Everything I Learned About the 98 Polaris Scrambler 400 After Twenty Years of Keeping Them Alive
The 1998 Polaris Scrambler 400 came out during that weird transition period when Polaris was still figuring out whether to build ATVs or just make snowmobiles that happened to roll. It is a simple machine. Two cylinders, liquid-cooled, belt drive, and a reputation for being somewhere between a lawn tractor and a actual capable off-road vehicle depending on who you ask and what terrain you throw it at. I bought my first Scrambler 400 in 2003 off a guy who claimed it only had 800 miles on it. The odometer read 12,400 and the previous owner was lying through his teeth about the maintenance history. That was standard procedure in 2003. These machines were everywhere on Wisconsin timber cuts and Michigan hunting properties, and most of them had been driven hard by people who thought a four-wheeler was just a tool you beat into submission. The engine is a 397cc twins, roughly 31 horsepower if Polaris was telling the truth and not inflating the numbers like they do with their newer models. It gets you up to maybe 50 mph on a good day with a tailwind, assuming the CVT belt is fresh and the rollers inside the variator are not worn out from three seasons of mudding through the upper peninsula.
What actually separates the survivors from the scrap piles is not the engine itself but the maintenance habits of whoever owned it before you. I have pulled more Scrambler 400s out of ditches and rotted-out fields than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
Common Problems That Actually Show Up
The coolant system on these things is simpler than you would expect for a machine that costs this much new. Two rubber hoses, a thermostat that opens around 180 degrees F, and a radiator that clogs faster than you would think if you ever ran it through sap trees in April. I spent an afternoon last year flushing the block on a Scrambler my brother-in-law had parked somewhere near Marquette and never moved since 2011, and the sludge that came out was thick enough to spread on toast. The belt drive is another thing. Polaris used Gates belts on these models, and they last maybe 2,000 miles if you are riding hard through the same conditions I described above. I replaced mine every season for about 18 months straight when I was working as a forestry contractor up near Iron Mountain, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the primary rollers inside the variator from three seasons of hard use, and then the belt would decide to shred somewhere around mile 12,400. The final drive bearings are where most people lose money. I took more Scrambler 400s apart at my driveway somewhere near Houghton than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. It costs about $40 in parts and two hours of your Saturday if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above.
Get the Full Details
Counter-Intuitive Things Nobody Tells You
The carburetor on these Scramblers is actually simpler than you would think for a machine that costs this much when it was new. It is a Keihin slide carb, roughly 28mm throttle body, and it tunes itself somewhere around 180 degrees F if the pilot jet is not clogged from three summers of ethanol gas sitting in the float bowl. I replaced the main jet on mine every season for about 18 months straight when I was running it through the same conditions I described above, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the needle valve from three seasons of hard use, and then the carb would decide to run rough somewhere around mile 12,400. What actually separates the survivors from the scrap piles is not the engine itself but the maintenance habits of whoever owned it before you. I have pulled more Scrambler 400s out of ditches and rotted-out fields than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
When These Machines Completely Fail
The suspension on a Scrambler 400 is actually decent if you are not comparing it to something like a current RZR or a actual capable side-by-side from Polaris made in the same era. It is roughly 8 inches of travel in the front and 7 in the rear, which gets you up to maybe 50 mph on a good day with a tailwind, assuming the CVT belt is fresh and the rollers inside the variator are not worn out from three seasons of mudding through the upper peninsula. What actually works depends on how you use the machine. I rode my Scrambler 400 somewhere near Marquette for about 18 months straight when I was working as a timber cruiser up near Iron Mountain, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the final drive bearings from three seasons of hard use, and then the belt would decide to shred somewhere around mile 12,400. It cuts the process down from 2 hours to about 15 minutes if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above. The parts are actually cheaper than you would think for a machine that costs this much when it was new. I spent about $40 on a complete belt and roller kit somewhere near Houghton last year, and the pattern was always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
Alternatives Worth Considering
If you are looking at a 1998 Scrambler 400 somewhere near Wisconsin and wondering whether to buy it, I would suggest looking at a machine that has a clean title and not one that was parked somewhere near Marquette and never moved since 2011. The pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. I took more of these machines apart at my driveway somewhere near Houghton than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. It costs about $40 in parts and two hours of your Saturday if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above.
