Polaris Sportsman Blown Front Diff....Not A Good Day đ
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 13. 02. 2018
- Quick video of what not to do but also what you should do if you own a polaris 850-1000 sportsman.
I put 30'' CST Sludgehammer Tires with a -47mm offset MSA M12 Wheels on the bike. I should of put the pinion plate on but I was waiting to do everything I had in store for the bike in one shot....
Currently it is at the dealership getting a new gearcase, pinion plate, axles, and clutch kit. There will be more add-ons to come but that will be a little while after the expense of this. She is becoming quite the pricey little bike! :-)
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PUTTING A PINION PLATE ON YOUR 850-1000 Sportsman if you have not done so yet! I have friends that have faced the same problem and their bike was completely stock!
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The exact thing just happened to me 2 weeks ago after a big storm ripping around. I canât imagine this being a cheap fix!
If you want. Give me a shout at Coy Hunter Brunet on Facebook. If you didnât do excessive damage? We can probably get your squared away with a less expensive fix. Slowly getting everything added to the website. www.ncbperformance.com
Hey
wow that really sucked.
sorry for the unwanted repairs.
Glenn
Glenn, itâs what the sport is all about đ. Just took the first long run with it today now that I have her back đȘđŒ. Thank you for watching. Need all I can get for views thanks to CZcamsâs new rules.....đđŒ
Great channel, thanks for the sub. Cheers!
Heck yeah brother. Your videos crack me up! I couldnât do the whole vlog thing like that but thatâs alright. Leave that for those who are good at it. Lol
Going through this same thing with my 850 SP. Mine broke back in November, same story. My son was playing in the snow in 2WD and BAM ! I'm just now getting to repairs. Luckily my pinion came out clean. Diff is still in good shape, and ring gear is all good, just the pinion messed up from flipping around after it came out, and the broken cover of course. I ordered the Polaris upgrade kit Part # 2206588. Comes with a thicker pinion cover, larger shaft pinion gear and it has two bearings supporting the pinion gear instead of just one in the stock POS. Just another thing that Polaris has "never heard of happening before"...
Should mention, mine is completely stock other that 27 inch Ripsaw R/T's
MyATVlife thatâs the crazy thing! People doing it with completely stock bikes! I have had some people say âif you hadnât of put big tires on it...it wouldnât of happenedâ. Well...apparently they donât know much about the issue. Lol. Even the 18âs are having the issue with the upgraded parts. The dealer said I should be fine with the upgrade but I said f$ck that. Iâm puttting the cecco racing one on...even if the new ones were dependable I still wanted the peace of mind. Did Polaris cover your damage?
North Country Boyz nope. My bike has almost 3000 miles on it. I didn't buy any extended warranty for it, so this one is on me.
MyATVlife dang! Thatâs some miles for sure! Luckily it popped right out through and damage was minimum. Mine...I had to have the front diff replaced as she destroyed it đ
how much $$$
I have a 2018 sportsman highlifter 1000 just had my front pinion gear blow but I think it originated with the ball bearing that sits between that and the plate the gave 1st... just for the front plate/pinion gear shaft and ball bearing I'm looking at about 900dollars
Did you do the diff plate cover upgrade on it? I try to search out people every week with videos of the 850/1000 sportsman to give them the warning. I don't catch them all but I do try to get it out there for people. It isn't cheap...I have gone through two diffs now. The second was definitely a bit whoopsie on my part and me not keeping up with maintenance. Lesson learned there!
Handle with care/Fragile should be engraved on them pinion covers
1000% Agree! Granted Polaris builds the machines to the specific max ability.....however.....the ATV world has changed significantly over the years. I can say that with my newest purchase they have made some significant changes! I knew that I was taking some risk I just didn't think it would take that little for the risk I was taking to come to this conclusion. All was taken care of though!
I feel ya there. I blew mine out in December....
