Took delivery 750 hdi camo

[cdover73]

Picked up my Argo yesterday. Nice!! Took it around the property and got a funny surprise. Apparently the wife wasnt paying attention to the Argo's capabilities and she almost jumped out when I started going to the pond! She didnt know it floated!! Got a feeling she wont be the last I will get like that.

Being new to these machines (I've only seen maybe 3 in person in my 42 years) im highly impressed with it. Im waiting on the racks to come in off back order and I will be getting Adair pro series tracks next month.

The only thing that has my attention is the cluncky noise the transmission makes when correcting the steering. I assume its normal and will get better as i learn to drive it, but is there anything I need to be careful of? In my experience, clunky things soon turn into chunky things. I dont wanna put unnecessary stress on the drive. Any advice, or is it considered normal?

And lastly, I bought a Wet Sounds th-10 sound bar. I dont have the alternator upgrade. Will there be any problems adding accessories? Will the charging system handle it? I also plan to add led lights to the front

Thanks,

Cdover73

[Fox Valley Argo Sales]

Congrats cdover73!!
Not only did you get yourself an argo,you got the HDI,awesome! All argos make some kind of noise,lots of it comes from the brake discs,as they need to be loose.Every HDI that i have had seems to have its own little noise,the last one I had whined like it had a blower on it at high speed.
There is a learning curve,and most newbes tend to want to turn the unit before its starts to move,ie crank on the t handle,then give it gas to start to move,this applies the brake and gas at the same time,and is hard on the unit,get it moving good, then turn.Also cranking real hard on the t handles,or trying to force it to go where "you want to go" can blow out the seals in the calipers, you will know when this happens, as you lose the ability to turn that way.
You got yourself a nice unit,to keep it that way for a long time,lube the bearings, and change the oil,especially the first one,as it calls for in the manual,also,go thru the manual,then just wait for your pro series to come in to really have some fun!

[philipatmaxfour]

750 hdi camo

And lastly, I bought a Wet Sounds th-10 sound bar. I dont have the alternator upgrade. Will there be any problems adding accessories? Will the charging system handle it? I also plan to add led lights to the front

Thanks,

Cdover73

HI cdover73-- Welcome to the club. It is a great place. Most of our machines do not come with an alternator. That means that at idle they are not charging enough to keep up with brake cooling fans or hood fans and headlights. at higher revs this is not a problem but I have had troubles trying to use the winch at night with the lights on. I expect that you will not be able to use your sound system when idling but you will be able to figure it out by watching your guages. I added an on/off switch for my brake fan that I don't need when I'm idling.

[cdover73]

Thanks guys. That clunking noise is getting worse. The salesman even said he noticed it when he loaded it for me. He is checking with Argo and other techs to see if it's normal or if I need to bring it back for inspection. The noise sounds like two different things. One is a rattle clunk and appears to coming from inside the trans. I can access the two brake rotors and rock them back and forth in opposing directions and it sounds like a lot of play inside. Best I can explain it would be like a rear end diff in a car that doesnt have proper back lash setup and has a lot of slack between the ring and pinion.
The 2nd noise sounds like a chain climbing a sprocket.
Both of these happen together but only when turning left. Turning right only has the trans clunk.
Also it seems to be worse at slow speeds. Trail riding through the woods made me want to stop using it because it sounded so bad. Im pretty sure this isnt normal.

The trans in mine also has the turbo whine mentioned earlier.

The hdi doesn't come with cooling systems for the brakes. And its water cooled with a fairly good sized radiator and fan so no hood fan either. The only accessories I have is bilge and winch. The radiator fan seems to be engine driven but not sure on that.

I may create another thread regarding the noise issue fir future reference. I will keep it updated as to what they find.

Thanks,

Cdover73

[cdover73]

New Argo 750 hdi transmission/chain noise

I just bought a new 2016 Argo 750 hdi. Got it home and have put less than 2 miles on it and am noticing some loud noises when turning. It has the 30hp engine and Admiral transmission. I posted what is below in another thread but moved it over here in case this issue turns out to be noteworthy. It is regarding a noise it is making when turning left. The following paragraph should get you up to speed.

