CVT side to side belt alignment is a big deal. Checking side to side alignment is easy and can help ensure you are getting the most belt life and performance from your vehicle. A belt off to one side will be more likely to slip, create belt heat, and lose performance. The biggest issue on some UTV models is the lack of ability to adjust your belt alignment. P90X clutches found on new Body style ranger models, Pro XP models, and 2021 RZR turbo models give you some adjustment (see specific post on those modes), but others like the XP1000, 2016-2020 Turbo, and Can AM X3 models give you no adjustment. On those models we normally remove the primary clutch, cleaning the clutch/crankshaft taper with brake clean, then torque the bolt back to spec. If need be, you can slightly play with bolt torque to move the clutch further in toward the engine (more torque) or less torque(no less than 10ft-lbs than OEM spec) to keep it further away from the engine. Most RZR bolts are good for another 10-20ft-lbs over factory torque. Can Am X3’s have a weaker bolt, and we’d not suggest any higher torque over factory. See below on the best way we’ve found to check alignment quickly.
Belt Alignment: Can cause hard shifting, squealing, belt slip, belt heat:
– Remove the plastic clutch cover
– Check alignment by using a cell phone camera like the above image. You can take pictures, but we find it easier to look at your camera screen while moving the phone back and forth from one side of the belt to the other, comparing the gap size on either side of the belt.
CVT Center to Center Alignment: We get many questions on alignment and use of our center to center tools. It is imperative to proper clutch function to not only have proper alignment, but also to have correct center to center distances. We sell a tool that allows customers an effective way to set center to center distances on a variety of models. The Polaris service manual does a good job of outlining how do do this, so we have decided to post this section for the community to reference. It is important to note that the torque sequence is critical when installing the transmission or making an alignment or center to center adjustment. The factory has found that following this torque sequence is the most effective way to ensure successful installation. While the RZR XP Turbo, Turbo S, Pro XP and Turbo R models all use an aluminum inner clutch box, the naturally aspirated machines (RZR XP1000, 1000S, 900S, Ranger 900/1000, General 1000, etc) generally have a plastic inner clutch box that cannot be relied upon in any way to help align the transmission to the engine. It is even more critical on these machines to follow the procedure outlined in the service manual and to utilize the center to center tool that we offer. Here is the excerpt from the factory service manual. Step 6 is where you use the center to center tool to set the distance between the crank and the transmission input shaft.