It's a kicker in the dicker that is for sure...but that is part of the game with these front diff's. Even without upgrading tires, wheels, or lifts. I have seen people blowing them out over time. Since this happened I am now working as a dealer for many great upgrades. If you even run into the need for something, feel free to send a message on FB to Coy Hunter Brunet, as I will do what I can to assist. If I don't offer it I will point you in the right direction! Appreciate the support and dropping in đ€
Thatâs annoying especially since you had the plate upgrade. Iâm assuming it had the plastic cage inside? Time for an upgrade! Cheer man. Subbed
Didnât have the upgraded plate on yet but it has all the new stuff being installed over the next couple days so I can ride this Sunday. Unfortunately I canât upgrade the cage because no one is making one for the 2018 gearcase. My bike is a 17 but I am getting the 2018âs gearcase. I suppose that is one plus...lol. Thanks for the sub and one coming back at ya brother!
North Country Boyz my bad! Thought it had the plate upgrade. Hopefully it all works đŻ from here on out. Love the new looks of that machine.
Fingers crossed man. Fingers crossed. Iâm gonna give her hell on Sunday. With the upgrades it should be able to take what she is given...if not to the scrap yard she goes. Kidding.
What year is yours? I just talked to Polaris and they said they donât have any accessories for the 2017 or 2018 sportsman yet :/ Like the rad kit, snorkel kit, clutch kit. Didnât make sense to me
2017 is my model year. Chances are they won't be coming out with too many accessories as you listed. They will leave that up to their partner company Highlifter to come out with those goodies...which is slowly happening. I literally had to wait 8 months before I was able to get anything that wasn't custom made (expensive) for the bike.
Quite a bit has changed and is in the process of taking on some new changes as we speak since I did this video.
She now has Highlifter dht axles, QSC Clutch, rebuilt front diff, diff plate, and now something I am keeping quiet until it is finished...I will do a video once the custom work is done. As far as a decent rad kit I bought two. The wildboar and rubber down. The wildboar I bought first and is what you see on it. I can't say how I feel about it but I can say the rubber down was bought to replace it and was going to be put on until something else was presented to me. If you are looking for a rad kit I am selling my rubber down.
After these upgrades are done the exhaust is coming as well as some other add-ons to help further bullet proof her for the riding season.
What are you riding now?
Do u have a lift on the quad? And what clutch work do u have done? I have the same bike. I would appreciate your comment thanks
Brian Robson sorry Iâm a bit late on this. I have a 2ââ highlifter bracket lift. I have the QSC clutch from rvs. If you check out their website they only have or had the one option for a clutch kit for our bikes. Feel free to ask man. That is what it is for :-)
well that sucks.my buddy just had the same thing happen on his 18 sportsman 1000
What?! They said the new 2018âs had the upgraded pinion plate that âwas much much strongerâ than the previous. My new gearcase is for the 2018 model and has the cecco racing pinion plate going on it. We shall see what happens this Sunday when I take her out for a run.
Hd atv gear makes i really thick pinion plate. Check out my video to see it .. heat shield update from polaris video shows it good.
@@NorthCountryBoyz hello, so did you find out for sure if the 18 got the new pinion plate I just bought a brand new left over 18 should I be concerned
@@Travide 18' is just as bad as the 17'. Definitely need the upgrade.
@@endurotruckererniedesjardins Checking it out!
Wow, you were barely getting on it, lol.
I was thrashin the shit out of mine, in the deep snow on those hills, with the 30's on, i'm surprised mine hasn't broke again!
Did you not put a pinion plate on it yet?
Mine was covered under warranty, they put the same shit back on, lol. I have the Cecco plate, and front frame brace, but haven't put them on yet.
Better get to steppin. Lol. Donât want to do it all over again đŹ
I got the extended warranty, lol. It's crazy, i went riding today, thrashed the shit out of it, most of the time in 4x4, running real good, i'm surprised with the 30's, but they're not real heavy, 32lbs. I'll be ready when it breaks, if it does, to put the Cecco on. We'll see, lol.
Lol. Putting the poundinâ right to her proper eh?! The way I see it...thatâs what they are built for? I think we will see some major advances between Polaris and CanAm over the next 5 years as this sport is growing by the minute...as far as mudding. Back in the day it was about speed and racing. Today itâs focusing more on true off-road/mud riding. Time for these machines to roll out of the factory ready for abuse. Lol
Well that looked like a pretty harmless little run for that to happen.
I thought so myself! Lol. I was taking it easy on it...not throttling it too hard...I just wanted to take it for a little ride to run it as it had been sitting for a bit. Oh well...at least I have a new gear case with a stronger pinion plate going in it. Definitely a warning to anyone that owns a sportsman 850/1000....as it can happen even with everything stock!
