I have a 2002 vinson auto. Since it was new it has seemed to "bogg down" in the mud or snow. My friend bought one the same day and doesn't have this problem. I have 800 miles on it and it has smoked the belt twice. The dealer says they can't find anything wrong with it, but i don't think they even check. I think that there may be something wrong with the clutch. Maybe it is the carb! I don't know. Does anybody have any suggestions! One more thing is that it runs hot with 87 pump gas, and the bottom cylinder gasket leaks oil, had it fixed and it still leaks!

 

My '02 auto has 800 miles also, but with no problems. I don't typically get into the deep mud, but if you are experiencing a bog under load, that sounds like a tuning problem. Is your air filter clean and re-oiled? Could be valve adjustment or carb settings. It's 2 years old, have you checked the valve clearance? Could even be something as simple as bad gas.

Don't know what you are doing to smoke the belts. Do you do alot of pulling or towing? Oversize tires? Mudding in high range? These will all wear the belt prematurely.

Overheating could be caused by some of the above; valves out of adjustment and also mud. Going slow in the mud, epecially if you do it in high range and lug the motor, will create heat. If you have been deep into the mud and clogged your radiator fins, that could be the problem. Also, the overheating could have warped your head and caused the gasket to leak. Whoever changed the gasket should have resurfaced the cylinder before reinstalling.

Hope this helps, but it sounds like a maintenance issue, not a defect. Let us know if you find something.

 

I have had the timing checked, valves checked, cleaned air filter, and removed the tank and drained the gas. None of this helped. The machine will rev up fine but when it's under load in the mid to high range it acts like i'm in 5th gear( if it were a 5 speed) If I feather the throtle or idol it down it will speed back up and then do the same thing! It acts like the cultch is not backshifting properly, but i know nothing about clutches. The oil leak i have is between the crank case and the pistion cylinder, and it has leaked since new.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

IT IS PRolly a pinched air line, coming off the carb that will deffienently do it.

 

I ride with a guy who has a vinson with 26" vampires and a 2" lift. He has about 400miles and it has been great. It is an auto and when he is in the extremely nasty sticky muck, he put it in low sometimes, but other than that, it seems to be a great quad.

 

i had a snow mobile that did that. you should check that the spring in the secondary clutch is not broken or binding some where. What happens is the clutch opens up fine but than dosent close back down so you esencaily are staying in a higher gear than it should be. Im not real fimilar with the auto trannies on quads but give it a shot it might be the reason for the belt wear also

 

Did you have the CDI box checked? You will have to take it to your dealer to try a new one. Be cause this this is a old problem, they should do it for free! Happy trails!

 

I think he has it nailed.. the belt will wear quickly because it's slipping too much trying to drive too high a gear ratio under load. Check the secondary clutch over carefully.

 

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like the clutch is probably the problem. I'll have it checked out and let you if it is the problem.