I'm dumb, do I need a mechanic?

[97exc]

Rode in the Snowies today, parked on a hill and finally made the stupid mistake of leaving my parking brake on as I tried to ride away. At first it felt like the sled was just slipping (was icy) so I gave it more throttle. Probably too much, I think I smoked the brake pretty good, smelled it all the way back (5-7 miles). I also heard a weird noise, like something popping almost. I checked it all out, belt "looks" ok, I didn't take it off yet. The sled rode ok except for when taking off it felt like it was a bit choppy or stuttering as the track hooked up.

So now I'm wondering if I should have it looked at? I don't have a lift or a good way of getting the sled in the air to really check it out. Could there have been other damage done to the clutches or something else in the drivetrain?

Sled is a 2001 Mountain Cat 600 EFI

 

[Arctic Thunder]

put your spare belt on and give a run. My guess is you glazed the belt on take off and now you are feeling this as it works in the clutchs.

If possible get the back of the sled off the ground and roll the track over and see if it is hanging up.

My guess is you probably put 2500 miles on the brakes and rotor in 5 miles but did little damage.

When running it on a stand take a look at the rotor and make sure it isn't warped.

Thunder

 

[m8magicandmystery]

x2^^^..i think that when you first got going with the belt she has a little burn spot where it makes your popping every revolution starting out...

 

[diggerdown]

NO doubt the belt. replace it right away, it is very hard on the clutches and DD bearings to run a flat spot. It's kind of entertaining and kind of sad watching people do that when they go to unload from the trailer!

 

[97exc]

Thanks for the advice so far, I'll definitely swap the belt and see how it is.

Just to clarify, I actually probably only rode about 50 feet with the brake on, the smell lasted all the way back but I didn't ride very far with it on. The parking brake on this sled locks up so hard it really wont even move with it on. Normally the sled takes off around 4500rpm, I probably had it up to 6-7k with the brake on.

 

[Arctic Thunder]

I am working on the same problem with my 2000 600 PS.

How much pad do you have left? Service manual says to replace them at 1/8". What I found on mine was the pads wanted to **** and bind against the rotor as the sled rolls forward. The pistons will only come out so far. Then when you are off the brake you have a little extra room between the rotor and pads. Then again when you roll forward they drag on the rotor and get wedged in there. I have replaced the pads on mine and they still drag. I am not to sure what to do with mine at this point. But something you might check on yours.

What I did to find this was remove the belt, chain case cover and chain. Then sping the jack shaft. It would bind every time. Something to check.

Thunder

 

[ibuildm]

I did the same thing on my 03 900 MC. You have worn a flat spot on the sides of the belt and everytime it goes around you feel it. Replace your belt and all will be good. Just count it as a $50 lesson.
Tim

 

[diggerdown]

I am working on the same problem with my 2000 600 PS.

How much pad do you have left? Service manual says to replace them at 1/8". What I found on mine was the pads wanted to **** and bind against the rotor as the sled rolls forward. The pistons will only come out so far. Then when you are off the brake you have a little extra room between the rotor and pads. Then again when you roll forward they drag on the rotor and get wedged in there. I have replaced the pads on mine and they still drag. I am not to sure what to do with mine at this point. But something you might check on yours.

What I did to find this was remove the belt, chain case cover and chain. Then sping the jack shaft. It would bind every time. Something to check.

Thunder

You may have a warped rotor, set something up and turn it by hand to see if it is warped.

 

[longtrack156]

I did the same thing on my 03 900 MC. You have worn a flat spot on the sides of the belt and everytime it goes around you feel it. Replace your belt and all will be good. Just count it as a $50 lesson.
Tim

What really hurts is when someone else does that to you because they think your sled may roll and you don't know your brake is on!

If you get pissed and run it hard with the notched belt you can break the crank, done that!

 

[Arctic Thunder]

I was thinking the same thing. When I had it apart I rolled it over and I couldn't visually see any movement. But I didn't set up the dial and check it. THat will be this afternoons project. Somethings not right. I am about tempted to pull the caliper off and inspect the cups. Something is messed up. My little guy rides it and he never notices a thing. But when I jump on it, I can tell they are still grabbing. Plus they are hot.

I did notice the center part of the disk is worn more than the outer diameter. I wonder if this could be causing the problem? Might need a new rotor.

Thanks

Thunder

You may have a warped rotor, set something up and turn it by hand to see if it is warped.

 

[kidrman]

My PS had the same problem. I bought a "new' caliper off ebay and it fixed the problem completely.

 

[MI1M600EFI]

Two things you may have going on... Well, one for sure is that you smoked the belt in one spot (it got skinnier in just this spot when you did it...) and that's what the thumping/ratcheting is as you move away from a stop. When the skinny section hits the drive clutch, the clutch has to close in quickly to keep the sled moving, and it slips a little while this happens. Change the belt ASAP, as it's very hard on the clutches and crank to ride it like this, as someone pointed out above.

Second, your sled is older, so there's some chance you have a sticking caliper, just like older cars do. Water collects in the brake fluid over time and corrodes the caliper and/or piston, and when you really mash on the brakes (setting the parking brake is WAY more pressure than you're using while riding!) the piston can get into the cruddy area and stick there... You can push it back with a c-clamp, but it's probably going to require a rebuild or replacement. Many times, it's made worse by putting new pads on, and retracting the piston into more nastiness in the caliper...

Fresh brake fluid and a bit of bleeding every year or two should prevent this from ever happening... Or so I hope!!
C