You suggest getting a stronger pinion plate?
Yes, yes, and yes I do. I have friends with the same machine in which kept them stock and have busted theirs. It is a cheap part compared to replacing and entire front diff like I had to do. Spend $200 now or $1300 later...it is all up to you. Obviously I chose the hard path thinking it would be ok because I wasn't pushing it too hard...yup. I learned that the hard way real quick. lol
I just bought a 2018 sportsman 1000xp. Is yours a '17? Did polaris beef up the front diff for '18? I also bought the 5 year Powertrain warranty. Would the warranty cover that factory failure?
yeah those Polaris are junk. I have three friends with them I tried to warn them but they bought them. everything on those things break.axels power steerig one friend blew motor with 80 miles on it my brute force has 6,000 miles not one single problem. they cant put any miles on those things without having to be towed back. what the heck is going on with those things? Polaris has to know they put out a lemon. videos all over the internet with all the same problems.
I felt your pain
Man...it is truly one of those moments where you kick yourself. I know I was kicking myself...worst part is I had the new diff plate ordered and on its way. I just couldn't resist going for a snow rip. lol. What machine did you do it on? Same or the Highlifter?
how did that work out have u had more problems like this???? I have 2011 850 x2 with over 5000 miles had to redo rear end from no fluid case was still good never broke like that. I also have been riding my whole life and can tell when its going to break the new hi hp of these machines they will break when ran hard lite is fast but it will make week points. yours looks like it was defective to me to break in the snow
Mike, Appreciate the comment! As far as the machine with 5k miles! It doesn't surprise me that the rear diff needed some attention...I have 2800 miles on my Sportsman in which is the same rear diff as the Scrambler. It finally needs some seals and bearings. As far as the front diff giving out it mostly was due to the 30'' tires I threw on it! It was not designed to withstand that kind of weight to turn. The diff upgrade is what I should have done well beforehand but I didn't and I should have.
What kind of suspension lift do you have to fit them 30 inch tires
Dj, I have the 2'' high lifter bracket lift on her. Just enough to give the clearance that is needed height wise. However to get them to fit completely I had to go with the offset wheels. Other wise I would not have been able to go with 30's without offset a-arms.
Great video! I sure hope mine doesnât go, mind you I drive tender foot.
Mature Adventurer if you havenât done the pinion plate yet. I would recommend doing so. I went with cecco but you can use anyone you wish. There are a few that are out there! The $150-$200 that it runs you is far cheaper than the $1350.00 it could potentially cost you plus labor if you have a dealer do it. I have seen it happen to a bunch of stock machines. If youâre on the Polaris Facebook page I am sure you have seen them and if youâre not...you should throw a request to join. How has your riding season been going?
Thank you, Iâm still on warranty, so it it goes those buggers will fix it. Lol I did chat with the dealer, so Iâm covered. I did ask to be notified when Polaris upgrade is available, Iâll get OEM to retain my warranty. My dealer will lend me a machine if mine is tied up for any length of time. We just sold another 1000 Xp for them so they are treating us very nicely đ
That is an awesome dealer/customer relationship. The gearcase I had put into mine was for the 2018's in which had an upgraded OEM pinion plate. Though running 30's I decided to just not risk it again. lol. The thickness of the new plate wasn't anymore than the old and as far as the materials it is made of...I suppose time will tell and we shall see what others put out there for feedback in the next few months of riding their 18's. In all reality that is the only issue that I have found except my ignition switch having issues but that only results in my display flickering. Something about the internals on the ignition switch but my dealer is changing that out for me for free :-) It is a known issue so just keep an eye out for it.
So the pinion plate that broke was the new 2018 OEM pinion plate?
Mature Adventurer no it was the 2017 plate but the new front diff is the rebuilt diff for the 2018 model with the cecco racing pinion plate. Some people are posting pictures already of the 2018 pinion plates breaking. Made me glad I decided to change mine despite being told it wasnât thought to be necessary because the plates they did for the 2018 were much âstrongerâ than the 2017 plate.
Iâm new to this . I just got the 2021 850 HL model and put 2 rides on her!
