Polaris ATV Forum banner

Do I need a new belt?

17K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  InRBigness 
#1 ·
Was in a bog the other weekend and could smell rubber and had no wheel spin (high range) so I thought I've toasted the belt and bought a new one, anyway when I pulled the cover off the belt looks ok except for the longitudinal grooves in the belt? All the help videos I have looked at had none of these grooves, they also said in neutral that both clutches are spinning and this stops hot spots and wear on the belt however when in neutral mine is spinning the secondary clutch but the main one will not engage until 1500rpm thus making grooves in the belt. (First pic) Do I need to make an adjustment somewhere or what? Any advice appreciated.
Second pic is the bike in neutral idling, you can see that only one clutch spinning.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#2 ·
Can't tell by the pictures how much belt wear you have, but it looks to be ok still. While you're in there I'd take the secondary off and apart. Maybe some worn buttons or something in there causing the drag in high gear. You should be riding in low for slow speed and hard work like a bog. That is really the most logical explication for the belt slipping and burning.
 
#3 ·
I agree.

To be safe I would remove and clean resurface BOTH. Then dress belt to remove any glazing. (Shiny spots) then take that belt and store it as a spare and install new.

Remember to first WASH THE NEW BELT IN WARM SOAPY WATER AND DRY !!

CW
 
#10 ·
I agree.

To be safe I would remove and clean resurface BOTH. Then dress belt to remove any glazing. (Shiny spots) then take that belt and store it as a spare and install new.

Remember to first WASH THE NEW BELT IN WARM SOAPY WATER AND DRY !!
CW
Never heard of this before. What is the purpose of this cwlongshot?
 
#5 ·
Our manual for the old 2002 Magnum states to protect the belt from high temps to run in low gear up to about 7 MPH max. That puts enough air flow through the belt housing. Running even 4-5 MPH sounds like the engine is really humming.

If smelling the belt and going to low range does not stop it from slipping then as noted above it is time to look at the parts in the clutches for wear/damage.
 
#8 ·
Maybe. See the belt wears some too. On it's sides and it don't take a lot before it's not able to be clamped as tightly and slips causing same problems....

This is why I suggested Cleaning it and saving as spare and running new belt.

CW
 
#9 ·
Just before the belt went on mine there was a stumble when i pulled away slowly.. kinda like a shutter in the bike.. Replace if you have the part and then you dont have to worry :)
 
#12 ·
I think what he means by clean and resurface. Clean your clutch sheaves. Blow all the belt dust out of them and then take a scotch brite pad and go over the surface of the sheaves. Grabs the belt better. And when they get there belts from the factory, they are coated with a preservative just like new tires to keep the rubber from rotting. Always a good idea to wash the belt
 
#14 ·
why the wash in warm soapy water? thxs...
 
#16 ·
Two people literally right before your post, explained that. It removes any possible release agent residue; usually an oil or wax based product. As such, a system that relies on friction and pressure to operate correctly (IE your CVT) does not like a lubricant on its working surface.

I think what he means by clean and resurface. Clean your clutch sheaves. Blow all the belt dust out of them and then take a scotch brite pad and go over the surface of the sheaves. Grabs the belt better. And when they get there belts from the factory, they are coated with a preservative just like new tires to keep the rubber from rotting. Always a good idea to wash the belt
For clarification, when scuffing the sheave faces; go from the shaft to the outter edge of the sheave. The motion should be perpendicular to belt travel, NOT parallel to belt travel.
 
#15 ·
Put on the new belt and get a new spare. I have never heard of washing a belt as they are designed as plug and play...just break the belt in by letting your engine warm up for a few minutes and then drive low and slow for a bit to warm up the belt...I wouldn't hammer the throttle until you have a couple of hours on the new belt. High gear is for running on trails. Use low when bogging or mudding...your manual will give you the best advice for the correct speeds and conditions for high and low gear. Always warm up the belt in low for a few minutes before using high gear and your belt will last for a very long time.
 
#20 ·
I also scrub my belts with a brush (not metal or brass) with warm soapy water then rinse belt, patt dry then let hang or sit over night, our race belts will not grab hard until we do this and on the race stuff it is done ever week, it just gets all the crap and oil and dirt and debris out of the belt, makes them last along time, we also on some of the hard belts we put between 2 towels and microwave them for 2 to 5 minutes depending on the microwave
 
#22 · (Edited)
All I can say is some belt manufactures must give a free bag of weed and Tide with each purchase.....:rotflmao: If a new belt needed to be washed it would be part of the manufacturing process so the consumer wouldn't need to do it or it would be noted as "wash in soap and water prior to use" on the belt packaging which isn't noted on any belt I have purchased. In the case of reusing an old belt then I could see the value in maybe washing any debris or fluids off the belt prior to REUSE! Below is the link to the installation tips for the Carlisle Ultimax ATV belts sans washing instructions.

http://www.carlisletransportationpr...riginal/ATV_Drive_Belt_Installation_Tips1.pdf
 
