Hello,
I have just purchased a 2006 Sportsman 450 not to long ago with about 2500 miles on it. The original owner said they had issues with it taking in water and numerous starter issues. I purchased it not running as the starter and the recoil were both rusted up (seized) but was guaranteed it was a good runner when it did run.
Found out the main issue with the water getting in and freezing the starter and recoil was this: whoever replaced the starter last time did not use a gasket or gasket maker when putting the recoil cover back on. I took it off and it was full of water. He admitted to burying it in the swamp before it had the latest issues with the starter. So I cleaned it up and put a new starter and bendix drive in, and fixed the recoil. I also put gasket maker around the cover seal and bolts. I will eventually get a proper gasket.
I flushed and changed all fluids, bought a UNI filter, put a light mod in, and it ran good for a few runs. Then I started having a false overheat warning and the fan would not turn off until the battery was disconnected. Found the problem was it had the original Chinese black box PDM that was recalled. So I bought a new one and problem solved. I plan to get the local Polaris dealer to replace this old one for a spare due to the recall, and also because I heard this new silver one has internal corrosion problems. I think the back on it (which comes off with two screws) must allow moisture to get inside. I plan to silicone seal it up to hopefully avoid this issue.
Replaced all brakes as they were squeaky. The primary clutch has full EBS, and it makes some noise when slowing, so I plan to rebuild and tune the clutches to get more power speed and a better jump off the line. I think it may need a front U-joint or joints too. The front pumpkin was replaced once and it is flushed out and have new demand drive in it.
I am also replacing the fuel pump, rebuilding and re-jetting the carb with a kit, and also need to find a better exhaust system. Since I plan to mud a little with it, I do not want to modify or remove the air box at this time.
Anyway just thought I would say hey and that I will probably ask a few questions on carb tuning and clutch modding in the near future. Thanks for being here!
I have just purchased a 2006 Sportsman 450 not to long ago with about 2500 miles on it. The original owner said they had issues with it taking in water and numerous starter issues. I purchased it not running as the starter and the recoil were both rusted up (seized) but was guaranteed it was a good runner when it did run.
Found out the main issue with the water getting in and freezing the starter and recoil was this: whoever replaced the starter last time did not use a gasket or gasket maker when putting the recoil cover back on. I took it off and it was full of water. He admitted to burying it in the swamp before it had the latest issues with the starter. So I cleaned it up and put a new starter and bendix drive in, and fixed the recoil. I also put gasket maker around the cover seal and bolts. I will eventually get a proper gasket.
I flushed and changed all fluids, bought a UNI filter, put a light mod in, and it ran good for a few runs. Then I started having a false overheat warning and the fan would not turn off until the battery was disconnected. Found the problem was it had the original Chinese black box PDM that was recalled. So I bought a new one and problem solved. I plan to get the local Polaris dealer to replace this old one for a spare due to the recall, and also because I heard this new silver one has internal corrosion problems. I think the back on it (which comes off with two screws) must allow moisture to get inside. I plan to silicone seal it up to hopefully avoid this issue.
Replaced all brakes as they were squeaky. The primary clutch has full EBS, and it makes some noise when slowing, so I plan to rebuild and tune the clutches to get more power speed and a better jump off the line. I think it may need a front U-joint or joints too. The front pumpkin was replaced once and it is flushed out and have new demand drive in it.
I am also replacing the fuel pump, rebuilding and re-jetting the carb with a kit, and also need to find a better exhaust system. Since I plan to mud a little with it, I do not want to modify or remove the air box at this time.
Anyway just thought I would say hey and that I will probably ask a few questions on carb tuning and clutch modding in the near future. Thanks for being here!