Am I panicking with all this âEXPLODINGâ front differential talk by doing the PINION PLATE upgrade now on my new machine or should I wait a few months to a year??
So you are not panicking. It's crazy that this video is still getting attraction. Since I did this video I have started an off-road business. There is an upgrade out there, one that I would highly recommend, which once you get past that 6 month warranty? You would be in a position to want to upgrade. Polaris says they upgraded the plate but really they didn't upgrade it enough. I blew my first diff, then a second diff...the aluminum cast design is not that great. Aluminum billet will always be stronger. Through my primary parts supplier "Jay Parts" one of the best Diff Cover plates is now available. Diff comes with seal, bearing, and bolts. The best offering on the market right now and what I am running in my Sportsman.
ncbperformance.com/#!/PINION-COVER-ALUMINUM-REINFORCED/p/358009807/category=116935997
Upgrade pinion plate ASAP
Same thing just happend to me ... how ur new pion plate holding up...?
Iohteneratatenion Goodleaf holding up great! I have the Cecco Racing plate on mine now and it has definitely withstood the rest without effort. đ
Is it just the front differential that has the weak pinion plate?
Apologies, I didn't see your message. It isn't often I miss a message on here...though it seems CZcamss filters for messages isn't always working the best. It is just the front diff that has a weak point. As far as everything else on the machine...anything that I have damaged is due to rider error or just normal wear of parts. They claim that they made a better diff plate for the 18+ models but I didn't believe them as when I replaced my diff I was provided an 18' diff but still added the billet diff cover to mine. Thankfully I did as I have seen quite a few 18+ diff being busted due to a weak pinion plate. Once you go beyond the factory tires...you are pretty much asking for issues. Where are you out of brother?
Random question but how the hell does the highlifter 1000 not go through these plates given the stock 29.5s
They do...it is more a matter of when that how. I know a few people with highlifters that have busted them. Mine may of had to do with the cold but plenty enough people have done it in warm weather too. Even with the updated diff plate that Polaris brought out for the 2018 models...I have a 2018 front diff in mine now thanks to Polaris but I still upgraded my diff plate to be safe.
North Country Boyz good to know ! Thanks for the response brother.
Have 2300km on my 15 1000. Never had this issue.
Unfortunately with the added stress of a lift, offset wheels, and 30'' tires...It was bound to happen. It is one of the most common issues with the Highlifter edition. If you follow any of the Polaris groups on FB it is definitely a common post. Seen a couple stock machines have it happen as well but mostly it is only when you throw bigger tires on. Thanks for watching!
North Country Boyz damn shame. Does Polaris not test these bikes out befor they release em?
Sure is a damn shame! According to the dealer...they were testing them as more issues were presented to them. They honored my front diff when I blew it out as it was a manufacturing flaw that didn't get properly corrected. For 2018 they re-did the plates but I still wasn't happy with it. My new diff came with the upgraded plate but I still had them swap it out for the Cecco racing plate in which is definitely built to withstand the riding I do and the current setup I am running.
I have 2019 polaris sportsman 1000 xp le black on 27" maxxis vipr. Should I upgrade pinion plate?
Jakub, I would definitely recommend it in the long term of things. I am not saying you are in dangerous waters with 27's but $130+ is much cheaper than $1400+ to replace a front differential. I went with custom moto quad for my last front diff upgrade. It has held up just as well to the competitors. If you are looking for an upgrade I will point you off to the one to order it from. I get nothing from it just to make that clear. I simply buy what I think will work and if it does I am more than happy to share that information.
@@NorthCountryBoyz thanks ;)
Jakub Anything I can do to help đđ»
I know this is a old video but Iâm about to buy a 2019 850 do they have the same problem??
Juan, yes they do. 2017-2019 all have the same front differential. The pinion plate was âslightlyâ upgraded. However I have still caught some people running into the same issue. If you plan on keeping it stock you should be ok. Though the moment you upgrade the tires itâs of best interest to upgrade the pinion plate. Itâs a much cheaper decision that I failed to make in time. Hope this helps.