That clunking noise is getting worse. The salesman even said he noticed it when he loaded it for me. He is checking with Argo and other techs to see if it's normal or if I need to bring it back for inspection. The noise sounds like two different things. One is a rattle clunk and appears to be coming from inside the trans. I can access the two brake rotors and rock them back and forth in opposing directions and it sounds like a lot of play inside. Best I can explain it would be like a rear end diff in a car that doesnt have proper back lash setup and has a lot of slack between the ring and pinion.

The 2nd noise sounds like a chain climbing a sprocket.

I did notice the left brake disc, I guess its the main brake on the side of the transmission, (I dont know what to call stuff yet) has some play in it. I can move the hub where the bolt goes though it back and forth a little. The right side is tight.

Both of these sounds happen together but only when turning left. Turning right only has the trans clunk.
Also it seems to be worse at slow speeds. Trail riding through the woods made me want to stop using it because it sounded so bad. Im pretty sure this isnt normal.

(Back to current)

I am waiting for the salesman to get back to me on whether I need to bring it in or not. Like I said, this doesn't sound normal. I dont have any prior experience with Argo, and I know there is a lot of moving parts, but you know when something doesnt sound right.

Has anyone else had this experience? I understand even new equipment can have issues and at this point it doesn't make me wish I hadn't bought it. That will depend on how they back it up.

I can say it is a helluva machine. Very impressed with its abilities and I havent even been anywhere other than my field, food plots, and pond. Hopefully they will get me taken care of.

Thanks,

Cdover73

[mightymaxIV]

It sounds to me like your left steering brake is lose, there are several small bolts that use an allen wrench that hold that brake tight, They are hard to see and harder to get to, it sounds like they weren't properly tightened.

Pertaining to the transmission, it's difficult to say, the Admiral makes a lot of strange noises so the experience of the dealer and Argo will have to be the deciding factor there. Try tightening the bolts of the on the rotor and see if this solves your problem.

Those bolts also hold the left driven shaft to the transmission so if they are lose the chains will pop and sound as if they are trying to climb the sprocket.

[msafi65]

I hare one last year that was noisy in slight turn. Chain slap and slight jerk when soft turn. Was a steering rotor that wasn't machined properly. The steering on the admiral stops the rotor on the opposite side of the turn. To find this I was driving with firewall out and watched rotors when turning. One was not smooth. When remover it measured about .005" thicker in two places where the pads run. Installed new one and it was smooth and quiet.

[Nubs]

Welcome

[cdover73]

Great advice everyone, thanks! I am currently in Saudi Arabia but returning home tomorrow and will perform the checks you have suggested. I have talked to my dealer and they have talked to Argo about the noise problem. They said it could be normal chain slap as the tensioners get settled in and may go away with break-in. But they also said if it doesn't go away, or gets worse, to let them know and they will pick it up and have it checked out. Everything is under the new extended warranty, (2 yr Argo/body and 3 yr engine and transmission as opposed to the older 1 yr and 2 yr they had before; it was part of the new sales incentive this year) so I know it will be taken care of. I'm the type that don't mind getting my own hands dirty, even on new equipment, to figure things out. Especially if that prevents the hassle of getting it picked up and brought back. No need to strain the dealer with all that unless absolutely needed.

BTW, I didn't mention that the noise also happens when the machine is fully floating in deep water and I steer to the left with the wheels swimming without strain. So ground strain isn't a direct contributor. It appears to be a 'driven' issue. I say this because I have one tire on the left that is about 1" shorter than the rest. It is stamped the same size (25") as the rest, but even with the same air pressure as all the others it is still shorter. I was wondering if that may be causing chain windup since that tire has to travel faster to keep up. They suggested I move that tire to the rear (it is currently the 2nd one on the left) and see if the noise goes away. They also sad they will replace that tire as a defect issue.

I'm wondering if this doesn't go away and I add the tracks if it will put a lot more strain on the driveline and cause whatever the problem is to completely fail. I may discuss it with Argo first before I make the track purchase. But for now I'm just gonna run it and enjoy it and keep my fingers crossed that it goes away.