#25 · (Edited)
Ok in the real world now
a company makes a new belt and you can grab it as soon as it comes down the conveyor and take it and put it on your wheeler and never drive your wheeler in dust and always in a controlled temp atmosphere so there never will be a temp. change or any foreign material on your belt great Perfect World
now real world the belt is made they put a cardboard sheave on it and it drops into a cardboard box and then is forklift to warehouse where it sits for a extended time then it is hauled by semi and then UPS then to the dealer then a storage room unboxed and uncovered then it goes on a hook on the wall and sits there for some time with dust and 2 stroke smoke and some more dust then you buy it throw on the floor of your Prius in the dust then you take it home and throw it in your shed till you get it on and with dirty hands on dirty clutches, it on now and you are complaining you blew a belt it is squealing and won't lift the front wheels off the ground and are getting your butt kicked by your buddy with the same ride, guess what you put on a new belt as bad as your old one,
but if you clean your clutches and I do spend allot of time on my clutches with 3m scratch pads then acetone and wipe dry then clean belt well with brush and soap and water and patt dry and let sit for overnight you will get that belt grab you want (but if you are used to the acceleration of a Prius then a dirty belt is for you) but if you want to grab a hand full and the wheeler responds in lifting the front wheels or white knuckle acceleration then do like the big boys do and properly take care of your new belt that came to you already contaminated.
Mike
 
#28 ·
Dude...just put you belt in the washing machine on gentle cycle and tumble dry on low
 
#26 · (Edited)
My new wheeler it came home and got tore apart clutches cleaned and belt washed and guess what my buddys go, how the hell can your wheeler pull that hard
oh ya my 2005 ATV at 5000 miles I put new weights and rollers in and a new belt and it still was like a new belt but I still did replace it because of age
if you take care of your belt and clutches they will treat you like you treat them
 
#30 ·
I just put on a new belt from EPI. (severe duty) Nowhere on the package does it say anything about cleaning it.

The belt felt clean. It didn't have any coating on it. I screwed around with it comparing it to my old belt and didn't notice any excessive dirt.

My polaris manual said to take it easy for a long time to break in their belt.

This quad Boss belt package says to not run over 50mph for the first 20 miles. It says nothing about quick starts.

As soon as I backed out of the garage today and hit the grass I mashed the throttle.. I just kept it under 50mph like the box says.

Oh well. Washing sure cant hurt.

As far as drying in a microwave, well, when you get one wet on the trail the manual doesn't say you need a microwave to dry it. You race guys seem to go to the limit and beyond some times. Have at it, what ever works for you.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
#31 ·
Wash it or don't. I always have to get rid of any oily residue that may have gotten on it from the guy in the factory, the shop or on display where people fondle them like crazy. Takes no time and cant hurt. Is it needed, probably not. I also wash and polish my sheaves on the clutches. Do I need to, again probably not but why not. If I wasn't doing that I would be spending more time with the wife. ;)

Indy has a long history of racing snowmobiles that have used CVT clutches for ever. If he says he gets better performance by washing the belt prior to installing it to make sure its clean that is good enough for me.

Your mileage may vary.
 
#32 · (Edited)
inrbigness
have raced in your area several times and up in Selkirk Canada at the World Series, I won Open Fuel up there and set a new world record in 660 ft, the Nitrous burning 4 cyl. went 4.6 seconds at 146 MPH, since then thu the Turbo Yamaha's of Pro Line have beat that record with driver and my Race Partner and Bussines Partner John Wheelock (which i sold out my half of pro line to John a few years back) I am retired now from driving i still build sleds and my 2 sons, they race in the NSSR circut and we have a 700, 800, and 1000cc pro stock speed run sleds, plus 3 vintage race sleds so they keep me busy
I guess i should not have gave any advice on here without permission from the experts
but was only trying to help the guys that where having trouble
FROM NOW ON I WILL KEEP MY KNOWLEGE TO MY SELF OR IN PM'S TO GUYS LOOKING FOR HELP, SORRY EXPERTS should of known there might b a bunch of keyboard experts on here,,,,,, Retired, Mike K
 
#34 ·
Don't let them get you down. Everyone has the right to an opinion. Just because they chose not to listen to it doesn't make it wrong. I am all for more information and I will make my own choices because I am the one that has to pay for the consequences later.
 
#35 ·
Just providing my opinion and having some fun...wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings just providing feedback on what I consider provides no value on a new belt...that's what these forums are for to provide information and misinformation....if I think someone is blowing smoke I will call them out and would appreciate the same in return. Couldn't bear the thought of all the helpless belts getting washed and their teeth brushed.
 
#37 ·
Don't clean Gates belt before install!! - Polaris RZR Forum - RZR Forums.net

Since we have a new Gates G Force to install on the Magnum 325 I am glad I read this before washing it. I do think at the $40 price range for a heavy duty double ribbed that looks similar to some selling for 2X+ is a promising belt. Perhaps Gates as an OEM maker of belts of many types just does not have the same market up as some specialty sources.
 
#38 ·
Interesting. The title is a little misleading. They say that you don't have to, not that it will do anything harmful if you do. I will still give it a scuff with an SOS pad as it wont hurt. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top