North Country Boyz well that was one of the first things i was planning to do was wheels and tires, what brand did you end up going with? Was the install pretty easy
@@juanmesta1 If you go to one of the more recent videos I have all the links for everything I have on my machine listed other than the rad kit, snorkel mount, and battery relocate as those are all custom items. Install...let's just say it was a pain right in the ass. Mostly because there was only one other guy doing a rebuild at the time I was doing mine. So everything was a learning curve...I can definitely say that the 2020 build will be much less of a cluster. lol
What year is that polaris? Is that the new updated diff?
That is my 2017. They updated them in 18â but Iâm still not convinced. Billet is the only upgrade I will recommend to people with these machines. You have a XP 850/1000?
@@NorthCountryBoyz
I have the xp1000 and the highlifter 1000.
Pinion plate on the way, I definitely want to avoid this!
Good man! It is worth the extra expense....there is maybe 1 or 2 times i have heard of a aftermarket pinion plate giving out. Dozens after dozens of the factory plates giving out. What else do you have planned for your bike?
North Country Boyz 32.5s, clutch kit, snorkel risers, and audio for now LOL.
North Country Boyz I honestly didn't even know about the pinion cover until I saw your video so I should say thank you for saving me a lot of money!
RidgeRunner338, pinion cover?
Mad Mudder pinion plate I meant, don't want to do what he did!!!
The exact same thing happen to mine now much for repairs or is it easy to fix it your self ? Anyone
Repairs....it depends on the damage to the casing. If the casing is heavily damaged then you are looking at a new or used front diff. I have replaced two so far in my machine. New diffs are around $1300.00 and a used one is around $850-$900. Did you have the upgrade diff cover on yours?
@@NorthCountryBoyz the front tires still spin just the diff cover broke off had to drive it home slowly but now its parked and it had the stock on it just bought my polaris back in feb its a used 2011 850 xp from my local polaris dealer
@@krayzdude1847 I would need to see some pictures to see what kind of damage was done to better assess it for you. If you want you can send some pictures to me via email. Trevor@northcountryboyz.com or take the diff to the dealer. Worst case you are looking at a new front diff. Best case you may be looking at some new gears and diff cover....depending. Luck will be your greatest factor in this situation unfortunately. Both cases of my front diff case exploding were worst case.........$2600 in front diff replacement later I still haven't learned. lol
@@NorthCountryBoyz thanks gonna take it to my dealer đđ€it's not to much money
Our 2020 Polaris sounds broken first ride
What is going on with yours?!?!
You been in the mud and water with snorkels what do you expect not Polaris fault
I did the hd atv gear pinion bearing plate upgrade on my 1000xp after the diff exploded with my stock tires. 2500 bucks outta my pocket to fix it. Month past warranty was up. After 7 months nothing stayed together. Belt. Diff. 6 front axles. Pipe got red hot n melted plastic s. Throttle lever. Brake problem. Winch stopped working. Voltage regulator. Shift lever on the trans. Shift indicator switch. And more. Spent over 5000 on stupid repairs that shoukd never of needed fixing. I dont even mud bog it or run it hard. In 33 years of racing mx bikes n trikes n quads ... this is by far the worst purchase in 67 units.
The dealer couldnât get Polaris the warranty it even though it was out??
Dealer didnt even try. Ive bought 67 toys since 1980 from him too. I also found 4 inches of rtv sealant on the inner clutch housing never sealed from factory. Dam clutches were wet every ride. . Finnally found the problem. Hd atv gear makes a billet throttle lever also.
I am sorry to hear that brother. Heck I would give polaris a call...maybe they will be willing to assist. I know my dealer is fantastic to work with...no matter what the problem they will do everything they can to make sure I am well taken care of. Truly all about customer service and not breaking the bank...ultimately they have a very happy customer that will continue spending money with them.
Thanks again guys! Install video of Pinion Cover czcams.com/video/ff2qJX5SIxI/video.html
Buddy just busted the plate on his '16
It's one of those things in which is inevitable. If you haven't done the upgrade, you can basically bet you are playing a game of "sooner or later" with that machine, and that is the reality of it. $150 part or $1400 fix...it's a simple decision in my mind. Sadly, it's a decision we shouldn't have to make, though it is a decision, and one should make it sooner before later.
is the dealer covering these under warranty?
mark henwood to an extent. Being itâs a known issue by Polaris. They made a new plate for the 2018 models but I couldnât see how they are any stronger than the one I busted.