Thanks,

cdover73

[plott hound]

steering rotor

[cdover73]

Back from overseas but havent had a chance to check the rotor yet. If it turns out to be that is it detrimental to run it that way or should I have it changed? I know they wouloutdnt hesitate to chane it, but im just curious if it would hurt it long term.

Actually im gonna go check it now while I have a chance.

msafi65 - was it visible while u were watching it or just vibrated?

[cdover73]

It sounds to me like your left steering brake is lose, there are several small bolts that use an allen wrench that hold that brake tight, They are hard to see and harder to get to, it sounds like they weren't properly tightened.

Pertaining to the transmission, it's difficult to say, the Admiral makes a lot of strange noises so the experience of the dealer and Argo will have to be the deciding factor there. Try tightening the bolts of the on the rotor and see if this solves your problem.

Those bolts also hold the left driven shaft to the transmission so if they are lose the chains will pop and sound as if they are trying to climb the sprocket.

Checked these and all the allen's were tight. However, I did find multiple (12) loose bolts throughout the machine. Mostly body to frame braces in the front and some of the shaft bearing bolts. There was no scuffed paint marks on the frame where the bolts had ever been tightened, so they didn't just back out. It's like the factory hand threaded them then forgot to tighten them. I think Argo needs to review their QA/QC procedures...

I hare one last year that was noisy in slight turn. Chain slap and slight jerk when soft turn. Was a steering rotor that wasn't machined properly. The steering on the admiral stops the rotor on the opposite side of the turn. To find this I was driving with firewall out and watched rotors when turning. One was not smooth. When remover it measured about .005" thicker in two places where the pads run. Installed new one and it was smooth and quiet.

My rotors appear to be smooth from visual observation. The clunking is coming from the lower left area of the transmission. You can actually see the front left shaft jerk when it does it. I'm no expert but I think it's internal to the transmission output. If it doesn't get any better I will have them pick it up and inspect it.

I took it out to a local atv club last weekend and it did great! Only had to use the winch one time, but it was my fault for letting it fall into deep ruts made by lifted side by sides. Operator error....lesson learned! They had "holes" that were famous for the park and known to many as "jeep eater", "the bounty hole", and such. I was able to make them all! And it wasn't ever in a bind. I don't abuse my stuff so I was leery at first but after I seen how effortless it went where others had trouble I gained confidence in it.

The steering clunk to the left does have me concerned. I have checked all that I know to check, which doesn't say much, but all I can tell is whatever is happening is being transferred to the output shaft and making it very jerky when turning. I thought about swapping the brake rotors left to right and see if the problem moves to the right, but I don't know if they are reversible. Anyway....that's where I'm at. Let me know if you have any more thoughts on things to try/check before I call the dealer.

Thanks,

[cdover73]

Okay, I took it to the shop and it turned out to be exactly what some of you said it would be. One of the brake rotors had a high spot. They replaced it with one off the shelf but it also had a high spot, but not as bad. The mech said he talked to Argo and they know they have a problem with these rotors and have an upgraded rotor that corrects it. They are sending two new rotors to replace with and said I can use it until they come in. The dealer said they will pick it up so I dont have to worry about taking off work during the week. My racks are still on back order but hopefully they will be in and everything can be done in one trip.

I have to say that Argo, like any other machine, may have some problems, but their customer service is solid! It is nice knowing that after spending as much as I did they will be there to help correct any issues. If any Argo reps are reading this, thank you for your service!! I am very pleased with it.

Thanks,

[Fox Valley Argo Sales]

Thanks cdover for the info. I had the exact same problem with my last demo,I figured it was the brake rotor,replaced it,but i still had the same issue,but not quite as bad.Didn't figure a new rotor would have a high spot,or warped,but didn't know what direction to go next.....so this explains a lot!
I'm sure you will enjoy your new ride,as I have the last few years, riding hard about 5 HDI demo units now,trying to find the weak link.....so far no serious issues,and I am very impressed with the preformance of this model.

[philipatmaxfour]

entrance steps on HDI

Hi Fox Valley, Do you put entrance steps on most Avengers that you sell? Do you put them just ahead of the second wheel or just behind the second wheel? I'm getting a new HDI and I can't decide. My wife says further forward for her,the dealer says each side could be different?