so have a 2011 sportsman 550 touring, has about 215 hrs on it. at 195 hours i had a mechanic do a "full" lube, change fluids, and i put in a new battery plus i put on new tires, 6 ply radials one size bigger in each direction sedona Rip-Saw R/T Radial Tire 27×9-14 for the front and 27×11-14 for the back.

lately i have heard or noticed in high gear, usually under load, going up a hill or especially uphill in a wash where the ground is loose, at about 11 mph i start to hear a high pitch howl or whine, when i go faster, i don’t hear it anymore maybe because the engine gets louder though. seems to mostly do it when accellerating, not when coasting but i let off the throttle to coast. i can’t really hear it in low gear.

only strange occurance lately is i had unloaded it after a ride and parked it and notice oil underneath, like maybe 2 oz’s i am guessing, the oil filter had come slightly loose, i tightened it back up and checked the oil which looked fine. you do have to screw the dipstick in all the way to correctly check it, right?

any thoughts?

i have inspected the drive belt and it is oem polaris and is in pristine shape, i also clean off the clutch face and blew out the black dust in clutch assemblly. this was about 25-30 hours ago, and i only recently noticed the howl. it’s a faint howl by the way, not super loud. anyway, i ride alone alot in remote areas, kinda worried about a break down. it has been a great quad and very reliable.

anyone can email as well, rockwind1@yahoo.com