me how to replace it, and the manual just says take it to a dealer. Is it a difficult enough repair that I cannot do it and I should take it to the dealer? and if so, what kind of bill will I be looking at? Or should I try to find a used strut on Ebay? Thank you in advance.

 

Some manuals don't go into detail on hub strut coil sleeve replacement,just shows how to measure the distance between the face of the sleeve and inner strut pole. Sleeve can be tapped of with a sharp chisel exposing the coil,but be careful not to gouge the casting.Remove the coil,replace with an new one that you lightly silicone in place with the wires in the cutout slot.Clean all the old blue rtv from the strut and liberally apply new blue rtv around where the sleeve rides and coil wires.Use a block of wood and and a hammer and tap the new sleeve on. Then you can use the manual as you get close to seating the sleeve to check that the face of the sleeve is either flush with the inner pole casting or no more than .001 clearance using a straight edge and feeler gauge. It's important NOT to drive the seal sleeve too far in before you start using the straight edge!Excess rtv will roll to the back of the sleeve. All depends on if you have the time,patience,tools,etc to do this. Coil and sleeve price est around $100 through Cycle Parts Warehouse. A shops prices may be higher on parts,plus depends on how you bring it in as to labor.As a complete machine or just the strut. Still could cost more at a dealer to repair it than just buying a new complete strut for $267 online. If you feel you can do it,you can save some bucks by doing this yourself. Pic of a clean strut ready for the new coil and sleeve. On used struts you take a chance like any other used part.

 

Never had one of those. What is the function of the coil, OPT?

 

In two wheel drive(no power to the coil) the hub armature plate and hilliard turn in unison with the hub and drive shaft. When 12 volts is applied to the coil in awd mode you can say in a sense the awd is "armed" and ready to engage when needed. This happens when the rear tires loose traction,only takes about 1/8 wheel turn. This rear wheel slipping also causes the front tires/hubs to run slower than the drive shafts. When this happens the armature plate which is now slowed down by the magnetic pull of the coil, allows the hilliard (which is splined to the drive shaft) to ramp it's bearings up,locking the hubs in. When the rear wheels regain traction and the front tire/hub speed is the same as the rear and also the same speed as the front drive shafts,the hilliard unlocks, returning to rear wheel drive only. Better definitions out there than mine,but best I can explain it. Items 4 and 5.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse Plus here's a video with one on ice.Notice the slightly slower front engagement when the rear tires slip. Same thing on checking an awd system. Just jack all 4 tires off the ground to find a problem wheel.That is "IF" it's on the old hub style system and not the centralized awd where drive shaft locking is done in the front diff.

 

Thanks for the explanation, OPT. I have seen those clutches in the
front drive parts diagrams. I assumed that was how Polaris achieved
an LSD function for the front when in 4x4 mode. I did not know what
you meant by "Hilliard", but now I see that they are a brand of clutches
of numerous types.

 

Yes Hilliard is just one manufacturer that supplied the clutches.Comparing this system to some of the other makes out there Polaris has a true 4 wheel drive engagement and not 3 wheel drive like a lot of others. Haven't kept up on all the different makes,but I've heard Honda finally caught up on this.

 

Polaris' 4x4 system is very unusual. Never had one, but I will eventually.
Maybe they are the first with a disconnectable front drive 4x4?

If a 4x4 quad has an open diff in the front, then you only get 3WD, as you
say. However, all of the 4x4s I have had have an LSD system up front,
which does apply some torque to the faster wheel while turning. Most
goes to the slower wheel.

It seems to me that a 4x4 quad with an open diff up front would plow
more than turn.

 

Okay quick update- I took it into the local dealership to get it diagnosed. They took it apart and the only thing wrong they can find is apparently there is some sort of sleeve that goes around the outside of the magnetic coil, and it is damaged. So they want to change out that sleeve, and replace the coil (although the one thats in it is still working, they're not sure they can get it out without breaking it). Does this sound familiar at all? Has anyone else had this issue?

 

This all too familiar on replacing the outer coil sleeve. It is hard to remove the outer sleeve without cracking the hub coil because of all the silicone. Sometimes you can,more often not.If the outer sleeve is damage/ground down it's because of wrong oil or infrequent oil changes or hub nut too tight causing the armature plate to grind down on the face of the sleeve.I imagine the plate will be replaced also.

 

I replaced the armature plate first so that's new. Is that sleeve a common issue for the 4x4 not working? The mechanic didn't sound too sure, but they said that's all they could find that was wrong. Thank you for all your help