I have a 2004 Polaris sportsman 400. I replaced the boot on the right side. the 4x4 worked fine before I did this. I put in demand hub fluid back in on right hub. now clutch wont disengage on right side. I thought I did something wrong upon reassembly, so I took the other side apart to check. put same fluid in other side and now it wont work either. Polaris dosent know their head from their ***! does anyone know if it is the spring or the wrong fluid? the fluid is what the manual calls for. the old seemed thicker.

 

Have the tabs on the armature plate correct,locked into the hlliard? Plus what did you torque the hub nut to? Even type f would work if you have everything right in the hubs although Demand Drive Plus hub fluid is much better. It shouldn't just stop engaging unless somethings installed wrong or a posble ground loss to the coils. That you can remedy by grounding the brown strut coil wires to a better ground like in this video.

 

thankyou for your reply. it engages fine, it wont completely disengage. I didn't tork king nut, I figured snug as long as hub spun and didn't wiggle.

 

That could be part of the problem or the problem..Hub nut torques to 10-12 foot pounds max. Set at 10 ft pounds. If it takes a tad more nut turn to align the cotter pin hole that's ok. If it still has problems on disengaging then more than likely the armature plate is magnetized. This is a common thing to happen on these plates as pull from the coil will eventually magnetize them. When it does this,stop,place in reverse and back up a few feet then go forward.The hub should unlock.Most will unlock,but if really magnetized some wont. Best to replace as a pair as eventually the other side will do the same. Plus best to leave awd in the off position when normal driving rather than having a constant magnetic pull on the plates.

 

You should be using Demand Drive Plus hub fluid. If the old fluid was thicker it may have been the wrong fluid. It's been upgraded over the years, and your manual may list something else that they don't use anymore. Having the right fluid wouldn't make it malfunction, and it's most likely one of the things OPT mentioned.

 

I think the garter spring is worn on both sides, I ordered one for each side. possibly having the right fluid is allowing the weak spring to fail. I hope so it sounds like my last option or pay a dealer to help me. Exspensive!

 

Get the armature plates!! 90% of the time when the awd locks up and won't relaease,the plates are to blame. Plus as cheap as they are,10 bucks or so,just replace them. Get the garter springs also if you wish.

 

thanks everybody for your suggestions. it turns out the thing I did differently was I over torqued, the king nut. I didn't figure that would lock up the clutch. I loosened it on both sides now works properly again. the problem is I can only go alittle past finger tight and snug. if I torque it to specs it locks up again. the hub dosent wobble and theres no play in the hub. I think this will work. thanks everybody, keep tearing up your yard!

 

Over torquing causes more pressure against the armature plates not allowing that small amount of space needed so it can freely turn from the coils pull. Basically the same as having full time or erratic awd operation.That's why manuals and their torque specs listed are critical for the awd,engine components,etc. Pus if left over torqued for a period of time armature plates can warp.Like this pic posted by a member.That's why I said to replace them.Then you should be able to torque the hub nuts correctly.

 

mind blown. I had no idea. Polaris definately needs you back in tech support. I will check for warpage tomorrow. thankyou.