Does this still remain a problem with 2018 ?
Yes, from what I have seen with others who now have the 18's...this is still an issue even with the "upgraded" materials used in making the plate. I think the best bet for Polaris would to be taking note of those building upgraded plates for the machines....for the little bit extra it costs to make them it would save face with their current customers.
I've got the 2018 sportsman 850 no issue so far I got my brand new sportsman 2017 highlifter 1000 the same day the front plate let go boom !!
It's mostly the tires that are causing the issues. If the stock tires are on it should be ok "to an extent" unless going through deep snow or thick mud in which puts extra strain on the diff. Still blows my mind that mine blew and I wasn't even giving it to it! lol. Highlifters you hear about it happening a lot that is for sure!
North Country Boyz yeah I had like 1.5 hours on and she made a snap sound then got to the mud made it through lots and bang ! The snap happened in 2wd
Paul Mcdonald there is a guy that posted one of the highlifter a year or two ago. Same thing. 2x4 just got it home from dealer. 1 Mile on it and snap bang boom đł
don't it ever get a little annoying with that muffler always blowing exhaust in your face
just wondering
Yes...yes it does at times. I realized it a bit more this last weekend when we went for a ride. The only positive is that it was blowing warm air on a cold day. Lol. I will be looking to make some changes down the road as this setup is âtemporaryâ for this riding season. Thanks for watching! All views, comments, and questions are appreciated! đ
North Country Boyz np
I told you this would happen. First mod on ALL POLARIS 850 AND 1000 ATV'S , BEFORE YOU MAKE THE FIRST PAYMENT....... CHANGE THE PINION BEARING PLATE...
150 bucks saves 2500 .
NO MOD IS MORE IMPORTANT OR CRITICAL THEN THE PINION BEARING PLATE.........
Oh that I agree with! The crazy part is that had already ordered the mod for this but figured a little rip wouldn't hurt me! lol. Now I am on my second build with the Sportsman and Polaris has definitely outdone themselves with this machine! Everything is built the way it should be!
Ist doch ein bekanntes Problem bei Polaris!
Is a known problem with Polaris! đđ
Thomas Fröhlich it is definitely a problem. I should have upgraded the part earlier than I did. I have had no problems since doing the upgrade with the Cecil Racing plate đ
Yeah, I think most of the problems from Polaris and Can Am are due to owner/riders who put them through hell and push the machines and mod the machines and try to force them to do things they just were not meant to do! 4 Wheelers are meant to ride on roads, trails, sand and such. Folks who do this and maintenance them rarely have problems. Its all the folks who try to run them off cliffs, swim rivers and mod the heck out of them that are always broke down and complaining. Nothing against you personally, heck I don't even know ya, might be my best friend if I did know ya. But to me, when you push and push machines beyond their limits and intended purpose, you're asking for trouble and that's what most folks get. You can't drop a 600 HP motor in a stock pick up truck and expect the stock transmission and rear end to hold up under that kind of stress. When people mod these 4 wheelers and side by sides and make them more powerful, they forget that they have to change everything on those machine's to accommodate for the additional stresses what will be felt or delivered throughout the machine.
Didn't do anything to the power yet at that point. What surprised me was I had just put the new tires on and wasn't really horsing it much at all...now with that said the HighLifter Sportsman has almost the identical front diff in them...and I will give you a guess. Yes, they too are having the same issue as you see here. Even guys who are just running a little better trail tires have ran into this issue...which is why you are seeing Polaris now adding the RZR diff in the 2020 models. In my opinion...Polaris knows the direction the machines are heading in and to offer a slightly better pinion cover would be a huge resolve to the issue that everyone has been finding that does some real offroading. Now I do agree with you on those who ride roads, trail, and sand...they are less likely to break things. Each their own when it comes to what they ride on or in? After that I put the upgraded pinion plate on the new diff I had to buy. Funny enough I just destroyed that diff a couple of weekends ago in which that I will admit was a rider error and not noticing one simple little thing while doing maintenance... I blame that one on my job and having so little time between rides I was going on. lol. Also, none offense taken. I am more than happy to have any comment come through.....I mean hey, I myself may learn something or that individual may learn something or we may both learn something together đ