Allen bolts backing out under motor plate

[pura vida]

The motor would be knock against the straps. Have you seen an increase in belt wear in say the past 100 or 200 miles? We couldnt figure it out til it got bad enough that when we would pry on the motor it would move around more that we thought it should. Then when Chris got home he found a bolt in the bottom of the belly pan. Then the search for where it came from began. You know the rest of the story... Hope that is all yours is. Better yet if you can get it warrentied!

ahhhh, had not considered that. thanks ultrarider, i'm betting that is exactly what my issue is now that you have described it. i also found a random bolt lying under my clutches after a ride. couldn't figure out where it came from, looked real similar to one of the four bolts that hold the skid in, but obviously it wasn't one of those. then the noise started, or might have started a little that same day. now it has gotten worse. probably b/c the rest of the strap bolts are loose. yeah, i bet the straps are wasted now too. definitely will be a warranty item and i'm sure my dealer (hpp for those of you in ak) will take care of it. but how long will i be without a sled? snow is epic right now, and i bet i miss a bunch of it. if i just get the parts from them and do it myself i bet i'm riding much sooner.

pv

 

[icr]

The motor is pretty easy to pull on these. If they can't get you on the snow in under a week I'd recommend doing it on your own.

 

[whoisthatguy]

Crank bearing failures are preceeded by a loss of peak power and engine response over at least the previous 50 miles. Automatic shutdown is also a symptom. The final popcorn sound is when the the bearing parts are rattling around inside your engine. You haven't mentioned any of the above items yet.

 

[pura vida]

yeah i'm not getting those symptoms and why i was only 95% sure it was the crank. just could figure out what else the noise could be. i've had multiple crank failures in the past on other sleds that sounded similar, although not exact. but with the motor plates being all loosey goosey and ultrarider describing the exact same symptoms i'm now leaning towards the plates being the issue.

 

[pura vida]

since the dealer is closed today i figured i tear into the motor myself since i'm sure i will be able to do it faster myself rather than having to wait in line at the dealer. (i'm not very patience) sure enough one of the bolts on the mag side motor plate is completely gone and the other one is loose and working its way out. the plate itself has clear signs from where the motor has been vibrating/hitting against it and the bolt holes are wallowed out. will take it to the dealer tomorrow and get a new one on the way. hopefully it will be warrantied even though i did it myself. the pto side plate was still tight but i pulled the bolts out anyway, added plenty of red lock tight, and reinstalled it with PLENTY of torque. wonder how long it will take until i can get a new plate...???

pv

 

[tomlee76]

Good news is you figures it out in the garage and not on top of a mtn. My Dragon blew a motor mount and it went up into the clutches-make sure you check your clutches out, mine needed both as it tore the **** out of them. Good luck, I could send you my motor plate-LORD KNOWS WE DON'T HAVE ANY SNOW HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! sucks, I would love to be out breaking things right now.

 

[pura vida]

do you have an aftermarket plate?

 

[AkLogan]

i got my parts in 4 days from eagle river. new plates and bolts. ill be venturing in to this same thing tomorrow. My sled is the one ultra rider was talking about. but insted of trying to find the issue i just rode a little harder. so hopefully that doesnt bite me

 

[mntmaster]

Just got back from Lost and on the way out I started getting the same thing, I'll also be checking this out.

 

[mntmaster]

pulled my motor and checked everything, but nothing was loose. I put locktite on everything going back together. The obnoxious rattle I was getting turned out to be my ski hoop!

 

[pura vida]

that's good news

lucky for me i have an awesome dealer and they got my replacement strap to me in two days! (i think they were just happy i didn't drop my sled off and make them do the work! ) i added plenty of red locktite and a lock washer to each bolt when i put it back together. i'll check it again in another 1000 miles... i actually figured out that it would be possible, although a PITA, to get to the PTO side bolts without pulling the motor. unfortunately it is the mag side that seems to be loosening for everyone. no way to get to those without lifting the motor up. although if i have to do it again i believe i could do it a little easier and i know it wouldn't take as long. would have had it running last night but no ride today so i'll just finish putting everything back together this afternoon.

pv

 

[2XM3]

This is probably a stupid question as I have not pulled a pro motor yet, but would it be possible to cut some access holes in the bellypan area (with plugs for sealing) in order to access the bolts in order to check them? Better yet just to slip a socket on there to tighten every 1000 miles or such?

 

[chadweiser]

was going to ask same thing getting ready to pull motor tonight thought maybe i would put the straps back in place without motor and see. if i t can be done then i will post pics with some reference measurements.

 

[mntmaster]

I cheated...I did not pull the motor all the way out. I took out all the motor mount allen head bolts from the motor straps to the bulkhead and creatively raised the mag side with a prybar and but some wood blocks underneath until I had access to the bolts. The only pain was I had to pick the motor up level and do a little jiggling to get it to sit strait again so it was not getting hung up on the rubber mounts. The PTO side is a piece of cake with the right tools after you do the mag side.

 

[pura vida]

yeah, don't know if that would be a good idea b/c you would have to drill holes directly into the aluminum of your bulkhead. although if you drilled the holes just large enough to slide your socket through it might work really well. assuming, you have something that would seal the holes and not be able to come out under riding conditions. i tend to manage to hit a lot of stuff, intended and unintended, and would be constantly concerned if all i had were rubber grommets sealing the holes. it is worth a look and consideration but for now i'll just lift the motor up when/if needed. really the best solution would be to simply find the same size aircraft bolts that already have holes drilled in them and safety wire the damn things. that would put end to any loosening or concern there of.

pv

 

[2XM3]

yeah just safty wire the bolts in place...I was thinkin allen head bolts and drill minimal hole for allen socket to fit, then tap for 3/8 pipe and locktie pipe plugs to fill holes

 

[chadweiser]

just finished installing new allen head socket bolts into my motor straps. I didn't pull the motor, instead desided to cut holes into the bottom not that big of a deal. After looking at it there was an alum. plate that is riveted between the cast bulkhead and the front cooler (on standard rmk) so i cut holes where or close to where the bolts were located. I also did what 2xm3 said in his post i drilled holes through the head of the allen bolt and safety wired the bolts in with loctite also. shouldn't have to worry again. I then cut an alum. plate 3/16"x 6"x12" and riveted into place also put a good bit of silicone under and around the plate to seal it up good. this only took about 1-1/2 hours to do plus didn't have to mess with wires. witch have enough trouble. here are some pics. of the project.

 

[wellfed777]

thanks chad
wish you would have taken measurements for where the bults are then we
could drill/cut smaller holes and plug them
maybe i could use your pics to figure out hole placement

 

[chadweiser]

i will measure tomarrow from the rivet holes that are there now.

 

[pura vida]

so just to give a "final" update... it is amazing how much better the sled runs when something as simple as motor plate bolts are properly tightened. as expected, no bad noises and held much more consistent rpms. imagine that... thanks again to hatcher pass polaris for the incredible turn around time on the parts. now to add the head and play more with the suspension.

pv