Ajmboy

Found this while browsing online, good info for new owners. ATV Maintenance and Safety Several times a year, customers show up with an ATV, that has significant wear to undercarriage, suspension, and/or braking components. Some of these machines are nearly new, or have low mileage or hours of use, which elevates the concern of the owners even further. A few simple steps can help reduce the occurrence of this wear, especially on machines that are only occasionally ridden, to a large extent. First riders must realize, that most manufacturers do not recommend riding your ATV in water and mud, that is deeper than the bottom of your wheels center cap or axle. Obviously, even casual riders will encounter situations where this is unavoidable, and some riders will use their machines on rugged trails, and under conditions that tend to push the machine's fording capabilities to their limits. That being said, the more your ATV is immersed in deep water and mud, the more likely you are to accelerate wear on that machines components. There are however some simple measures you can take to help minimize the impact associated with water and mud intrusion, and help keep a dependable machine in good condition. 1) Routine Maintenance - Keeping your oil changed in engines, differentials, transmissions, etc. If water infiltrates these components and is left unremediated, the contaminated assembly WILL eventually fail, usually as a result of rust formation on bearing surfaces, etc. This can lead to some exceedingly expensive repairs, and is very straight forward and economical to prevent. 2) After crossing deep water, stop and remove drain plugs from your airbox and belt drive, if applicable. Simply removing a drain plug can prevent a damaged drive belt, which will end a nice day of riding, and could potentially damage other components, or cause an accident. Engines that ingest water thru the air intake can be irreparably damaged, water does not compress well in a cylinder. Since an engine is probably one of the most expensive components of an ATV, you'll find the few minutes is time well spent. 3) Keep It Clean. After the fun is done, your machine needs a bath. Mud is fun, but it is also as invasive as it is abrasive. Wash down your ATV after riding in deep mud, if not a total cleaning, at very least wash down brake and steering components, and anywhere there are exposed moving parts. Allowing mud to remain dried into pivot points, etc will result in the grit grinding away at parts and causing greatly accelerated wear. 4) Not That Clean. Easy does it with the pressure washer. High Pressure water is commonly used to clean the seemingly tons of mud, weeds, rocks, sticks, and other debris from undercarriages, etc. Unfortunately, most high pressure washers are too powerful to safely use on ATV's. Most Car Washes and gasoline powered pressure washers generate sufficient pressure to actually cause more damage than they prevent. For example, many of the best kept machines have premature wheel bearing failures, not because they were not cleaned after use, but because in an attempt to clean the machine thoroughly, the owner inadvertently forced water into bearings, because the seals were not designed to withstand 2000-3000 psi. Even the smallest electric power washer can be damaging, 1200 psi units can tear stickers from the machine, and force water into places it otherwise would never be able to penetrate, if not used carefully. Best practice is to just resort to a plain old garden hose and elbow grease, and spend some quality time with your ATV. 5) Dry it out. Once your machine is clean, it needs to dry out. A nice sunny day works nicely, when possible. Avoid setting the parking brake on a freshly washed machine, especially if it will remain parked for an extended period, as this tends to cause the brakes to stick on, and possibly drag when released later. In extreme cases, in disc brake applications, especially those with sintered metal brake pads, can cause the brake pad to rust firmly to the rotor. 6) Look it over. After the wheeler has dried, take a look underneath. Look for oil leaks or seepage, damaged components, etc. Grab the components firmly and tug, looking for any looseness in A-Arm bearings or bushings, Tie-Rod ends, Ball Joints, Wheel Bearings, including loose bolts in suspension, frame or steering components. Often if there is looseness in a component, and it is allowed to go unchecked, the damage will be significantly greater. A loose or worn wheel bearing can rapidly wear brake pads, rotors, destroy calipers, and damage knuckle or spindle assemblies, for example. 7) A word about Drum Brakes. While most newer machines have primarily switched to a disc brake design, many older units and smaller less expensive machines still are sold with drum brakes. While manufacturers design these units to stay relatively sealed, invariably, mud and water WILL GET IN. Unfortunately it cannot get back out and it will absolutely eat the brake shoes if left for long periods of time. If you own a machine that employs drum brakes, you should know that it is crucial for you to disassemble the drum brake assembly and clean it regularly if the machine is used in deep water or mud. Failure to do so is to guarantee premature brake wear, severe enough to render the brakes totally inoperable, in a very short time. 8) It's a long walk out of the woods. Swampy mud is more fun to ride in than walk through. Your ATV enables you to go places you otherwise would not go, and if not properly cared for, it can just as easily leave you stranded far from civilization. Your ATV is your best friend and trusted companion on the trail, treat it that way. 9) Check tire pressure regularly. Make sure you are fueled up and properly geared and dressed to ride. Wear your helmet at all times. Run with your lights on and exercise caution as you ride. When possible, do not ride alone. Carry emergency items such as first aid, drinking water, and a tow strap, in event something does happen. 10) Be safe and have fun. Help promote the sport and safety. Respect landowners, stay on trails, don't litter. We all are responsible, to ensure we can continue to enjoy ATV riding in the future. See ya on the trail, Muddy Phats

Mud will definately wear diwn brake pads, just need to give a good cleaning after a hard ride. * Adjusted your thread title to include atv info.

Bump...year, make, and model please....

Bump, any update on this?

kquerel, welcome to QUADCRAZY!

arcticplayer, welcome to the community! * Adjusted thread title to include issue

COLTSFAN, welcome to QUADCRAZY! I see this is your first post. Glad you found us.

I think it's definately a float problem. You should check the float pin for corrosion.

Good Morning...Happy President's Day...we should all praise Barack O'Bama today!

DD...good luck with that like MWKE said. I forgot today is President's day...you reminded me. Yeah if I were you, I would go smash up cupid and cut up a couple of hearts... MWKE, sounds like you had a fun day!

who can talk

That's funny....Check out this road: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu0OOMpdvew]YouTube - Most Dangerous Roads[/ame]

Wow!!! Get your taxes back? lol. Should be awesome. You should start a project thread on your atv.

Reviving this thread...as today is the big V-Day. My wife is working, so I sent her a dozen long stem roses to her job.... Also got her some kind of skin care kit she wanted...with some kind of sonic waves or something... She did by me a hair trimmer for my ear and nose.......for the big V! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.

making it difficult

That was pretty interesting. The road in Nambia, doesn't even look like a road. Sme of the roads would scare teh hell out of me, especially the one with the bus on the edge there..

Funny...and true.

Looks like it was frying it there. I think you will need the cdi, I've seen some come with new connectors or you can buy them separately sometimes.

Only one carquest? There's more than that across the country.

Did the fluid make any difference?

Welcome to QUADCRAZY, I'm assuming the old one has two posts also, right? Are you sure you got the correct solenoid? According to the diagram below, both terminals are on one side, #15 and #23... 1999 Polaris MAGNUM 500 (A99CD50AA) OEM Parts, 1999 Polaris MAGNUM 500 (A99CD50AA) OEM ATV Parts - BikeBandit.com

Suzuki website used to have .pdf downloads, I just checked and didn't see them. You can try: Buy Suzuki Parts and Suzuki Accessories at SuzukiPartsHouse Or the loacal dealer, I'm sure they can order one for you. * Changed your thread title, added year, make, and model

I heard someone tell me once that there is a limited split AWD engage...but if it's not on in AWD...then it shouldn't engage, I would think.

nice for a

I did get some kind of database error while changing pages in the forum here. Happened once. Just wanted to let you know.