Polaris atv question

ellwoodjake

Twelve Pointer
Allright all you know it alls. I Let the battery die in my Polaris sportsman 500. Went to pull the rope and snapped it :poop: :poop: :poop: . After taking the floorboard off to get to the recoil mechanism, I noticed there was both a fill and drain plug on the side cover, along with a gasket behind it. I put a drain pan under it and removed it, and it was completely DRY !! WTF. Is there supposed to be lube of any kind on these starter gears?. I replaced the rope and rewound everything and am waiting on a new gasket. Do I need to lube anything before re-installing, put in oil after assembly, or leave it alone?
 

JoeR

Eight Pointer
Are you looking at the water drain plug? If so, it should be dry in there, and only removed if you submerge it.
Joe
 

ellwoodjake

Twelve Pointer
Are you looking at the water drain plug? If so, it should be dry in there, and only removed if you submerge it.
Joe
I was thinking the same thing, Joe. If you sank it, water could come in via the pull rope. If the bottom plug is for draining, what is the purpose of the top plug? Do you remove to vent, to make sure everything drains out?
 

JoeR

Eight Pointer
Without looking at exactly what you're seeing, it's common to have a check hole and a drain plug. That's probably what you're referring to.
Joe
 

ellwoodjake

Twelve Pointer
Without looking at exactly what you're seeing, it's common to have a check hole and a drain plug. That's probably what you're referring to.
Joe
Here's a picture I found of a replacement cover. The "top plug" is black
 

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bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
Blinker fluid works great for lubing the recoil rope, makes pulling easier.

The bottom plug is drain for water, top plug some would say is for timing but I figured it’s so you can blow dirt out.
 
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