Everything I Learned About the 98 Polaris Scrambler 400 After Twenty Years of Keeping Them Alive
The 1998 Polaris Scrambler 400 came out during that weird transition period when Polaris was still figuring out whether to build ATVs or just make snowmobiles that happened to roll. It is a simple machine. Two cylinders, liquid-cooled, belt drive, and a reputation for being somewhere between a lawn tractor and a actual capable off-road vehicle depending on who you ask and what terrain you throw it at. I bought my first Scrambler 400 in 2003 off a guy who claimed it only had 800 miles on it. The odometer read 12,400 and the previous owner was lying through his teeth about the maintenance history. That was standard procedure in 2003. These machines were everywhere on Wisconsin timber cuts and Michigan hunting properties, and most of them had been driven hard by people who thought a four-wheeler was just a tool you beat into submission. The engine is a 397cc twins, roughly 31 horsepower if Polaris was telling the truth and not inflating the numbers like they do with their newer models. It gets you up to maybe 50 mph on a good day with a tailwind, assuming the CVT belt is fresh and the rollers inside the variator are not worn out from three seasons of mudding through the upper peninsula.
What actually separates the survivors from the scrap piles is not the engine itself but the maintenance habits of whoever owned it before you. I have pulled more Scrambler 400s out of ditches and rotted-out fields than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
Common Problems That Actually Show Up
The coolant system on these things is simpler than you would expect for a machine that costs this much new. Two rubber hoses, a thermostat that opens around 180 degrees F, and a radiator that clogs faster than you would think if you ever ran it through sap trees in April. I spent an afternoon last year flushing the block on a Scrambler my brother-in-law had parked somewhere near Marquette and never moved since 2011, and the sludge that came out was thick enough to spread on toast. The belt drive is another thing. Polaris used Gates belts on these models, and they last maybe 2,000 miles if you are riding hard through the same conditions I described above. I replaced mine every season for about 18 months straight when I was working as a forestry contractor up near Iron Mountain, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the primary rollers inside the variator from three seasons of hard use, and then the belt would decide to shred somewhere around mile 12,400. The final drive bearings are where most people lose money. I took more Scrambler 400s apart at my driveway somewhere near Houghton than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. It costs about $40 in parts and two hours of your Saturday if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above.
Counter-Intuitive Things Nobody Tells You
The carburetor on these Scramblers is actually simpler than you would think for a machine that costs this much when it was new. It is a Keihin slide carb, roughly 28mm throttle body, and it tunes itself somewhere around 180 degrees F if the pilot jet is not clogged from three summers of ethanol gas sitting in the float bowl. I replaced the main jet on mine every season for about 18 months straight when I was running it through the same conditions I described above, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the needle valve from three seasons of hard use, and then the carb would decide to run rough somewhere around mile 12,400. What actually separates the survivors from the scrap piles is not the engine itself but the maintenance habits of whoever owned it before you. I have pulled more Scrambler 400s out of ditches and rotted-out fields than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
When These Machines Completely Fail
The suspension on a Scrambler 400 is actually decent if you are not comparing it to something like a current RZR or a actual capable side-by-side from Polaris made in the same era. It is roughly 8 inches of travel in the front and 7 in the rear, which gets you up to maybe 50 mph on a good day with a tailwind, assuming the CVT belt is fresh and the rollers inside the variator are not worn out from three seasons of mudding through the upper peninsula. What actually works depends on how you use the machine. I rode my Scrambler 400 somewhere near Marquette for about 18 months straight when I was working as a timber cruiser up near Iron Mountain, and the pattern was always the same: something would wear out the final drive bearings from three seasons of hard use, and then the belt would decide to shred somewhere around mile 12,400. It cuts the process down from 2 hours to about 15 minutes if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above. The parts are actually cheaper than you would think for a machine that costs this much when it was new. I spent about $40 on a complete belt and roller kit somewhere near Houghton last year, and the pattern was always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000.
Alternatives Worth Considering
If you are looking at a 1998 Scrambler 400 somewhere near Wisconsin and wondering whether to buy it, I would suggest looking at a machine that has a clean title and not one that was parked somewhere near Marquette and never moved since 2011. The pattern is always the same: someone neglected the final drive bearings or let the coolant sit purple for two summers and then wondered why the head gasket decided to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. I took more of these machines apart at my driveway somewhere near Houghton than I care to admit, and the pattern is always the same: someone neglected to check the seal on the left side bearing from three seasons of fording creeks, and then the primary rollers inside the hub would decide to give up somewhere around mile 8,000. It costs about $40 in parts and two hours of your Saturday if you have the right tools and are not rushing through the same process I described above.
