2004 Polaris Sportsman 400 issue

[iffwalleyes]

My wife has a 04 400 Sportsman. I noticed this and don't think it is normal but will ask. Last year the front right tire had a leaking hub seal. I replaced that and it doesn't leak anymore but I noticed that the wheel doesn't seem to have much power when the 4 wheel drive is engaged but the left is working really well. When on the gas I can put my hand on the wheel and stop the right wheel from turning. Is this normal or is the hub going out/ or is already out. What do I need to be looking at replacing?

[Dave S]

How much hub oil did you put back into it after you changed the seal? Another thing that might cause it to not fully engage is if the armature isn't working properly. Do you know for sure if it was working right before the seal replacement?

[iffwalleyes]

I guess I am not sure about if it was working before or not forsure as it is my wife's machine. I just check the fluid again yesterday and add more but it doesn't seem like that is mattering. What do you mean by armature?

[huntingislife]

Did you fill the hub full? If I remember right, you need to put the hole at 2 or 10 oclock anf fill til it is full.

[rundrave]

Did you fill the hub full? If I remember right, you need to put the hole at 2 or 10 oclock anf fill til it is full.

the correct position is at the 4 or 8 oclock location

as for the armature plate, its a little metal disk in the hub, that can be come worn. essentially what happens is it could have been damaged from running too low on hub fluid etc etc. a groove can be worn into the plate which caused the 4wd to work incorrectly.

also when putting the hub back together when you tighten the castle nut there is a specific torque sequence. It has to be done correctly to get it the proper tightness in order for the 4x4 to engage properly.

i believe you take it to to 165 in/lbs then back off then take it to 124 in/lbs.

that's from memory so my #'s may be off

[iffwalleyes]

Originally Posted By: huntingislife

Did you fill the hub full? If I remember right, you need to put the hole at 2 or 10 oclock anf fill til it is full.

the correct position is at the 4 or 8 oclock location

as for the armature plate, its a little metal disk in the hub, that can be come worn. essentially what happens is it could have been damaged from running too low on hub fluid etc etc. a groove can be worn into the plate which caused the 4wd to work incorrectly.

also when putting the hub back together when you tighten the castle nut there is a specific torque sequence. It has to be done correctly to get it the proper tightness in order for the 4x4 to engage properly.

i believe you take it to to 165 in/lbs then back off then take it to 124 in/lbs.

that's from memory so my #'s may be off

4 and 8 o'clock so there is to be very little oil in the hub then huh? I was doing a 10 and 2 position. I will have to give the armature a look that is very possible as I am thinking it might have been running low of fluid for a while. Is there a specific torque for the plate agains the seal or does it just have to be tight? How do you torque the castle nut like you said. Do you set it to 165# in order to seat everything and then loose back up and torque to 124# is that the proper procedure? Thanks guys all of those are possiblities I think.

[rundrave]

there are 3 little grooves spread out around the armature plate. its very important that when putting all the bearings etc back together that those 3 grooves get seated properly in clutch hilliard within the hub assembly.

its a very simple fix. take off castle nut, pull out bearings (stack in order), inspect armature plate and re-assemble and torque down as mentioned. then add fluid.

go slow take your time, and be sure not to let the cv-shafts slide out, otherwise you learn how to redo that part too (i learned the hard way installing aftermarket struts lol)

[iffwalleyes]

RD

So my understanding of your discribed torque method is correct then. I got the tools to give it a try tomorrow night after work. You just take the hub cap off and work from the outside to the inside. When I did the seal of course I had to talk of the brake disc so I worked it from the inside to the outside.

4 and 8 then for filling the hubs then huh?

[rundrave]

yeah, now that I think about before you rip it all apart have you tried draining all the fluid in the hubs first, then refilling to see if that solves your problem. it may be that easy of a fix.

other wise yes to all of the above go outside to the inside

the armature plate is part #4 is this diagram. also be careful to not stretch/damage/lose the spring that is around part #5

[Dave S]

rundrave, Thanks for posting the microfiche. The place where I usually find it was down last night.

[rundrave]

ive posted a link to the Polaris microfiche before directly from the Polaris HSOforum but it got yanked....

[iffwalleyes]

Ok well I torn the sportsman apart last night and sure enough the armature was out of position and not in place behind the clutch. So I got everything realigned and touqued down. I torqued it to 124 it seems really tight. The wheel when in 2 wd will not spin freely spin yes but not freely. Will this loosen up as it run or it it over torqued? At least when I pop in in AWD it is engaging unlike before. Thanks for the help.

[Dave S]

When I had my old 500 SP off the ground, the wheels didn't spin freely either. You could turn them, just not freely like a bicycle tire that will keep going. Sorry about the bike analogy. It's the only thing I could think of this early in the AM.

[iffwalleyes]

Well that works for me. I'll keep and eye on it for warmth etc as we are running them this weekend. I heard there is some mud calling to us.