Help! I have an 02 Magnum 500 4X4 with a centralized hilliard differential on the front wheel drive. It has recently started engaging at random times and has become increasingly harder to disengage. I changed the fluid (used demand drive hub fluid?) with little success. The coil ohms out good (26.2 ohms) and in the process I discovered the coil had been spliced into the wiring harness with slip on connectors. Previous owner abuse I suspect. The machine was neglected and run hard from what I can tell. The wires are spliced into the right place, it just appears they cut the connector plug off the end and used slip ons. Anyway, with the wires to the hub disconnected I still get some engagement of the front wheels. What am I looking for? Warped armature plate? Thanks,

 

Possibly a warped plate along with a cracked plastic roll cage in most instances that cause intermittent or no awd.This is a common problem that's been posted many times. Polaris offers an updated one,but doesn't say if it's aluminum or not.Plus many parts changes in this early centralized front diff.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse
Plenty of hardened aluminum cages now that are about the same price as the plastic ones.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polaris-Magnum-330-500-Hardened-Aluminum-Sprague-Cage-Roller-Carrier-ARC-P-022-/380856412479?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58accfa93f&vxp=mtr Plus plenty of videos on this now. This is on a Razr.

 

Are you sure its a 2002 Magnum because the 500 Sportsman still used the twin locking hubs until 2004.

The plastic roller cage where a weak spot on the single centralized Hillary.

 

The 2002 Magnum 500s were one of the first ones on centralized awd. Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the info I can get. The Clymer and Haynes manuals I have are pretty sketchy about what is on my model. Knowing the Magnums were outfitted with a centralized hilliard earlier helps a lot. Things the manual says I should have that aren't the way it shows or describes explains some of the discrepancies. I have been questioning whether some drives had been swapped or I may have a Frankenstein's monster.

 

I knew the 2002 700 Sportsman had the first centralized locking diff.

I find it odd the 500 Magnum would get the new front drive before the higher end 500H.O.

By this pic the 2002 Magnum sure looks to have the oversized fliud filled Hillary front locking hubs. http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...hicleCode=3403 But by OPT link I guess it did.

Here is a 2005 Sportsman with centralized locking diff next to a 2002 Sportsman with dual locking hubs notice the front hub size difference. 2005 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. ATVs

 

To clear this up,the 2002 500 Magnum and the 2002 Sportsman 700 had the centralized gear case with the roll cage. Also the 2002 325 HDS incorporated a centralized type front diff without the cages in the hubs,but used a visco lok system. 2002 was a confusing first year as Polaris was experimenting. Item #26.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Another odd ball year was all those 2004.5 year ATVs by Polaris.
I mean what's was that about? Its not a 2004 or a 2005 but in between?

 

Just have a 2005 manual for these and you're pretty well covered as well as for ordering most parts.On some things engine serial numbers were required on what parts you needed. All techs,counter parts guys hated mid year changes.

 

That's what the manuals were showing me was the Hillary locking hubs. I'm fairly new to this atv stuff so I scratched my head about where my hub fluid was supposed to go for awhile. Looking at the manuals also showed a fill hole on the gear case to be on the right side. I think it was a viscolok differential they were showing. I finally remembered a post from OPT that had a link to a factory manual for the 03-05 Magnum 325 & 330 line and low and behold, there was my front drive. It was listed as a centralized hilliard and the fill plug was even where it showed it to be, on the left side. It has given me some problems figuring out the right parts from time to time.