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Blown ACE and RZR Motors

13K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  rmorgan84a 
#1 ·
Saw that comment about hosing down your ace and "if a little water gets in, no big deal, I just squeeze the rubber valve and let it out". That's all good, but what do you do if you get caught riding in rain or snow? How about if a little water splashes up and gets in the air box?
I have an ATV rental company and when 2 RZR 570's a one ACE went out and they got caught in the rain, the filter collapsed, water and dirt were sucked into the motor and the rod bearings are shot.
The ACE filter system is a little better than the RZR. Then again, it was the first ride for the ACE, and it's last. All 4 of my ACEs and all my RZRs now have a completely custom filter system.
My advice, save yourself a ton of money, get on google and see some of the system people have made for RZRs. The same applies to ACEs. Polaris needs to pull their head out of the ass and figure out how to make a decent air intake system.
No warranty on my machines. Polaris says I submerged them in water. Nope, just a rain storm. Hey, if you get caught in a rain storm, are you really thinking your motor will blow up?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Welcome to the forum!

That discussion was in relation to hosing down your ACE for cleaning, which is a different story.

However, let's discuss your situation.
I rode in some pretty heavy rain in my ACE. Despite the roof and windshield, I was soaked to the skin after about an hour. The filter and intake wells were fine.
If there is sufficient weight of water pushing down on the rubber valves, they will open, and the water will drain out. That's how those work.
If some water gets past the first intake well, the air box has another rubber valve to let the water out.
Unless the whole machine is underwater. Or unless the thing is on its side in a mud puddle.

Many, many times, I have heard the statement "ride it like a rental" come out of the mouths of the kind of people who also say "ride it like you stole it".
The underlying attitude is "screw it, it's a rental, you paid the damage waiver insurance, do whatever you want to it"!
I've also seen many a forum thread where someone will post about how some machine or other SUCKS, and "it totally broke when I wasn't doin' nuthin' wrong".
And they post photos of a machine that has clearly been abused.
People simply will not admit the irresponsible things they do, especially when they want to sound off about how Polaris is screwing them over.

I don't have any details of your situation, and I'm not calling you a liar.
Maybe you believe what you are saying. But maybe you are being lied to about what really happened.

Have a look at the photos below of the outer grill, the pre-filter, the inner grill, the filter in the airbox (including the rubber valve in there too), and the inside of the filter.
The outer filter has a thick plastic grill on the outside, and inside the pre-filter. The air filter has a steel mesh outside the paper, and inside the paper.
How the heck is that going to COLLAPSE from the amount of water that would get into the intake from drops of water falling out of the sky, unless it were submerged or damaged in some other way?
Do you have some photos of what the ACE looked like when it came back to you? Close-ups of the intake? Wider views of the side of the machine?
Let's see some actual details before we go running around saying the ACE will die in a heavy rain.

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#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I would like to see more substantiation here as well. Pics of the damaged filter. How long was it ridden after the damage to the filter? Was there any indication that there was a problem, before engine failure. Was the filter checked after the ride? You say the Ace was it's first ride? Was it properly broken in? How many hours on it? Like Scoundrel, I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it's a pretty serious accusation to say that the Ace has a design flaw (especially the way it was stated). More verifiable evidence is necessary to support failure analysis. Also I would like to understand how the filter failure would cause rod bearing failure. I could understand piston seizure, or if it were in a two stroke where the intake lubricates the crankcase.
I would also like to see pics of the new system and a description of how it's design is improved and how it prevents failure as was seen here.
 
#4 ·
Great posts Scoundrel and Geerhead! After 43 years in the diesel engine business, water can seize an engine, bend a rod, break rings, bend valves, etc. When the rod bearing is shot too, sounds to me like it ran without proper lubrication, either on it's side or upside down for a while. Unless the air intake is submerged, it should not ingest enough water from raining in the air intake to kill it that way. It's designed to help prevent that from occurring. How is the rod bearing damaged, with score marks and heat discoloration from lack of lubrication, or one side being thinned out from excessive pressure from the engine being hydraulically locked?
 
#5 ·
I'm not really feeling the rain blew my engine either, but I have seen quiet a few posts about rain water getting into the belt case, Mainly the 900 ranger. And personally have a close friend that repeatedly had wet belt issues in the rain. He rides his ranger 99% for hunting. No problems since he snorkeled it all. I plan on snorkeling my sons ace asap, mainly for the extra trouble when washing, but also because I know what my kid may or may not do when I'm not looking!
 
#6 ·
Snorkeling is a good thing to get the air intakes high enough to keep water out. Just ask any Rover guy. It helps tremendously for the purposes you mentioned. Polaris designed the drains in their air systems on the ACE to prevent most problems that we might encounter (on average) when out on the trail, or operating in the rain. Notice I said most. There seems to always be an exception to every rule.

As an example, we had a 125 hp 4 cylinder heavy duty industrial diesel engine delivered to our shop out of a brand new excavator. Warranty was claimed. It ran for only 25.5 hours before it abruptly quit, and then had a bad miss and a knock. After some preliminary diagnosis, inspection, dis-assembly, and component evaluation, the bent rod, cracked rings, damaged piston, and river silt in the intake, a discussion with the customer and dealer ensued. Come to find out, the new machine quit in the middle of the stream that was being forded soon after water went higher than the tracks, reaching the air cleaner intake, which was below the bottom of the engine compartment. The operator's manual cautioned about fording water higher than the top of the tracks. Did they read this? Don't know. Didn't matter. Water ingestion of this magnitude was not a warrantable failure. However, as a gesture of good will, the equipment manufacturer helped the customer with some of the bill for a new engine. But they didn't have to, nor do they always provide any assistance.

I am fully aware that each case should stand on its own merits, and each situation can be unique, but if we use our equipment for what could be classified as "extreme" purposes, over and above manufacturer's recommendations, we may have to modify some of the affected vehicle systems to prevent problems that could arise when we operate the equipment in that manner. Or, at least be ready to accept the consequences of being our own warranty repair station.
 
#8 ·
Brother, I am with you wholeheartedly. I just had to put that out there so people would realize where the factory gets all thIs stuff, and to get folks to discuss their situations and experiences. In a nutshell all I can say is if common sense were so common we wouldn't have to have so much written down. And when they write some stuff down it tends to limit things or says things that are really not meant to be said. Thankfully we still have the freedom of choice and I fully support that for everyone.

I simply put it out there because I hoped I knew what some of the replies would be. I've been around long enough to know some of the discourse that can come, which I welcome, and I'm glad people have the chance to see both sides of an issue. That's the important part. I can also tell that you have had some experiences that have shaped your thinking and given you much wisdom. This is what is wonderful about the forum, that experiences and wisdom can be freely shared, and then we can make the best decisions that fit our particular needs and desires.

I to am very pleased with Polaris and their R&D as well as their ability to get ideas into an actual product. Is it perfect? We all have our opinions. I think they did a tremendous job engineering and making the ACE a great atv that crosses many boundaries of age and experience, making it gobs of fun, and seemingly dependable as well. Hats of to them! I'm really proud to have one in my garage and to ride it.
This may have been said before, but it's worth repeating:

Thank you for your wisdom and your guidance in the moderation of the forum. You're doing a great job! Keep up the good work.
 
#9 ·
Well, no follow-up from the OP, no pictures to substantiate the statements (those would have been necessary for insurance claim), no further information on the new intake system.
I guess the OP just came here to vent his frustration, which is understandable, but I would have liked to learn a little more about what happened.
I wish him well in the future of his rental business, and hope that the ACE goes on to provide a substantial return on investment and becomes a cornerstone of the rental business for him.
 
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