R
Ron
ACCOUNT CLOSED
Here is some info posted last year but edited and with additional detail. Sorry I can only post 2 pages & then start a new post because of SW limits. This is just my info & is not intended to be a complete guide....maybe helpful to those servicing their clutch for the first time.
I'll provide a clean word file to anyone requesting one by PM but I'll need your email address.
Polaris P85 Drive Clutch
Care of your drive clutch will extend its life by years. A worn or out of balance clutch is hard on the crank, the drive belt & will reduce performance.
Under Hood Ventilation-At a minimum-install shock tower vents & create flow through ventilation-add vents or increase existing openings at the rear of the cowling. Venting will reduce clutch temps by 10-15 degrees-but not enough to offset poor clutching. New sleds are loaded with foam and they have inadequate ventilation because of EPA noise emission requirements. Foam also draws moisture so remove it. The remaining residue can be removed with 3M tar & bug cleaner. While venting reduces belt heat it is only part of the solution.
Clutch Health-If your clutches run cool they last longer. You should be able to hold your hand on the surface after some long pulls. Hot clutches cause excessive belt wear, clutch wear and are indicative of another problem. I.e. clutch is not dialed, alignment off, broken motor mount, etc. Oak Harbor sells a digital laser temp tool for $30 that is accurate within + or – 2 degrees.
Servicing the Drive Clutch on the Sled-Remove the belt and use two long flat blade screwdrivers to open the clutch. Gently pry with the tip under the spider using the second one once the first screwdriver loses leverage. Place an object (deep well socket) behind the spider to hold the clutch open. Now the rollers and weights are free. You can change weights or clean the bushings. I use a magnet to hold the weight as I remove the bolt.
Clean the wt & roller bushing by spraying LPS-1 into the bushing while rotating the roller. Do not use an oil based product or WD40 since they will attract belt dust. For the wts I put an allen wrench in the bolt and spin the bolt as I lube the bushing. Use a paper towel and air gun to remove excess lube. You can detect a worn roller as you clean-it will have vertical slop. Polaris rollers seem to last forever, but they can go bad. Changing rollers requires special tools to remove the spider. During the season use an air gun to remove debris from the clutch often.
Check the weights for side play since they will eventually wear a “V” at the base of the clutch tower over time. This “V” will eventually result in the tip of the weight swinging off the roller and contacting the spider. When this happens the clutch hangs and the clutch shifts erratically. Flat rollers or flat spots in weights can occur. This condition also creates more wear on the sides of the weight bushing. If your weights run true you will wear the clutch bolt before wearing out the weight bushing.
Clean the clutch sheaves often. Steel wool, fine sandpaper, hot soapy water, Alcohol, cloth with comet cleanser & hot water-take your pick. Brake cleaner & Carb cleaner work but leave belt residue in the pores of the aluminum.
Placing the clutch in the dishwasher can create domestic issues.
TIP
Replacement Weight bushings by Comet are available. (Western Power Spts. #208342-3 are $21.95) To remove a weight bushing you need a tool with a shoulder.
You can also buy steel Comet washers to shim the weight and keep it true in the clutch. (WPS part #204203 6@$4.50) At 500-1000 miles there is enough wear that a single washer will usually fit on the thrust side of the weight. The clutch turns counterclockwise so looking down at the weight nearest you; it would be the right side of the weight is the thrust side. You may need to grind a little off at the base to square the surface for the washer-a Dremmel works great. The slot for the weights will be wider at the top and narrow at the bottom (V) so grind the bottom to square the opening. If you are ambitious you can add the washer to both sides & then all wear is to a washer that can be replaced. This small amount of material won’t change clutch balance much. Once you are done with clutching it’s a good idea to have your primary balanced again.
TIP-The Polaris bolt has a straight shoulder at the end of the thread that will hang up on the washer or weight bushing during insertion. Gently grind a taper on this edge using a bench grinder.
Clutch Removal-A good clutch puller is available from many sources including Polaris. Remove the clutch bolt and insert the puller-tighten till the clutch comes off. There are various methods of holding the clutch while you tighten the bolt; I like a strap wrench or holding tool. A 2X4 braced against the chassis and the clutch also works on some sleds. I don’t care for removing a spark plug and putting rope in to lock the piston nor do I like placing a bar through the clutch. Avoid anything that may stress your crank. Most dealers use an impact wrench-if you do then hold the clutch with one hand. Use an Impact gun as last resort & never hit the end of the puller with a hammer….Ever wonder why some cranks last longer than others?
TIP-A stubborn clutch will usually come free with application of heat to the inner sheave. Try a spot of grease on the tip of the puller and Teflon on the threads for more leverage. Put your heat gun on high and turn the clutch to apply heat evenly. Apply more pressure on the puller and apply more heat. Before replacing the clutch clean all grease and rust spots from the inner taper & crank stub. 200-600 grit emery paper can be used to polish the surfaces. Replace the clutch after cleaning the stub & inner bore-see Indy Dan's post # 20 below.
TORQUE SETTINGS: Drive Clutch
800 Clean Fire torque 80#
700 Clean Fire-80# (07 & newer)
900 & 700 (866&755) Liberty Engines torque 96# (05 & 06)
Other Liberty Engines torque 50#
Older Fuji Engines torque 45#
Torque the 900 at least once more after a short run or elevate the sled & run the track, grab the brake, repeat several times & torque again.
IMPORTANT*** When replacing the outer drive clutch cover make sure to align the X on the spider with the X on the cover.
Your clutch is balanced so why not balance the weights? Polaris allows a tolerance of + or – 1 gram. I always weigh and balance all clutch weights. When you are satisfied with clutching setup, it’s a good idea to have a machine shop rebalance your clutch with the weights installed.
