Shift Lockout OR

2002 - 2006 CVT Tranny (Clutch) maintenance

for Grizzly, Kodiak, Rhino, etc... Other models may also apply

For other donation options, please email Grizzhopper

This or any modification to your ATV, should be performed ONLY at your own risk. DISCLAIMER

Throughout this procedure, keep in mind that some of the threaded fasteners you are working with are in aluminum. The threads are easily damaged if too much force is used. Exercise caution.

If you are installing a clutch kit, here are shortcuts to other areas required AFTER this page is completed.

Remove the right side floorboard. There are 3 screws with nuts at the rear and 3 more at the front (where the fenders meet the black floorboard). Model years 2002 & 2003 have Phillips head screws with 8mm nuts. 2004 and later use the same Phillips head screw with 10mm nuts.

Be very careful with the (4) floorboard bolts, the heads are soft and will deform easily. The nuts are welded to the frame and should not require attention. The 2 bolts in the foot peg DO NOT need to be removed.

Remove the 14 bolts from the belt housing cover. See Figure-1 for their locations.

Note that several of the lower bolts are hidden in deep recesses in the cover. The two in the middle area are a different length than the other 12. Press the brake pedal to prevent scratching the cover.

To spread the secondary sheave and remove the belt tension, you will need to insert two 45mm long cover bolts (removed above) into the two threaded holes near the large nut at the center, as indicated in Figure-2.

Apply a very small amount of grease to the tip of the bolts and first few threads, Figure 2b.

Tighten these two bolts. They should bottom-out. The belt tension should now be completely lose.

Each of the four legs has a bolt securing it. They are recessed and not easy to see. They have 10mm heads. A pencil magnet may be useful in removing them from the recesses and again later when reinstalling them.

Watch for the 2 alignment dowels at about the 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions (the longer two bolts are also at these positions). They MUST be properly in place during reassembly later.

As the bearing carrier is removed, be careful to keep the center bearing and the shaft clean.

Now, you're ready to remove the large nut that secures the primary sheave. Improvise a strap wrench to hold the sheave assembly securely while the nut is removed. A discarded automotive serpentine belt works great for this. An example showing a Nylon Tie Down to secure the sheave is in Figure-5b.

NOTE: A pneumatic impact is often used to remove the large sheave nuts. It's “your” engine, not mine, so do as you wish, but I do not recommend or condone the use of any pneumatic tool to remove these fasteners. I know the task is MUCH easier with an air tool, but an impact can be hard on other internal parts of the engine. Enough said, it's your choice.

Apply a short medium-diameter hose or tubing inside the socket as shown in Figure-86. This is to protect the bearing shaft. (A few layered wraps of electrical tape over the bearing surface at the end of the primary shaft can also be used)

As you remove the nut, look closely at the splines on the shaft, (see Figure-87). You should see them protruding slightly through the washer under the nut. This will be important later during reassembly. You should be able to push the washer onto the splines and see them as you thread the nut back on. Take a mental picture of it.

With the nut and washer removed, the outer half of the sheave should slide off the shaft very easily.

Now the Primary Sheave Assembly can be disassembled for inspection and maintenance. You should now see the same as Figure-10

Carefully remove the 8 Phillips head screws and copper washers. The copper washers are very important.

Next, pry the thin cover away. Don't bend it. An O-Ring is holding it on tightly. Be patient and it will slide off. ( See Figure-11a & 11b )

You should now see the CAM and a bunch of grease (or perhaps mud), as shown in Figure-12.

Lift out the Cam plate slowly, keeping it level. You should see the 4 slide bearings come out with the Cam. Each has 2 parts. Just leave them in place if possible.

Now your ready to perform whatever maintenance is needed to the roller weights and sheave cavity.

You must be careful to avoid any nicks and scratches on any of the precision surfaces throughout this entire maintenance procedure.

Clean out any mud, dirt and used or contaminated grease. Use clean solvent to clean the rollers and other parts. Finally, replace the "Grizzly Grease". About a tablespoon per roller should be plenty. If you apply too much grease or use grease that is too thick, the rollers can become very sluggish and slow to respond at higher speeds.

There are bearings and seals in the core of the primary. They must also be kept very clean. After the outer parts of the primary have been cleaned, remove the bearing boss from the center and inspect it. If anything other than grease is found, clean it thoroughly and regrease it before reinserting the boss.

