I recently purchesed an 04 Sportsman 500 HO. 265 miles on it and the first (2) rides I've had it out on I've gotten water in the belt housing. Once it caused the belt to slip and I had to drain it on the trail, the 2nd time it required draining the following day.

is there any sure fire way to keepn this houseing dry? I ride with guys that have 600/700 and a 800 none of which took on ANY water even after traversing the same wet spot's that I did.

well first off you have to make sure your rope start is seated properly but it sounds like the seal on the clutch housing is leaking.....you can check your belt at the same time

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2004.5 Sportsman 500 50th Anniversary Edition ,2006 Hawkeye 4x4, 2006 Triton 128 trailer, 2001 GMC HD 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 SLT

are you flying threw it faster than the others just a lil bit faster can splash up tons of water in teh vent. but it is prob your seal like miniexcavator

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2001 polaris 500 scrambler 2/4 K&N air filter, all skid plates, winch mount, 2,500 waterproof winch, rear rack, trailor hitch 500 sportsman engine and carb. oversized rear tires.(dirt devils) hand gaurds, heated hand grips

1998 polaris sport 400 2/4 K&N air filter. hand gaurds

First check the belt housing for loose bolts,
Second make sure all the fittings and clamps are tight on the intake and exhaust vents for the belt housing. It is posible that they may be loose and seeping water.
Then as mentioned earlier, pull the belt housing and check/replace the gasket, not a big deal.

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’08 Sportsman 400 HO
Red, 25” Swamplites on stock rims, Contico cargo box, Pure Polaris deluxe front and rear brush guards

’06 Hawkeye 300
Green, 24” Carlisle 489s on stock rims, Pure Polaris deluxe brush guard, clutch mod w/12 gm. Rollers, Gorilla 2500 Pro winch

Loose/missing bolts or a bad/missing gasket are my best guesses. You never know what's been done to it before you bought it. I've been in water up to the racks without any problems. One guy told me that mice like to nest in there too.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

interesting thought Jumbo, never even gave it a thought, but it would be a perfect spot for mice to nest! A screen of some sort may not be a bad idea

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’08 Sportsman 400 HO
Red, 25” Swamplites on stock rims, Contico cargo box, Pure Polaris deluxe front and rear brush guards

’06 Hawkeye 300
Green, 24” Carlisle 489s on stock rims, Pure Polaris deluxe brush guard, clutch mod w/12 gm. Rollers, Gorilla 2500 Pro winch

Edited: 05/07/2008 at 09:32 PM by jokout

I met two guys probably in their early fifties who were brothers. One had an old Sportsman 400 2-stroke and the other had a 500. I went over to ask which was faster. One guy said with his crazy brother on it was fastest, even when they switched. I guess the quads were pretty evenly matched.

But then one guy says to me have I ever had any critters in the belt housing? He said they had mice in at least one, both I think. I'm pretty sure he said after they started the first one with mice in it they took the cover off the other one and cleaned it out. The mice found some kind of insulation, from a car I think, and had a nice nest with a snorkel on it to keep the water out. Not bad for "stupid" rodents. He said they put a piece of hardware cloth or window screen, just like you said jokout, over the outtake hole and that was that. They could survive a winter in my quad outdoors, and at the time I rode evey other weekend year-round so I felt pretty safe without the mouseproof mod.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.

I had the same problem. The reason was broken other side of casing where bolts go. Silicone helped

mwright mice and gophers do make their nests in some of the craziest places , i once found one in of all places the airbox on my old Honda Foreman ; and i rode it once a week ( Go Figure ) i not only installed some of the large holed screen wire and set a few rat trap's to keep them out of my Quads !

And by all means check your belt housing side plate , air box and pull starter housing ; and replace the gaskets and side plate if nessary and like some do use some silacon chauking around the pull rope and housing !

Man i hate mice and gophers they can do untold destruction to anything , and don't forget Dirt Dobbers ; i've seen the huge nests they can make mainly in the exhaust so here's hoping you get the Quads leak stopped and welcome to the forums !........

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williebee

On my hose connection to my belt housing I removed the cheap plastic tie straps and replaced them with steel hose clamps. On my belt housing I used the old seal but added blue goo sealant as a back up. the only way water is getting in is if I crack the plastic hose or housing or just go in too deep of water.

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2001 SP 500 H.O

Good idea TLC.

And willie, I never even considered the wasp problem before. I mainly have yellow jackets around here. They think the inside on my truck's rear view mirrors is a good place to nest. I disagree. I think it gets a little too hot and they go in the shed and I spray them. But mud daubers could really screw up moving parts with their cement.

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2006 Sportsman 500 EFI with winch, Glacier Plow, Lock & Ride backrest, front brushguard, rear bumper, 8" rear rack extension, thumb-warmer, 3-headlight kit, RAM mount for Garmin GPS 12.

Evo 2X 50cc 2-speed powerboard (scooter) with Power Pipe, velocity stack, ADA Racing air filter, bigger drive gear. Only 55 pounds with 6 HP.

2001 Chevy Siverado half-ton 4x4, regular cab, long bed, Leer fiberglass cap, an old mutt in the passenger seat.