Clutch Alignment-Just some brief things to consider. New sleds should come in spec & is included in normal dealer setup. At least annually check offset and I always check the center
I'll provide a clean word file to anyone requesting one by PM but I'll need your email address.
Polaris P85 Drive Clutch
Care of your drive clutch will extend its life by years. A worn or out of balance clutch is hard on the crank, the drive belt & will reduce performance.
Under Hood Ventilation-At a minimum-install shock tower vents & create flow through ventilation-add vents or increase existing openings at the rear of the cowling. Venting will reduce clutch temps by 10-15 degrees-but not enough to offset poor clutching. New sleds are loaded with foam and they have inadequate ventilation because of EPA noise emission requirements. Foam also draws moisture so remove it. The remaining residue can be removed with 3M tar & bug cleaner. While venting reduces belt heat it is only part of the solution.
Clutch Health-If your clutches run cool they last longer. You should be able to hold your hand on the surface after some long pulls. Hot clutches cause excessive belt wear, clutch wear and are indicative of another problem. I.e. clutch is not dialed, alignment off, broken motor mount, etc. Oak Harbor sells a digital laser temp tool for $30 that is accurate within + or – 2 degrees.
Servicing the Drive Clutch on the Sled-Remove the belt and use two long flat blade screwdrivers to open the clutch. Gently pry with the tip under the spider using the second one once the first screwdriver loses leverage. Place an object (deep well socket) behind the spider to hold the clutch open. Now the rollers and weights are free. You can change weights or clean the bushings. I use a magnet to hold the weight as I remove the bolt.
Clean the wt & roller bushing by spraying LPS-1 into the bushing while rotating the roller. Do not use an oil based product or WD40 since they will attract belt dust. For the wts I put an allen wrench in the bolt and spin the bolt as I lube the bushing. Use a paper towel and air gun to remove excess lube. You can detect a worn roller as you clean-it will have vertical slop. Polaris rollers seem to last forever, but they can go bad. Changing rollers requires special tools to remove the spider. During the season use an air gun to remove debris from the clutch often.
Check the weights for side play since they will eventually wear a “V” at the base of the clutch tower over time. This “V” will eventually result in the tip of the weight swinging off the roller and contacting the spider. When this happens the clutch hangs and the clutch shifts erratically. Flat rollers or flat spots in weights can occur. This condition also creates more wear on the sides of the weight bushing. If your weights run true you will wear the clutch bolt before wearing out the weight bushing.
Clean the clutch sheaves often. Steel wool, fine sandpaper, hot soapy water, Alcohol, cloth with comet cleanser & hot water-take your pick. Brake cleaner & Carb cleaner work but leave belt residue in the pores of the aluminum.
Placing the clutch in the dishwasher can create domestic issues.
TIP
Replacement Weight bushings by Comet are available. (Western Power Spts. #208342-3 are $21.95) To remove a weight bushing you need a tool with a shoulder.
You can also buy steel Comet washers to shim the weight and keep it true in the clutch. (WPS part #204203 6@$4.50) At 500-1000 miles there is enough wear that a single washer will usually fit on the thrust side of the weight. The clutch turns counterclockwise so looking down at the weight nearest you; it would be the right side of the weight is the thrust side. You may need to grind a little off at the base to square the surface for the washer-a Dremmel works great. The slot for the weights will be wider at the top and narrow at the bottom (V) so grind the bottom to square the opening. If you are ambitious you can add the washer to both sides & then all wear is to a washer that can be replaced. This small amount of material won’t change clutch balance much. Once you are done with clutching it’s a good idea to have your primary balanced again.
TIP-The Polaris bolt has a straight shoulder at the end of the thread that will hang up on the washer or weight bushing during insertion. Gently grind a taper on this edge using a bench grinder.
Clutch Removal-A good clutch puller is available from many sources including Polaris. Remove the clutch bolt and insert the puller-tighten till the clutch comes off. There are various methods of holding the clutch while you tighten the bolt; I like a strap wrench or holding tool. A 2X4 braced against the chassis and the clutch also works on some sleds. I don’t care for removing a spark plug and putting rope in to lock the piston nor do I like placing a bar through the clutch. Avoid anything that may stress your crank. Most dealers use an impact wrench-if you do then hold the clutch with one hand. Use an Impact gun as last resort & never hit the end of the puller with a hammer….Ever wonder why some cranks last longer than others?
TIP-A stubborn clutch will usually come free with application of heat to the inner sheave. Try a spot of grease on the tip of the puller and Teflon on the threads for more leverage. Put your heat gun on high and turn the clutch to apply heat evenly. Apply more pressure on the puller and apply more heat. Before replacing the clutch clean all grease and rust spots from the inner taper & crank stub. 200-600 grit emery paper can be used to polish the surfaces. Replace the clutch after cleaning the stub & inner bore-see Indy Dan's post # 20 below.
TORQUE SETTINGS: Drive Clutch
800 Clean Fire torque 80#
700 Clean Fire-80# (07 & newer)
900 & 700 (866&755) Liberty Engines torque 96# (05 & 06)
Other Liberty Engines torque 50#
Older Fuji Engines torque 45#
Torque the 900 at least once more after a short run or elevate the sled & run the track, grab the brake, repeat several times & torque again.
IMPORTANT*** When replacing the outer drive clutch cover make sure to align the X on the spider with the X on the cover.
Your clutch is balanced so why not balance the weights? Polaris allows a tolerance of + or – 1 gram. I always weigh and balance all clutch weights. When you are satisfied with clutching setup, it’s a good idea to have a machine shop rebalance your clutch with the weights installed.
Clutch Alignment-Just some brief things to consider. New sleds should come in spec & is included in normal dealer setup. At least annually check offset and I always check the center
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