Primary Failure

[JH@CM]

There I was, a very happy owner of a Matryx 850 NA, 530mi into a "keep making the best of it" riding season. It's a stock sled, and only folks to touch the clutches other than cleaning sheaves were the assembly line and my dealer.

Fortunately riding in one of our more compact local zones, and relatively close to the trailhead. Going in for extraction this morning.

Riding as usual, then started feeling the sensation of a belt failing. A chunky noise. Then I stopped. Looked at the belt, no issue. Spun belt to inspect, no problem. Huh. Start it again, and then bang. Open the hood to find this:



Fortunately we have a great dealer. Unfortunately now I'm working with my crew to get the sled out of the woods, and then waiting for it to be fixed. I've ridden thousands of miles on other brands of sleds, and believe this the kind of quality control issue that always made me leery of Polaris.

Anyone else experienced failures? I saw this one on youtube but am curious if others have experienced something similar. The primary retaining bolt failed in both his case and mine, but in different spots.

Bummed.

 

[Fosgate]

Saw this last week. If you notice the bolt has impurities in it causing corrosion. I'm seeing more and more of this on the insurance claims side of things as farmers turn in damage due to ingestion claims but then discover the cause is becoming more frequently a part breaking that has that cancer looking inside. Also seeing similar increase on autos since Covid. It's not really the manufacturers fault as much as the supplier of the raw materials to the parts maker. It's impurities in the metal from the production.

 

[revrider07]

I’ll bet the power of the starter stressed it.
seems Polaris has really dropped the ball on quality control. Let’s hope they get there sh,, together before 23

 

[Ultrasauras]

We had the same thing happened on a 2018 800 2 weeks ago. Send back with all thread cut the same length as the bolt and some nuts. Bolted the broken half back on. Then rode it out slowly to where we could pull it out. The broken bolt should work it’s way out if you leave the sled idle and tip it on its side. I have had 2 different broken bolts work their way out for me like that.

 

[JH@CM]

We failed after repeated attempts to get the sled out of the woods today. Now I'm trying to track down another option for recovery.

Sucks.

 

[JH@CM]

We had the same thing happened on a 2018 800 2 weeks ago. Send back with all thread cut the same length as the bolt and some nuts. Bolted the broken half back on. Then rode it out slowly to where we could pull it out. The broken bolt should work it’s way out if you leave the sled idle and tip it on its side. I have had 2 different broken bolts work their way out for me like that.

Wish it was just bolts from the outside clutch cover... that would be a pretty straightforward field repair.

 

[Ultrasauras]

Nope ours was the main bolt. But our clutch broke in th exact same place as yours. Ours was broke clean so the shaft that the outer sheave slides on was still intact. Yours looks like it is not any longer We had one big climb to get up Then towed it out.

 

[JH@CM]

Nope ours was the main bolt. But our clutch broke in th exact same place as yours. Ours was broke clean so the shaft that the outer sheave slides on was still intact. Yours looks like it is not any longer We had one big climb to get up Then towed it out.

Yeah, there's no question that this clutch is a goner. Question is getting a new one installed on the hill, with the old threaded portion still in the crank. My dealer thinks probably not.

 

[Ultrasauras]

Look at the axys section another member posted pics of how to get the fixed sheave off the crank. My son drilled his in pie shapes then cut it with a grinder. All that was left was the steel core on the crank. He then ground down the steel core until it released from the crankshaft. With today’s rechargeable power tools it is possible to remove the old one on the hill

 

[revrider07]

Look at the axys section another member posted pics of how to get the fixed sheave off the crank. My son drilled his in pie shapes then cut it with a grinder. All that was left was the steel core on the crank. He then ground down the steel core until it released from the crankshaft. With today’s rechargeable power tools it is possible to remove the old one on the hill

This no towing.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Yeah, there's no question that this clutch is a goner. Question is getting a new one installed on the hill, with the old threaded portion still in the crank. My dealer thinks probably not.

I’ve spun out a couple broken off clutch bolts with a straight pick.

Easy peasy

 

[JH@CM]

I’ve spun out a couple broken off clutch bolts with a straight pick.

Easy peasy

Guessing by your screen name that you have some serious mechanic skills.

IF I could manage to get the broken bolt out, I'd need to locate a spare primary. Might happen Tuesday since I think they're closed Monday for Prez Day. Dealer is a 3h round trip.

Super fun stuff on a 3mo old sled. I guess they are all just ticking time bombs, just didn't expect to be dealing with this on a new machine.

 

[Fosgate]

Guessing by your screen name that you have some serious mechanic skills.

IF I could manage to get the broken bolt out, I'd need to locate a spare primary. Might happen Tuesday since I think they're closed Monday for Prez Day. Dealer is a 3h round trip.

Super fun stuff on a 3mo old sled. I guess they are all just ticking time bombs, just didn't expect to be dealing with this on a new machine.

Good luck, push comes to shove you might try a machine shop. I've had to do that to get a stubborn broken off one before. Dropped it off one day and picked it up the next. Think it cost me a whole $30. They got all the stuff and know how to deal with the problem quickly. I left a replacement bolt with them with torque specs and they even had that installed and torqued. Dealership would have charged way more. Wondering if we might start considering titanium replacements. https://www.alternativeimpact.com/2...ium-Primary-Secondary-Clutch-Bolt-2102987.htm

 

[Ultrasauras]

^^^ totally agree this is B S especially for the cost of these sleds nowadays

 

[Ndanger]

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have a situation of recovering a sled that is broken. I guess that it is fortunate not to get stranded and spend a cold night on a hill. Is a portable drill and easy-out an option to remove the bolt, I assume that once the bolt is removed a new primary could be installed in the field to get it running. Could a short piece of the broken bolt be drilled and used as a centering guide for drilling for an easy-out.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Guessing by your screen name that you have some serious mechanic skills.

IF I could manage to get the broken bolt out, I'd need to locate a spare primary. Might happen Tuesday since I think they're closed Monday for Prez Day. Dealer is a 3h round trip.

Super fun stuff on a 3mo old sled. I guess they are all just ticking time bombs, just didn't expect to be dealing with this on a new machine.

Take a clutch off a different sled?

My theory on the blame train goes this way.

Out of balance clutch, fatigues the steel through the center, breaks clutch, breaks bolt.

Seen it on a 1200 mile 800 Axys and a 800 mile 800 dragon.

Just a crap deal but grind it off, spin out the bolt piece (it is no longer under tension and loose) and swap clutch, go ride.

 

[562xp]

Try finding a left hand drill bit, this will typically spin a broken bolt out.

 

[Ultrasauras]

On ours the broken bolt threaded it self out by letting the sled idle for less the 5 minutes. Did this on 2 different sleds bolt came out that way on both of them

 

[JH@CM]

Backcountry mechanical skills I apparently need to learn to ride Poo!

 

[edgey]

I haven't broke one on a sled but had this happen on a RZR 1000. Grinder and a cold chisel and a hammer about a 10 minute job.