2001 Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4 2001, new owner, lotsa questions

[xrocket21]

I bought a used 2001 Scrambler 500 4x4, and it needs some work

-needs front CV joints. Should I replace just the CV's, the whole axle, etc?

I found these:

Polaris ATV Front Axle with Dual CV Joints - Sportsman / Explorer / Scrambler

$170 for one that adds a CV to the inner

or these that are more like stock with a u-joint in the middle:

$200

1999-2009 POLARIS SCRAMBLER 500 4X4 Left Front Complete Axle

-Are the front axles the same left and right?

-in 2001, there were two different models, AA and AB, I dont know which I have, what was the difference?

-The wire going to the AWD sensor on the right front is mangled, I assume its a simple 2 wire setup I can just solder in a new piece?

-It was overheating a bit, im guessing the front fan isnt working, think that would cause it?

-I read that I can use ATF type F in the front diff, is this correct?

-Only one brake lever? Is the hand lever supposed to do front and rear braking and the foot lever just does the rear? Foot lever doesn't work, hoping it just needs to be bled.

I plan to clean the chain, bleed the brakes, add coolant, and change the front diff fluid and oil, any other suggestions?

[DirtDemon]

I would start by purchasing a repair manual. It will have alot of the information you seek. As far as rebuilding vs replacing cv joints, that is really a matter of preference. It is more work to rebuild them, so if the money you save is worth it to you, and you have the skills, then rebuilding is just as good IMO. Although, I do like the idea of replacing a u-joint with a cv joint, as long as they are of good quality, I believe that cv joints are better than u-joints.

Overheating, can be caused by alot of things, try wiring the fan to a switch to see if it works and if it helps. It could also be caused by the machine running too lean. That could be caused by a dirty carb, or improper jetting.

Many machines use a foot pedal for the rear and a hand lever for the front brake. I don't know how your machine works, but on most machines where the hand lever controls both front and rear, there will be two cables coming from the handle and the brakes will be mechanical, not hydraulic.

As far as your other questions, I have no idea, hopefully someone who owns one will chime in with some more info. Other than that, like I said, a repair manual could be your best friend.

[xrocket21]

here she is!

[DirtDemon]

Looks to be in decent shape, hope you have fun with it?

[Sc0tt]

Yep it looks good. I have a friend that has one and loves it.

[xrocket21]

Well, I started breaking into it last night, unfortunately my list of things I completed was smaller than the list of things I found out it needed.

Completed:

-oil/filter change

-hit up grease fittings

-front tires removed and dropped from the 12 psi they had down to 4 psi

I had hoped to get the CV joints out to be replaced, but I can't get the lower balljoint to separate, and I dont have a pickle fork.

I found out the hillard clutches are toast. passenger side was TOAST/EXPLODED, drivers side was just toast.

Found a pair of used ones on ebay, so thats good.

Looks like they just completely neglected the hub fluid.

Now I need to find the 2 dust seals. Any suggestions to find these?

Also, where is the FILL for the transmission?

fun fun fun, this thing is gonna have a lot of new parts by the time I'm done!

new stuff:

-chain

-belt

-front and rear brake pads

-brake fluid

-top off coolant

-engine oil and filter

-grease

-2 front axles/cv joints

-other fluids

[Bakford]

Hey Xrocket, I had a 99' 400 and my niece has about the same quad as you,

You can try bikebandit.com or The Polaris web site has a parts breakdown if you set up an account,

2001 Polaris SCRAMBLER 500 4X4 (A01BG50(AA)(AB)) OEM Parts, 2001 Polaris SCRAMBLER 500 4X4 (A01BG50(AA)(AB)) OEM ATV Parts - BikeBandit.com

Also, the transfer case fill should be between the foot rest and the frame, I found it easier to remove the right side footrest (for filling), and you can get to the grease zerks on the drive shaft.

I have used ATF fluid in the front hubs, a little cheaper than the polaris hub fluid, ( I had small leaks )

I think the front transfer case uses gear lube

My rear foot brake worked good, but my Trailboss needs to be bled about twice a year

[DirtDemon]

Pickle forks ruin dust seals on ball joints. A few raps on the side of the spindle should drop the ball joint out. If that doesn't work, there are ball joint separator tools that you can buy or rent.

Check out this site for parts. Babbitts Sports Center | Arctic Cat OEM Parts | Can-Am (Bombardier) OEM Parts | Honda OEM Parts | Kawasaki OEM Parts | Polaris OEM Parts | Sea-Doo OEM Parts | Ski-Doo OEM Parts | Suzuki OEM Parts | Yamaha OEM Parts

[xrocket21]

AWESOME, thanks for all the really helpful advice guys!

[DirtDemon]

Anytime, please let us know how it all works out.

[xrocket21]

Picked it up quite cheap, needs a bit of work.

I would prefer something like a honda 400ex or a 450r, but I mostly ride with people with grizzlies, so something thats 4x4 is really needed. This wheeler is a good compromise.

Here it is before I took a mothers powerball and some polishing compound to the plastics. Got dark so no afters unfortunately.

It needs front CV joints, so tha was the first project.

Having trouble popping the ball joint, so getting a ball joint removal tool at lunch today.

Always have my assistant handy

Here is the sad state now, with the CV half out. Also, when I pulled the hub off, the drive clutches in the hubs for the AWD are toast, so a used set of those are in the mail.

I was changing all the fluids, and the front diff needs 4 OZ to fill it. No dipstick, it just needs 4 OZ. Only thing I could think of was a measuring cup.

This small hole WAY down here is where it needs to go. I dont have a small funnel, so I set up my large funnel to a hose, which necked down to a smaller hose to fit in the hole.

Here it is set up to funnell!

it worked!!!

So far I have done:

-new belt

-new gearbox oil

-engine oil

-engine oil filter

-greased about 10 grease fittings

-new rear brake pads

-new grips

-new front diff oil

-dropped the tire pressure from the 12 that was in them to 4 front, 3 rear

Still left to do I have:

-pop ball joints and remove old axles, then install new axles

-heat up the hubs, remove old seals, install new seals

-install new front clutches, reassemble hubs with new hub fluid

-new front brake pads, bleed brakes

-install new chain

Hopefully this will be the last driveway project :hs:

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