1995 Sportsman Model/Compatibility Question

[hhcochris]

Background Information (you can skip down to paragraph 4 for the "heart of the question")

I have a 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4, and unfortunately the piston skirts broke, got wedged, and "had its way" with the "bottom end" of the ATV. I'm in the process of getting a used crankcase (and other parts), and I need help with the compatibility of the part I ordered.

I "went cheap" and bought the crankcase 1/2's off of eBay, and I the vendor claims it came off of a 1994 Sportsman 400L. I went to polarisind.com and did their advance search on my model, and got a list of the compatible years/models for the crankcase 1/2's.

I'll filter the list of compatible models to just the 1994 models (the only relevant information for this post): 400L 2x4, 400L 4x4, 400L 6x6, Norwegian/Swedish 400L 6x6, Sport 400L, Sportsman 4x4, W948040 (no idea what that is), and the Norwegian/Swedish 400L 4x4.

Here's my problem...there's no mention of the 1994 Sportsman 400L 4x4 as a compatible model for my 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4. The other compatible 1994 models were so close to a 1994 Sportsman 400L, that I wondered why it didn't make the list. I went back to polarisind.com, and did a model search for all 1994 400 models, but I couldn't find the "Sportsman 400L" that the seller described. I verified with the seller that the model was in fact a 94 Sportsman 400L, and not one of the models listed.

Can I safely assume that the model the seller listed is compatible (as far as the crankcase 1/2's go) with my 95 Sportsman 400? I'm hoping either the "400L" listed in the search really was a Sportsman 400L, or something of that nature. I just want to make sure everything will work before I order additional parts.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure I gave the "whole picture". Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you didn't get the impression yet, I'm fine with looking things up online, but don't have much "mechanical expertise". I'm actually having someone else do the technical work on the ATV, but I'm in charge of acquiring the parts needed, so I'm trying to serve my purpose by posting here. Thanks again in advance for any help.

[blueline15]

Luckily, your confused because you're splitting hairs here. They didn't technically make a 1994 Sportsman 400L as a model name. They had the 400L in 2x4, 4x4, and 6x6, they had the SPORT 400L, and then had the Sportsman 4x4.

Luckily, they did all have the same 400 motor in them, so you should be completely fine from all the research I just did before I answered. I've got numbers matching, whether you are getting cases from a 1994 400L or a 1994 Sportsman 4x4, it doesnt matter.

Another thing probably confusing you, is that these cases have superseded part numbers. Which means the numbers might not match on the microfiche, but because they have now superseded, the numbers do match, so the cases should work.

[1of7627]

As Blueline15 says. Polaris brought about the confusion in '94 as I believe that was the year they introduced the Sportsman model. I had a '94 400 4X4, which had the old Magnum/Trail Boss body, and my brother-in-law had (still has) a '94 Sportsman 400, which had/has the newer, more modern and now familiar body with the separate light/instrument pod, but on the same chassis as mine. Mechanically they appeared identical, but of course the new body was much more attractive and functional. - MarkC

[hhcochris]

Thanks for the quick responses. I don't intend to "beat a dead horse", but I have a 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4. The crankcase 1/2's came from a 1994 "Sportsman 400L 4x4" (which from your posts, doesn't actually exist...). I'm going to take your word over the seller's, as I'm sure you guys have way more experience with this. So based on me having a 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4, and purchasing 1994 ("Sportsman") 400L crankcase 1/2's, the parts will be compatible, correct? This is just one of those things where I've done the research and know I'm right, but I just needed someone else to confirm it for me.

If I could ask a few other questions (I don't know if this should be moved to the repair section or not)...once I get the crankcase 1/2's from the seller, if I need any additional parts (gasket kits, oil seals, etc.), I can safely base my parts search off of the actual model I own (1995 Sportsman 400 4x4), and I don't have to worry about buying those parts for the 1994 400L (model the crankcase 1/2's came from), correct? Also, for anyone that's done a rebuild of the "bottom end" on one of these...are there any additional considerations or potential issues I need to be aware of with this rebuild (or at least information that I can relay to the person doing it, who's a great mechanic, but doesn't work on Polaris ATV's on a regular basis). Again, thanks for all the help and information.

