Does anyone know how I can keep mud, sand and water out of the belt drive? I'm tired of taking the casing cover off and having to scrape the caked on mud off of the clutch so that it works properly. I mean I've seen twigs and grass when I open up the casing cover. How is all this crap getting in there? I was looking on the diagrams and it show's a couple air ducts, one in the front and one in the back of the casing. Shouldn't there be a one way valve on the end of these things? Also, if there is mud caked on the cluth, do I have to take it apart to clean the inside? I've tried taking that bolt off, but, the whole damn pulley moves, making it a pain in the ***. I'm just frustrated, it's a 4X4 quad that obviously can't handle any mudholes. I wanna be able to go through mud, put it in the garage, and take it out the next day and do it all over again.

 

The answer is pretty simple...if youre going to go deeper than the open hole on the intake and exhaust tubes....its needs to be snorkled. Its an atv not a submarine.Most quads will survive a depth equal to the headlight level with out issues. If you ask yamaha how deep you can go...theyll tell you 6 inches of water is the max.

Check to make sure the joints of those tubes are snug and proper. Some came from the factory with gaps and being on crooked.

Look at the gallery pictures of mine, click on the camera at the left, and youll see how to hold the pulley stationary so the nut can be removed and tightened back on, with out a impact wrench.

If youre getting mud or dirt mixed in with the grease, inside the primary pulley, it wont take long and itll be trash. The grit will wear and wreck the precision pieces inside of it, and fairly quickly. Believe me, the parts aint cheap to replace.

None of the belt drive atvs are imune to water getting inside the case, if you excede the openings of the tranny. Check out highlifter, the guys over there really get in the mud, and know how to protect the openings. It aint pretty ...but it works.

If you dont want to snorkle, then buy a honda, their autos are totally sealed, and can go as deep as the air intake on the carb without snorkling.

 

there are 2 openings to the belt drive. one is under the front hood. this one is the intake for the belt housing and obviously if you get in mud or water over the front of your machine, it will suck in debris and water into the housing. if you have not been going that deep, then i would check for a leak around where the housing and intake pipe connect. get under there and inspect everything. the other opening is the exhaust for the belt drive and it is in the rear of the machine and comes out right before the tail light. same thing here, any water or mud above that level and it will take in water. many people snorkel their machines, making the intake and exhaust tubing much taller. you may have seen pictures of these. but anyway, i have not had to service my clutch but yes, you will have to take it apart to clean it well. i don't know what is involved as far as the mechanics of it or tools needed.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. I'll be working on it tonight, probably with some more questions tomorrow.

 

If you click on the ronnies banner at the top of the page, you can go to the yamaha parts breakdown page, and itll show the illistration of the tranny breathing, and youll be able to see the joints and clamps, and where all of them are.

 

Everything went smoothly last night, good thing I had tool to keep the pulley stationary so I can get the bolt off. The Clutch was packed with dirt and sand, the reason why it wouldn't go past 20MPH. I guess that ends my days of wanting to become a U-boat commander with this machine. Thanks for the help.