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Burnt belt?

18K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  mcgratheh 
#1 ·
So my girlfriend and I went riding yesterday up near Mt. Hood, in the snow. It was a nice ride and we took the opportunity to do some steep and deep stuff. (NOTE> this part is just for entertainment and is off topic) We went up a hill where some sleds had gone up (using speed) and I thought why not try it with the Touring on tracks. It was so steep that the front end got light and I started to pucker. Unnecessarily as it turned out because we just tractored our way up no problem, but I'll be damned if I'll ever climb that steep again! With tracks it measures 9' from the very front to the back of the rear tracks, so they really get around.

Anyway, we were having fun and headed up a logging road where we soon encountered some large root wads, rocks etc. that were making me nervous as the holes below the snow were quite deep. I decided to turn around after we crossed over one bad one. Going back, the rear tracks sunk down and it stuck. I tried to go forward first, but the tracks were too deep and their traction so firm that I'm pretty sure it spun the belt for a couple of seconds - I smelled burning rubber which obviously didn't come from the tracks. I immediately put in in reverse and found another route around through the woods and on we went. However, I noticed that starting out from a stop, it was shuddering/jerking a bit as it engaged, whether I was in high or low gear. That tells me I probably melted some rubber off the belt onto that area of the sheeves and perhaps glazed the sides of the belt. It runs fine when underway, just shudders starting out.

Question - has anyone had this happen, and will it improve (i.e. the rubber will wear off the sheeves), or do I need to bite the bullet and tear it down for a belt replacement? I'm leaning toward just replacing it at this point as it seems like the smart thing to do, but curious what others know.
 
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#3 ·
It's not rubber on the sheeves. You burned flat spots into your belt, and they will never go away. It doesn't take much, and you might not even be able to see the burned spot unless you look very closely. A new belt is your only fix.
 
#16 ·
You were correct sir! I could barely tell where it burnt the belt - only by seeing the shiny area could you easily tell, and even that was not pronounced. That area had slightly less sharp edges on the rubber fins, but not very visible at all. New OEM belt is on and getting it all back together. BTW - whoever on this forum said to RTV silicone your clutch cover to prevent leaks...I hate you!! Just kidding, but I will say it was a complete bitch to remove the cover - that silicone adhered tightly and was almost impossible to remove without damaging. Not sure on best options to seal it up when I put it back, but I can't do that again. Thoughts anyone?
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the inputs - helpful. I have several other projects to do anyway (lift, frame brace, Cecco pinion cover, etc.), so time to tear it down before spring!
 
#5 ·
P.S. What is my best belt option?
 
#6 ·
Polaris -or- Gates belts..
 
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#7 ·
Great - thanks
 
#10 ·
Guys who race Polaris machines run the Polaris OEM belts. That's all I need to know about what to buy if it needs replaced. :wink
 
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#12 ·
Yup time for a new belt! OEM is the preffered belt as they are the best belt out there. There are some that claim that gates makes the Polaris belt and is a less expensive route.
 
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#14 ·
Here's a great resource:

 
#15 ·
I flat spotted my first belt driving slow in HI with stock clutching, it vibrated like crazy, thought it was worse.
I replaced that stock belt with an EPI hd belt and a clutch kit. The clutch kit grabs the belt harder eliminating the slow speed slips.
That EPI belt had 2500+ km when I replaced it due to wearing down after some hard snow riding last winter.
I wanted a new belt after doing my gear reduction and put on an oem only because I didn't want to wait for an epi to ship, but still picked up another epi for a spare later as I liked its performance a bit more.
 
#17 ·
I have never added anything to the stock O-ring that seals the cover, and haven't had any problems with it leaking. I don't spend a lot of time in the water, but when I do, it's submerged plenty long enough for water to get in, if it was going to. Did you have a problem with yours leaking, or did you do it just to try to avoid a leak? I would suggest going back to just the o-ring to avoid having this problem again.
 

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#19 ·
Well, when I did my clutch kit, I noticed that the stock seal was broken - pulled apart probably when the Dealer assembled or something. So because I needed to seal it, and because I had read somewhere to use RTV silicone, I tried that. Never again! Just ordered a new seal and will install just that.
 
#18 ·
I wonder how a bead of plane old grease would work to help seal the case ? [ I do that but don't ride deep water ]
As far as the belt goes = hold the belt loosely between your finger and thumb of one hand and rotate it with the other hand . You will feel flat spots more than you can see them.

later KK4
 
#20 ·
You grease one side and RTV the other and put it together 1/2 way and let the rtv set up, then tighten up the screws.
Dont get any grease inside, just a light amount to keep the rtv from sticking.
 
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