Thanks,
Chris

[hhcochris]

Again, can anyone verify that the crankcase 1/2's from a 1994 ("Sportsman"...per the seller) 400L will fit on my 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4? From the part compatibility search I did (polarisind.com) claims it will, but I first wanted to verify (from someone more familiar with this stuff than I am) it will work, and secondly, when I purchase additional parts (gasket kits, oil seals, other misc items), should I still be looking for those "lower end" parts as a 1995 Sportsman 400 4x4 (my actual model), or a 1994 400L (the crankcase 1/2's model)? Do I have to check the individual parts I'm ordering for compatibility between my model and the crankcase 1/2's model, or am I safe to assume that since the crankcase 1/2's are compatible with my 1995 Sportsman, that all additional parts can be ordered under the 1995 Sportsman model, and that's all I need to consider in the future? Sorry if I'm mixing words or confusing people, but I need to make sure I get this right, as I don't want to deal with ordering additional parts/returning the old ones, etc...again, thanks in advance for all the help to sort this out for a guy that has minimal experience with all of this...

Thanks again,
Chris

[blueline15]

I came up with numbers matching too, so I think the case halves should swap over no problem. I'd order them, although I can't speak on this from hands on experience. Numbers matching is a good thing.

Which means you could likely order all internal parts from your 1995 microfiche and be good, however I like to be safe and would cross reference every 1995 part number with the 1994 part number, just to be safe. When you start mixing years, funny things could happen.

For instance, the cases may be numbers matching and work, but they were molded slightly different so the 1994 gasket is different from the 1995 gasket. Make sense?

Always better to be safe then sorry. If you need help matching numbers, let us know on what.

Although, again it'll probably all match up anyway. I'd be surprised to see an internal part different between the two years.

[hhcochris]

Blueline:

Thanks a ton for all your help. Since I got a good deal on them ($36, shipping included), I ordered them already, and figured I would "take a chance"...hopefully it works out...I'm probably making a mistake in buying used parts...if I'm going through all the effort of rebuilding everything, I should have made sure everything was going to last for a while, but maybe I'll look into getting the crankcase 1/2's inspected somehow to make sure there are no cracks or weak points, although I have no idea where I would go to do that...

I actually just got back from the place that's checking my top end stuff...it went just a little bit "out of specs", so I can't use a stock piston, so I'll be looking for an aftermarket one...I was told I should be looking for a "complete overhaul gasket kit", so I think I'll try to order it all at once...so if I got the complete gasket kit, how could I verify that it would be compatible with my 95/94 mixed setup? When I looked at the microfiche, they listed the individual gaskets, vs. just listing a "complete gasket kit"...I guess the nice thing is that if one particular gasket doesn't line up, I could always order that specific one seperately...

I'm a little more concerned if I got other bearings/oil seals, and that type of thing...I'll try to cross reference as much as I can, but if I'm not able to verify that the part works, would there ever be a situation where a bearing/seal/etc. fits, but ends up siezing up or breaking as a result of a part mis-match? Again, I'm probably worrying for nothing, but since this is the first time going through something like this (this is actually the first ATV I've ever owned), I want to make sure I have all my bases covered.

Again, thank you for all the assistance so far...it's great to have a resource like this to help us "know nothings" get things done...I really appreciate it.

Chris

[tt425]

I think they made a 400L in 1994. It looks like a 350 trailboss or 400 sportsman. Look near the gear shift selector for a tag. It will also have a metal plate. The numbers on the metal plate is the VIN(serial number maybe 7 or 10 digits). The model tag will begin with a "W" followed by 6 numbers. The 2 numbers after the "W" is the year model. If the model tag is not by gearshifter on frame look on frame just above the right front tire. Hope this helps.

