How to Check for Clutch Belt Wear on a Polaris ATV

If your Polaris ATV seems to be slipping out of gear, it might be caused by wear on the clutch belt. Checking for belt wear on your Polaris ATV clutch belt is easy if you know where to look and what to look for. Here's how to find your ATV clutch belt and identify belt wear that can cause that clutch to slip.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Identify the clutch belt cover and the screws. Consult a repair manual for your specific model for specific diagrams and instructions on how to locate the clutch belt cover.

2. Wash off any caked-on mud from the cover before you attempt to remove the clutch belt cover to avoid getting any into the clutch assembly. Remove a foot rest or other things to get to the clutch belt cover.

3. Take off the clutch belt cover. Remove the recommended bolts holding the cover on. Look for a spring clip that you might need to remove in order to get the cover completely off.

4. Remove the bolt located in the center of the rear clutch. You can keep the rear clutch from turning by putting the ATV in high gear and set the parking break. Put it back in neutral when you finish removing the bolt.

5. Roll the belt off by rolling it off the pulley. Make sure to note the position of the end of the spring.

6. Look the belt over carefully for spot wear, which indicates a parking break idle left in gear, or edge wear, which indicates too low a speed at high gear. Replace the belt if necessary and limit such abuses in the future on your ATV.

7. Reassemble the clutch in exactly the way it came apart to avoid throwing it out of balance.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't crack the fender when you loosen the footrest to get to the clutch belt cover.