I have a Polaris Sportsman 500 2002, I truly love it. I’ve had it for a month and am having one problem with it. I have ridden a lot of people’s ATV’s, but this is my first one that I own. I got stuck in a deep body of water that had a sandy bottom; I was stuck in there for close to an hour. As soon as I got out I took the unit to my house and hosed it down. I also greased all the fittings. The only issue I have now is I hear squeaking from the front of the unit. I here it when I am going at slow speeds, I don’t hear it at high speeds. I notice when I press the brakes it will squeak like dirty brakes on a car. But I also notice it at slow speed when I am not on the brakes at all. I’m sure there is something I need to clean as well lube that I am missing. Where would I start?

 

Is it a continous squeek, like it does it everytime the wheel goes around? Or is it when you hit small bumps?

As for brake squeeling, alot of the Polaris quads have a small squeek. You could change your brake pads and that would probably get rid of it. It may eventually come back. Sometimes it will even go away after a few long rides.

 

Lightman02,

It could be the brakes, but I believe it is most probably the bushings at the top of the struts. There is one at the top of the strut mount, and one directly below it. Some good-quality chain lube (not wd-40, as it evaporates and doesn't leave any lubricating film) should do the trick.

Elroy,

Have you noticed that alot of polaris machines that are ridden in mud get a squeak from the bushings at the top of the struts? I'm on my 2nd polaris, and both machines would squeak there pretty bad. A little lube always fixed it, and I'm not really sure exactly where the squeak comes from. I figure it could come from either of the 2 plastic bushings, or else where the spring fits up inside the metal cap. Do you know of a solution to stop it for good? Thanks,

Waylan

 

Walexa,

no I don't know of a permanent fix for this. Mine also squeeks. I've tried a couple different spray lubes but was never happy with the results. Once I get sick of the squeek, I usually take the top part of the strut off and put a light film of grease on everything. It is usually the bushing that causes the squeek. This will usually fix it until water eventually washes the grease away. then it starts the whole process over again.

I think their is a way to fix it but I have yet to try it. Just thought of it the last time I had it apart but didn't feel like doing the extra work. Once I do, I will let you know how it turns out.

 

Elroy,

I have my bike in pieces waiting on the rebuild parts to get back, so access to this area was better than normal with the front fenders removed. I took both sides' tops apart, cleaned them up, and made a mixture of half grease, half silicone, and put it all over the bushings. My thinking was that the grease would keep the silicone from hardening all the way, and the semi-hardened silicone would hold the grease in there better. I too have used only grease before, only to find that it washes out after going through a couple mudholes. I don't know if my "fix" will work, but I'll know soon enough after I get my bike back together. BTW, what was your idea?

This last weekend, I helped install a lift kit on a prarie 650, and I wish polaris would incorporate the same mounting configuration as on the prarie. The prarie has a ball joint at the top, and is a hard fixed mount........instead of polaris' where the whole thing moves around. Although the polaris lasts and performs well, the squeak would be gone with the ball joint setup. Someone should manufacture an aftermarket upgrade for that..........IMHO.

Waylan

 

The best thing I have found so far for the squeaking at the top of the struts is waterproof dry lubricant. The stuff I used was I believe Remmington DryLube (for guns & fishing reels). It comes in a spray can, and if you have it disassembled for any reason, spray some of this on all mating surfaces, let it dry for a few minutes, and put it back together. Mine hasn't squeaked for over a year now.
If you don't want to take anything apart, WD-40 works for a while.