It is a good idea to de-glaze the surfaces of the sheaves. Figure-71 is an example.

Use 220 grit sandpaper or emery cloth. The idea is not to remove massive amounts of material, but just rough the surfaces slightly so it is not glossy. Even Scotch-Brite will do. Make sure you don't get any abrasive dust or debris inside or on precision surfaces. Clean it when you have finished.

Now is a good time to check the drive belt. Use a caliper to measure the belt width at the widest point, it should be NO LESS than 1.18" (minimum specification). If it is less than the minimum specification, the belt should be replaced.

After performing the required maintenance above, reassemble the primary sheave in reverse order.

Replace the rollers and apply a tablespoon of grease to each one. (This assumes that there is NO OTHER grease already in the primary. It is empty).

Replace the CAM plate with the 4 sliding bearings still in place. They must align with the 4 slide rails that they were originally removed from.

VERY IMPORTANT STEP - The CAM must be HELD firmly against the rollers for the remainder of the reassembly procedure until the belt tension is re-established. If you sit the assembly down on top of the core bearing boss, the CAM will be moved away from the rollers and some of them can be pulled out of their tracks (by the sticky grease). If for any reason that happens, you will need to remove the cover and CAM again to make sure all 8 rollers are standing properly in their tracks and start the assembly procedure over.

Be certain that the O-Ring and 8 copper washers are properly in place. Once the cover is in place and tight, A length of heater hose pinched under the cover plate can be used to keep the pressure against the rollers until later. This can save you a lot of work later.

If you are only performing routine maintenance on the primary sheave, continue with Testing And Finishing up, just below.

If you are installing a clutch kit, you need to complete a few more steps before you are finished.

If you are performing only routine maintenance or cleaning of the primary sheave, continue here. If you are installing a clutch kit, you must work in two other areas before this last step.

Replace the primary sheave back onto it's shaft. You may need to rotate the sheaves and belt several turns to get the belt back to proper seating.

WARNING: The primary shaft splines MUST be visible through the CAM plate and the washer MUST be perfectly centered over the protruding splines. Hold the washer in place while you spin the large nut down firmly with your fingers. If the splines are not properly seated, they will be stripped very quickly when you apply power later. It is a costly mistake that CAN BE AVOIDED.

Re-rig the strap to secure the sheave and torque the large nut to 72 ft/lbs. 85ft/lbs for the secondary, (if it was removed).

Re-install the bearing carrier and bolt it in. Remember the 2 longest bolts and the alignment dowels should be located at the 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions. Tighten these 4 bolts to 7.2 ft/lbs.

Now you can remove the two case cover bolts used to expand the secondary (when de-tensioning the belt). This will allow the belt to re-tension. Rotate the sheaves and belt again and remove the heater hose if you used it.

Unless you need to disassemble the secondary sheave (as when replacing the large spring), your finished and can now reassemble everything. I recommend that once you have the sheaves reassembled and the carrier bearing cage back in place, that you test the operation of the transmission (clutch). This is just before you are ready to replace the black side case cover.

WARNING: Any loose clothing, pant leg, shirt sleeve, jewelry, fingers, toes, hands, feet, eyeball, tools, or any other object or body part can be very dangerous to have in proximity of the spinning sheaves and belt. Loss of limbs (or worse) can occur. - - - STAY AWAY FROM MOVING SHEAVES AND BELT! - - - You have been warned.

Place the shifter in "PARK" with the ATV pointing in a safe direction, OR for maximum safety (chained to a heavy vehicle or large trees at both ends, with safety stands under both ends, and your favorite rabbits foot in hand...)

Start the engine and allow it to idle. Check that the sheaves are not moving while the engine is at idle. KEEP IT IN PARK throughout this procedure.

Rev the engine slightly. Just above idle until the sheaves just begin to turn. You should see what is in figure-100.

As you rev the engine, you should see the CVT transfer the ratio from one sheave to the other and back as you let off. Here is a short movie clip of the operation.

(1.8MB download). . .

The belt MUST travel all the way to the outer edge of the primary sheave at some high RPM, and stop at the edge. If it does not travel all the way to the edge, a roller may have fallen over in the assembly procedure above. Also listen for any abnormal sounds at this time.

If it does not pass this test, you must find the problem before going further. It is a good thing to find any problems now rather than later on the trail after you have everything back together.

If you are installing a clutch kit, you will need to complete a few more steps before you are finished.