[blueline15]

I would have bought them as well for that price. If you want to have them inspected before you install them (which isnt a bad idea) take them to a local machinist. They'll have the experience and the eye to give you a good inspection.

I wouldnt recommend buying polaris gaskets, as they do not sell gasket kits. Since cases are the same, gaskets are the same, lets just order a gasket kit from a 1995 model. If I were you, I would do this: Find a dealer, any dealer that is a Tucker Rocky dealer. Almost every motorcycle shop on the face of the planet will be a Tucker Rocky dealer. Order TR# 56-3991. (Ask them to double check me though. They should find the same answer on page 1,044 of the 2012 ATV Tucker Rocky catalog). It will come with every single gasket on the machine, it'll also come with all of the seals you need for that machine, and will set you back about $60.

Also, more good news, all of the 400cc 2-stroke Polaris from 94-02 are running the same gasket kit.

But like you said, if one gasket doesnt work, or you mess the gasket up, the single gasket or seal can be ordered through polaris again.

I just spent some time cross referencing the major things like bearings, seals, and gaskets between the 1994 and 1995 models, and didnt come up with a single difference. With that, the fact the the microfiche pictures are identical, I didnt find any part number differences with the dozen or so parts I picked randomly to cross reference, and that the gasket kit is the same from 1994-2002, I don't expect you will run into any problems what so ever here.

[hhcochris]

Awesome...thanks for all the extra work on the research! I'm excited, I just got an email notifying me that the crankcase 1/2's arrived today...took a while to clear customs or something I guess...I'm in MN and it was coming from Winnipeg...I probably could have driven there faster than it took to ship...anyway, I had the cylinder checked, and I have to order a "10 over" (.25mm overbore/83.25mm...but you probably already knew that) piston. As I'm looking around online, I'm noticing a pretty wide range in prices between brands.

I want to get a "complete top end rebuild kit", so I know I have everything I need (besides the other gaskets and oil seals) to get things done. Since I'm only going to be using the ATV to plow snow in the winter and take the kids "joyriding" (I'm not looking for super ultra mega high performance here, just a reliable, quality kit that will last), I don't really want to spend hundreds of dollars on this. Looking around, I found complete kits ranging from $90.00-$200.00. Based on my projected usage (and preferable "budget/economy" pricing), what brand would suit me out of the following (I'm sure there are more, and if there is a better brand option, please let me know): Wiseco, WSM, Athena, Namura, OEM, Moose, Vertex, Kimpex, CP, JE, and Pro X (some of these may not even fit my machine, but I listed the brands anyway). I'm guessing there's some level of personal preference, just like Ford vs. Chevy, Arctic Cat vs. Polaris, etc., but again, I'm kind of in the dark on this with my minimal experience.

Along the same lines as the piston kit, is there a better brand for the "complete overhaul gasket kit" with the oil seals? Since the price difference wasn't all that big from the brands I found online, I'm guessing they're mostly the same, but I could be wrong. I figure since I don't want to have to go through this again anytime soon, I wouldn't mind spending the extra 20 bucks or so to go with the "high end" gasket/oil seal kit (unless I'm missing something and the "high end" is like $100.00). The brands I found were: Cometic, Moose, Winderosa, Quadboss, Vesrah, and many others that either don't list a brand, or possibly (online) stores that have their own brand.

It feels good to have things starting to "fall into place". When I go home tonight, I'll check out the crankcase 1/2's, and I'll probably take them to the same guy that's re-boring my cylinder, to make sure they're in OK condition. As long as they're ok (or even if it has to be repaired...however that's done...), I'll order the gasket set and piston kit as soon as possible. Again, all the help is greatly appreciated...I'd be beating my head against the wall if it wasn't for you guys...

Thanks again,

Chris