Oil Change

My next step was to do a routine oil change. Its important to change the oil frequently on motocross motors, and the manual recommends changing the oil as frequently as every 10 hours. While the oil change is fairly basic, its still more difficult than changing the oil in most cars. The Polaris Outlaw 450 mxr uses the same oil for the motor and transmission, and the oil system contains 2 oil filters, as well as two oil screens.

Both of the motor's oil filters must be replaced every oil change, as you can see there is a short and long filter. The oil screens on the other hand can be reused.

The first step of the oil change is to remove the plastic guard that protects the underside of the ATV. The second step is to  remove the fill plug, and then the drain plug to drain the oil completely. After cleaning the fillings off the magnetic drain plug and reinstalling it you can move on to oil screens. The long oil screen is located just beneath the shift lever, and the short screen is underneath the motor, both screens must be removed and cleaned with compressed air, before reinstalling. The long filter is quite difficult to reinstall due to its size and location. Next are the filters, the filters are both located in housings on the left side of the motor.

The filters can easily be removed, however there was some old oil in the filter housing that would drain, installing the new filter is fairly simple, but a little bit of a mess.The filters should be filled with oil before installation, and naturally oil gets everywhere when you try to install them. When the oil filters are in you simply add 1.2 liters of the correct oil.

To make sure oil levels are correct and the motor and gear box have a sufficient amount of protection, the motor must be run for a few minutes to distribute the oil. There is a sight glass beside the rear brake pedal on the right side of the bike that can be used to view oil levels, when the level is about 1/3 cold or 2/3 warm, it is at the correct level.

Its important to check the oil level frequently, a decreasing level indicates, a leak or that the motor is burning oil, and an increasing level indicates that water or gas has contaminated the oil. Both of these scenarios can lead to damaged if not addressed properly.

My first step toward fixing theses newfound problems was to print out the 200 page owners manual. I learned that while the manual does provide some useful information, it also has a lot of useless, information and unnecessary safety recommendations.
Its important to note that my budget, for this project is small, I'm  trying to save money, and avoid purchasing costly parts, if they aren't  absolutely necessary.
The first act of maintenance was topping off, the radiator with some Honda ATV coolant. I then went about fixing the badly cracked rear plastics. If there's one thing I learned while fixing the plastics, it's that zip ties are your friend! They are easy to use inexpensive and surprisingly effective! I drilled holes in the rear fenders and used small red zip-ties to stitch them back together, zip ties were also used to secure the plastics, and fuel tank to the frame, In places where fasteners were missing.

Discovering Problems

We test-drove and bought the ATV on a minus 25 degrees Celsius night. Unfortunately due to the cold weather, and dark lighting conditions we couldn't properly inspect the vehicle. After a brief test drive, I felt the quad was in good condition, especially considering it was so cheap. On visual inspection the plastics were beat-up, UV faded, and cracked. Which actually isn't unusual in used quads.

 Another issue was the near complete lack of plastic fasteners. Clearly the previous owner had lost them and was using barely enough to keep the plastics on the frame.

I also noticed the tires were significantly over-inflated, and the suspension was poorly adjusted (far to stiff for any rider), however these I could easily change. The bike also lacked an air box cover and had a worn out air filter.

 The quad seemed to run and drive good, considering the brutal temperature, however it was really difficult to judge the motor, and gears in a parking lot that was essentially ice. My brother and I knew it wasn't in mint condition, but at $1900 we didn't exactly pay a mint condition price either.

Once we got it home, I tried to start it, but the battery was flat. The next day after charging the battery I was able to take a closer look at this machine. I wasn't sure how it would start in 1 degree Celsius garage, but it started immediately. My inspection revealed some minor problems, and as well as a more severe issue.

The radiator was low, on coolant but not dangerously low, the clutch cover was missing a bolt, the idle speed was far faster than it should be, and the exhaust header didn't seal properly to the silencer. All of these minor problems are say to fix. but the big problem presented itself  about 5 minutes into the first ride. All was going well, and the  motor just abrubtly died, and wouldn't  start again until the quad had cooled down. Hoping it was a fluke I went on several  more rides, all with the same disapointing result.                                                        

Intro

Last November my brother (Devon) and I purchased a used  2008 Polaris Outlaw MXR 450. The Polaris Outlaw is a sport ATV made by Polaris to replace their previous sport quad the Polaris Predator. If your not familiar with ATVs, here is a brief description.The Outlaw is a rear wheel drive sport ATV, designed for racing, jumping etc. It was was available with two KTM motocross engine  options, the traditional size 450 and the slightly larger 525. It was also available with a conventional solid rear axle with non-independent rear suspension  or innovative independent rear suspension (IRS). It was also equipped with fox podium shocks, providing exceptional suspension performance. The one my brother and I purchase had the 450 motor, and solid rear axle.

My Passion Project

 My passion project is to fix some issues on a used ATV I recently bought. In the process I hope to learn the basics of internal combustion engines, and become familiar with the specific motor of my ATV. I also want to become familiar with other parts of the vehicle, such as fuel delivery, suspension, chassis, transmission etc.