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squealing noise,help???

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  biggy 
#1 ·
I have a 1998 Polaris xc 700. Recently, there has been a squealing noise coming from under the hood. Sometimes it will do it just idling but otherwise evertime i take of you can clearly hear it until you get going a little bit then it stops(or the motor noise drowns it out?). I thought perhaps I just needed a new belt because when it was doing it idling, I could pull up or push the belt down and it would stop. I put on a new belt tonight but it still does it. Not as bad with the new belt but definately still noticable. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear it and appreciate it. Thanks
 
#3 ·
The squealing is coming from your belt being just a tad too tight. Adjustment for this is on the secondary clutch. If you look at the center of the secondary, you'll notice an adjustment cam. It has three 3/8 head bolts that hold it in place. There's a notch in the adjuster that lines up with numbers cast in the clutch. #1 position is the tightest, #5 position is the loosest. In your case, you could probably go a half number and be just fine. 1.25" is proper belt deflection. This is an adjustment you will usually always have to do after a new belt is installed due to it not being broke in yet so it's just a wee bit tighter. Make sure you break in the new belt properly to make it last longer. 20-30 miles of going easy on the throttle varying the rmp, with no wot pulls til you pass 30 miles. This will ensure you get a good life out of the belt. If ya need more info or more of an explanation on the adjustment, just ask us. -Polaris Doc
 
#4 ·
Polaris Doc would my old belt have been too tight also??Just wondering because i had the other belt that has been on since I bought it and never had a problem until this year? I had the sled two years now and this is the first it has done this?? Thanks
 
#5 ·
Chances are yes, so dont throw it away. Use it as a good spare as long as it's not hour-glassed or burnt. 91exciter2 brings up a good point as well. Proper clutch alignment is just as important as proper tension. More than likely the alignment is good. Usually once it's set, it will be good for a long time. But its not a bad idea to have the alignment checked. Squealing is usually caused by one of two things: too tight of tension, or improper belt to sheave clearance. Proper clearance is .015-.020" as measured on the primary clutch. -Polaris Doc
 
#6 ·
Polaris Doc, could you give me a detailed explanation on that adjustment. I looked tonight and saw the 3 bolts your talking about. Do you have to take the whole secondary clutch off first of all or can you do it on? You then take all three of the bolts out and then there is something inside or does the plate just turn??Sorry if these are dumb questions but I don't know that much about clutches.Also, what is the sheeve offset and clearance and how do you check all that. Thanks
 
#8 ·
Clutch offset has to be checked with a special tool. You can buy them, but a dealer should be able to do it for you. If you're lucky, he'll do it for free. takes about 2 minutes. There's a new alignment tool as well that aligns the fixed sheaves; ask them if that's the one they use. They can check belt to sheave clearance as well. Should be .015-.020".
Alignment needs to be correct as well as deflection for the best performace, low clutch temps, and long belt life. Ultra680 has a good point too; check to see if the engine mounts are cracked. Could do that with an inspection mirror. The PTO side is usually the most prone to cracking.
As far as adjusting the tension with the secondary goes; yes, you can adjust it with the clutch still on. That is what the side plate is for. Before there was that plate, you had to totally disassemble the clutch and shim the sheaves apart. If you look at that plate you'll notice a little ramp. That ramp pushes on a pin which pushes the sheaves apart instead of shimming them inside. All you have to do to adjust this is loosen the three screws a couple turns, place the plate where you want, and tighten them up. Torque on those is about 108 inlbs, so dont break them off. If you end up taking them out, it's no big deal, just thread them back in. If you are trying to loosen the belt, towards #5, its sometimes easier to pull up on the belt so the sheaves open some and the belt holds it there. If not, when you tighten down the plate, it will want to rotate back due to it trying to push the sheaves open.
Like i said in the email, play around with this some. That's about the only way to get a feel for what you can expect from the adjustments. Pretty soon you'll be able to do most basic maintenance yourself and save some $$. A lot of info can be found on here and there's always people willing to help you along the way. Hope this answers your questions. If you need more info on how to do anything, just ask. -Polaris Doc
 
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