BryanL likes this.
Guardian_Angel and FunCycle like this.
wokka and W0GEN like this.
pricejh61, dangerdarrell and highiso like this.
pricejh61 likes this.
Doc&Ruby, FunCycle and 123hotdog like this.
neostar and W0GEN like this.
neostar likes this.
Guardian_Angel likes this.
pricejh61 and Guardian_Angel like this.
neostar and 3 others like this.
Mine sounds nothing like yours it's not a ticking it's like a grinding. Got it on the lift. I'm going to go check it out later on see if I can figure something out.
I know, just putting mine out there for reference. In my opinion yours sounds bearing-related based on the video provided.
once I get it lifted I'll be able to do a thorough inspection and I actually have somebody get in and put it in gear and see if I can pinpoint the location of the noise. I've owned this SL since December 2014 so I'm quite familiar with all the quirks. I'll keep you posted
I regularly clean with dish soap in hot water using an old, long-handled vegetable brush. I also take off the belt guard to make this easier and clean the belt sprocket, too.
After all is dry, I lube with Liquid Wrench silicone lube. Consider it part of your monthly maintenance - every 1000 miles, anyway. Little problem with noise after that.
I am so tempted to do this but when I asked around locally the consensus was not to lubricate the belt. Why is this? Belt slippage? Dirt attraction? I would love to use a silicone lubricant but I am hesitant since most people you ask say it's a no no for drive belts. A polaris dealership mechanic when asked recommended dabbing some grease on the pulley contacts. Common sense tells me it will attract dirt over time.
well I'm proven wrong again. Got it on the lift took off the belt guard spun the wheel it's definitely the belt needs adjustment. Problem is the book shows there's a hole in the back of the passenger compartment to reach the adjustment nut but guess what it isn't there on the 2015 and I don't feel like drilling a hole at the moment.
The tension could be right but the axle could be not aligned correctly...according to this...
hey I'm just going to take it to the dealer next week they charge about 80 bucks to do the adjustment I don't feel like messing with it
I am so tempted to do this but when I asked around locally the consensus was not to lubricate the belt. Why is this? Belt slippage? Dirt attraction? I would love to use a silicone lubricant but I am hesitant since most people you ask say it's a no no for drive belts. A polaris dealership mechanic when asked recommended dabbing some grease on the pulley contacts. Common sense tells me it will attract dirt over time.
Try molly dry lube. It sprays on nicer and doesn't attract dust. Be sure to put a paper towel behind the area you're spraying. That stuff sticks to everything and is gray.
I am so tempted to do this but when I asked around locally the consensus was not to lubricate the belt. Why is this? Belt slippage? Dirt attraction? I would love to use a silicone lubricant but I am hesitant since most people you ask say it's a no no for drive belts. A polaris dealership mechanic when asked recommended dabbing some grease on the pulley contacts. Common sense tells me it will attract dirt over time.
"Dry" or silicone lube does not attract dirt. Eases the natural side-to-side motion of the belt over the sprocket as you accelerate & decelerate. Keeping belt clean also eases this motion.
Dirt between belt & sprocket causes noise AND wear. Dry lubricants also decrease wear.
I have been doing this for 8500 miles, no tendency I can see of dry lube attracting dirt. Give if a try one time.
- remove belt guard
- clean belt with hot water, good dish soap, stiff nylon brush, rinse thoroughly & allow to dry (you need to move the sling a few feet as you wash, rinse, and as it dries.)
- once clean and dry, spray with dry lube & give it 15-20 min for carrier solvent to flash off.
Take a ride & see what you think. I found the results VERY dramatic.
I am so tempted to do this but when I asked around locally the consensus was not to lubricate the belt. Why is this? Belt slippage? Dirt attraction? I would love to use a silicone lubricant but I am hesitant since most people you ask say it's a no no for drive belts. A polaris dealership mechanic when asked recommended dabbing some grease on the pulley contacts. Common sense tells me it will attract dirt over time.
I shot it with a little silicone dry lube every once in a while. The same stuff I use to lube the seals on my trailer room slides. No greasy mess. No residue.
More follow -up... The noise seems to come and go without any explanation. So I'm thinking it can't possibly be a bearing issue. I have not had my swing arm replaced. Up until this noise, my SS has been flawless, aside from all of the recalls I've had completed. I think I'll try lubing the belt and see how that works.
If it's a clicking noise like from my video posted earlier then as has been recommend, silicone lubricant on the belt did the trick, my belt is whisper quiet now. If it's a cyclic creaking noise then it could be overstressed bearings located on the swing-arm shaft. I played around with adjusting the 30mm pivot nut and 22mm hex shaft and started causing the creaking noise (didn't have it before) then made more adjustments to where I got rid of the creaking noise. Now ( after 30 miles of testing) my SS is super-silent in the rear area. All you hear now are the gearing howls and no clicking or creaking. It took a butload of adjustment testing to figure out what was causing the creaking. And it's not shot bearings else I wouldn't be able to get rid of the creaking sound. After 30 miles I am confident the bearings are fine.
