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850 gone down already??

papafinger1

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Jan 16, 2007
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minnesota
Lots of people watching this thread including 3 of the 4 guys in the truck blazing accross Nebraska headed to wolf creek. 2 of us almost sno checked a patriot this year and 1 did. Hoping for the best with this motor. I agree that it is a manufacturing issue. I am sure the sleds the engineers build and r&d for years before the release build a fantastic machine accross all brands but the sad fact is changes have to be made to provide a reasonably priced machine to the consumer, sacrificing durability in some shape or form. It always seems to be the case. Frustrating because we don’t know if we are getting the quality engineered, built, and tested machine it was meant to be or the Chinese knock -off. Sucks!


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N
Feb 5, 2013
3
3
3
both of those sled looks like the center bearing are almost gone(they roll realy rough)and it ain't the cause of failure(one has a seized piston pto side and the other one had a seized pto bearing(no the oil fitting wasn't blocked or anything like that). both warranty claims was approuved and parts and engine assembly expedited right away. i trust Polaris will react, find the problem and solve the issues quickly. more on this later since we have another 2 sleds to open today.

Do you have any picks of the inside of the top half of the case and did the center bearings look dry? I’m just trying to figure out how they were planning on oiling these. The ctec 800 has the same seal set up but they have oiling holes through the top of the case into a hole in the bearing to fed them. By the looks of what I can find polaris is relying on oil to get down between the crank web and bearing.
 
S
Dec 28, 2018
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Washington
Threads like this started in the Polaris section in 2005.

This is a big thread because there is some problems with the way this motor is designed and built. Like it's been said over and over some will have problems some won't. I just hope you don't have problems in a worst case scenario and can't get it or yourself and riding group out of the mountains!!

I've avoided commenting on this thread till now because I'm a die hard cat guy.
6 cat sleds in the shop.
I own a 2012 belt blowing 310 hp M1100T. I spent the money to fix the problem. It hasn't blown a belt since I did the TCL delete and aligned the motor.

If I owned a Polaris 850 and knew how it was assembled I'd be scared of how long it would run and where it would leave me stranded. If it made it through the season I'd be sending the motor to Indy Dan to make it reliable!!!

I would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole... of course hes not going to say this engine is the best motor ever made when he has his "fixes" to sell... not buying it....
 
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Murph

Polaris Moderator/ Polaris Ambassador/ Klim Amb.
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I would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole... of course hes not going to say this engine is the best motor ever made when he has his "fixes" to sell... not buying it....

Full disclosure— I consider Dan a friend. Before I had the privilege of calling him my friend, I was a customer. A very satisfied customer.


Sheer— you are entitled to your opinion. At seven posts you are not a known quantity on this forum. Dan @ Indy Specialty is a known AND well respected entity on this forum.


Stating that you “would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole...” implies that you believe him to be incompetent. That could not be further from the truth.

Use or don’t use Indy Specialty services— that is your choice. Disagree with his theories all you want.

But do not come on here and bash his competence or ability to build a motor.
 
P

paulharris

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Dec 12, 2007
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apologize if its already been discussed in this thread, but where are the engine parts cylinders, cases, bearings, etc manufactured? are they domestically made or did polaris farm it out to china? has anyone taken a good hard look at the castings?
 

cubby

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Nov 26, 2007
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I would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole... of course hes not going to say this engine is the best motor ever made when he has his "fixes" to sell... not buying it....

You sir need to do some homework before spouting off anymore. Dan knows more about these motors then most anyone out there.
 

CATDIESELPOWER

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I would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole... of course hes not going to say this engine is the best motor ever made when he has his "fixes" to sell... not buying it....

Actually Dan has stated, in this thread, that he likes this motor. Just needs a few tweaks to fix typical first run Polaris issues.
Read a little more before you start yapping.
 

revrider07

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Feb 17, 2008
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I would not let that guy touch my sled with a 10 foot pole... of course hes not going to say this engine is the best motor ever made when he has his "fixes" to sell... not buying it....

He is entitled to his opinion maybe he had a bad experience with dans business. It was told to me earlier in this thread number of posts doesn't matter it's the gospel. So let's see 10000 850 patriots made give or take 1 to 2 percent failure rate maybe numbers are hypothetical at this point yet. So all of you Polaris haters on this motor why not take it to Dan have him fix it or don't buy one. Buy a cat or maybe a Yamaha if you want a 10000 mile motor that handles like a Sherman tank. If your scared to ride your 850 sell it.
 

diamonddave

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Apr 5, 2006
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who, in their right mind, would buy a first year Polaris 800cc+ engine? Lol



It’s easy to say that. Some people bought the 850 for the many other improvements PI made to the sled. Out of the box it’s still the best handling sled there is. 80% of riders can’t even ride the sled to its potential.

The 800HO was a great release. 800 CFI2 showed its ugly head in year 2. PI fixed it. My only reason for not snowchecking one is because I need another neck surgery and wasn’t sure I’d make it through winter. After 8 days in Seeley, I’m wishing I would have.
 
J

JJ_0909

ACCOUNT CLOSED
Nov 16, 2009
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Hearing Polaris has ordered thousands of 850 motors due to this issue. Also hearing not "if" but "when". Hoping its just hearsay, but in the past this source has been reliable. Also hearing they are running thin on motors already and asking certain dealers to do a bottom end rebuild. Ouch.

Does anyone have over 600-700 hard mountain miles on one of these yet?
 
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