Snowmobile Repair: mxzx 440 motor, cross shaft, rod bearings

Question
hey again,
this site is the best, i seem to come here for answers to all of my questions, as my local dealer is a loser! lol anyway, back to the question.  2002 mxzx 440 lc race motor, with trail domes.  it is making some grinding noises, sounds like metal on metal almost but hard to explain.  my question is if this sled has been known to be "noisy" as in, the primary or something like that, or if this is something i should be worried about.  any ideas or something would be handy. i was thinking maybe rod bearings.......is there anything I can do to check for a problem like that?  thanks SO MUCH again, hope to hear from you soon,
Drew

Answer
Hello Drew,

  Sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner, I was gone most of the weekend. There aren't any known sounds that your model sled makes, but of course sleds do make sounds like that. It ussually comes from somewhere in the drive train. Most likely there is a worn part in the clutch, or possibly in the bearing that support the cross shaft. Your best bet would be to buy a can of commet clutch spray, and some WD-40. First, staurate the clutch with the Commet clutch spray. Then, take the sled for a spin and see if that helps. If it does, now would be a good time to buy a clutch rebuild kit. If  that doesn't help, apply the WD-40 liberally to all of the bearings on the cross shaft and  secondary clutch. If it's quiet after that, inspect the bearings for wear. If your drive belt is severely worn, this can also happen, due to the belt being so thin, that the clutch sheaves make contact at the base. That would really be something to take a look at.hope this helps, let me know how it goes, or if you need any help at all. Good luck with the sled! --Arcticatman