[Muddermucker]

Hey Folks,

New to the site. Looks like a great place to get help and offer help.

I picked up a used sportsman 500 and I have an issue with the tranny and hope someone can help. All works fine in forward hi/lo and 4 wheel drive but when I shift into reverse and give it gas, it sounds like a gear is slipping. I plan on pulling the tranny but wanted to see if anybody could possibly give me a heads up as to what I'm getting into. According to the factory repair manual I have it doesn't look to difficult. Anyone out there have the same problem? Thanks!

 

[Muddermucker]

Hey All,

I sucked it up and tore out the transmission. Wasn't so bad, had it out in less than two hours. Pulled the case apart and tore the innerds out. Found both the drive chain and the reverse chain VERY loose. the cam adjustment on the drive chain was on the last tooth. The reverse chain was so loose the inside edge of the chain was worn and sharp. Found a site on the internet that had all the parts I needed. Since I was in this deep I decided to replace the reverse gear, needle bearing and all washers for this gear (the gear teeth were worn bad). Surprisingly the HI/REV engagement dog was in excellent reusable shape. All other components looked in very nice shape which was also surprising because I don't believe the tranny fluid was ever changed since new. Hopefully the new parts will install easy and I'll be back on the trails soon.

Moral of the story - Go ahead and tear it out, just make sure you have a repair manual to help you along. Oh, one more thing, don't tear the tranny apart and leave it in your basement, the nasty old lubricant stunk up the house and turned the wife into a monster! (I'm being nice!) - Happy Mudding

 

[dascrow]

Hi Muddermucker, welcome to the site! Thanks for sharing all the information with us on the tranny pull out, did you happen to get any photos on the tear down? I'm sure that would be very useful in the future! I'm working on getting a photo gallery up so members can host photos here for free.

 

[Bruce!]

Or pics. of the monster!

 

[heff560]

I also own a 1998 500 Sportsman, olive green. I bought it used two years ago. I am currently replacing one of the left side rear axle. The lower u-joint let loose and the spinning loose parts damaged the bearing carrier and the bearing itself. The teardown was simple and I am now awaiting new parts. I took the right side axle / suspension parts apart as well and am currently cleaning the grime off and conducting an imspection. All looks good. Good luck with your trans repair.....

 

[pony]

howdy...........

 

[Muddermucker]

Hey Heff560,

I have a couple of hints for you on your rear axle repair. When you reinstall both drive shafts make sure that when you install them the grease fittings on each shaft are 180 degrees of each other. If not it will throw it off balance and vibrate the rear end and tear apart the new bearings and u-joints. Also, invest in a good can of "Never-sieze" and goop up all the spline fittings before reassembly. It makes it so much easier for the next repair.

If you are changing out the main hub bearing an old timer showed me a trick to make the installation of the bearing go nice and smooth without using a press or beating it silly. Put the bearing in the freezer for about 4 hours. When ready, warm up the hub "slightly" with a small MAP gas tourch, take the bearing out of the freezer, set the bearing into the hub and tap "lightly". Put a piece of wood on the top side of the bearing and "tap" with a hammer. It should not take much force at all and the bearing will drop right in.

Hope this helps!

Muddermucker

 

[Muddermucker]

98 sportsman 500 tranny noise update

Just wanted to update everyone on my tranny repair in case you have the same issue. After 300.00 bucks worth of parts the tranny is back together and working like new. Couple of things I wanted to note.

I skimmped and did not buy new seals for the drive shaft, speedometer and rear drive splines. Because of this it made the assembly of the cover a real pain. Spend the couple extra bucks and get new seals. thankfully the old ones do not leak, yet!

The reassembly was really very easy. I pressure washed the entire case inside and out, blew it out with compressed air and let it dry for a coupe of days while I was waiting for the parts to arrive. During reassembly of all the gears, bearings and chains I coated all parts with new lubricant.

I would have to say I saved myself a ton of money doing this repair myself rather than taking it to a polaris dealer to fix.

Thanks everyone for reading and I hope your repairs go well.

Muddermucker