Update: I am beginning to suspect the creaking noise (that sounds like stressed bearings) may indeed be friction on the thread caused by locktite used at the factory. I hope to verify this later this week when I apply a touch of grease to the threads. Right now my belt alignment is off because my adjusted shaft position was the only sweet spot I found that wasn't causing creaking because it was far enough from the ideal position that locktite is not present. Just a theory for now.
Also for you DIY'ers doing belt alignment adjustments pay close attention to the front pulley. The workshop manual doesn't talk about the front pulley but when the belt is in the proper position on the rear pulley (slight inboard left bias) the belt is centered perfectly on the front pulley. When you have the belt kinda centered on the rear pulley it's very obviously off to the right of center on the front pulley. This is huge when adjusting because now you can see what you are truly aiming for.
If it's a clicking noise like from my video posted earlier then as has been recommend, silicone lubricant on the belt did the trick, my belt is whisper quiet now. If it's a cyclic creaking noise then it could be overstressed bearings located on the swing-arm shaft. I played around with adjusting the 30mm pivot nut and 22mm hex shaft and started causing the creaking noise (didn't have it before) then made more adjustments to where I got rid of the creaking noise. Now ( after 30 miles of testing) my SS is super-silent in the rear area. All you hear now are the gearing howls and no clicking or creaking. It took a butload of adjustment testing to figure out what was causing the creaking. And it's not shot bearings else I wouldn't be able to get rid of the creaking sound. After 30 miles I am confident the bearings are fine.
Update: I am beginning to suspect the creaking noise (that sounds like stressed bearings) may indeed be friction on the thread caused by locktite used at the factory. I hope to verify this later this week when I apply a touch of grease to the threads. Right now my belt alignment is off because my adjusted shaft position was the only sweet spot I found that wasn't causing creaking because it was far enough from the ideal position that locktite is not present. Just a theory for now.
Also for you DIY'ers doing belt alignment adjustments pay close attention to the front pulley. The workshop manual doesn't talk about the front pulley but when the belt is in the proper position on the rear pulley (slight inboard left bias) the belt is centered perfectly on the front pulley. When you have the belt kinda centered on the rear pulley it's very obviously off to the right of center on the front pulley. This is huge when adjusting because now you can see what you are truly aiming for.
Update2: Well my theory has changed, I finally stuck my head between the front and rear pulleys while the back wheel was jacked (under load) and the belt properly aligned and could hear the creaking coming from the rear pulley area (not the wheel axle and not the swing arm shaft area). Even though I checked the belt tension several times and each time showing factory tension levels I now suspect it's the belt being too tight. The giveaway was tonight when the outside temp dropped by almost 30 degrees. When it was warm I could clearly hear the cyclic stress on the pulley bearings but tonight after checking the cold belt tension (factory settings of .3 inches) then doing a test drive, I heard no creaking until after a few miles when the belt had a chance to warm up and tighten. Clearly it's too tight and it's stressing the rear pulley bearings. Going to fix it once my new tools come in later this week.
I suspect my determination to drive in the day during the godawful hottest july days ever in VA got the belt warm enough to stress the bearings to begin with. They were super loud a couple of days ago during record heat. If after loosening the belt tension the bearings are still acting up then I just need to throw in the towel and contact the dealership for a warranty claim on the pulley bearings.
Update2: Well my theory has changed, I finally stuck my head between the front and rear pulleys while the back wheel was jacked (under load) and the belt properly aligned and could hear the creaking coming from the rear pulley area (not the wheel axle and not the swing arm shaft area). Even though I checked the belt tension several times and each time showing factory tension levels I now suspect it's the belt being too tight. The giveaway was tonight when the outside temp dropped by almost 30 degrees. When it was warm I could clearly hear the cyclic stress on the pulley bearings but tonight after checking the cold belt tension (factory settings of .3 inches) then doing a test drive, I heard no creaking until after a few miles when the belt had a chance to warm up and tighten. Clearly it's too tight and it's stressing the rear pulley bearings. Going to fix it once my new tools come in later this week.
I suspect my determination to drive in the day during the godawful hottest july days ever in VA got the belt warm enough to stress the bearings to begin with. They were super loud a couple of days ago during record heat. If after loosening the belt tension the bearings are still acting up then I just need to throw in the towel and contact the dealership for a warranty claim on the pulley bearings.
Where did you see the factory setting of .3 inch deflection? The manual shows .63 inch and that's still pretty tight.
What service manual is that BryanL ?
This one
Guardian_Angel has it changed in newer manuals?
The newest book includes all builds.. it is a compendium.. it is not detailed specifically to each model year. download (1).jpeg
This is what I show for belt tension for 2015-2019 models:
We always improvised with ours... the 2016 calls for .63
We use .625 which is
a frog's hair difference from the .63 or 16.002mm called out for 2016 - in the 2015 service manual of course..
So neither of us are wrong...
it looks to me like it depends on what manual your using for what your belt is set at..
The 2015-2016 manual calls for .63
The unknown is what the 2017 manual call out is for....
The known but highly contradicting newest manual has a .40 spec call out
I ASS-U-ME the newer manual now replaces the older versions????
