hood vent metal clips....get rid of them!!

Backcountry Bandit · Oct 26, 2009

hey guys! just wanted to share my frustrating experience with these nasty little bugga's!
not sure if this has happened to any of you but there has been 3 case's of it happening here.

on my 09 HCR i went 450 miles without an issue. it was perfect. then out of no where i went through 2 belts in a weekend. then the following ride, 2 belts in one day! we all know how expensive the belts are. i was losing my ****! the 5th belt blowing in under 400 miles leaving my wife and I walking 3 km's back to the truck was it. i brought it into the shop telling them that the clutches are miss-aligned or something and to fix it...stat!
turns out i had all of these little nicks in both the primary and secondary. i never noticed them. they asked me if i tried taking the clutches off or if i pried on them with a sharp metal object. im not a tard i said!
believe it or not this is what happened.
one of the metal hood vent clips fell off and got sucked into the clutches and embeded into the belt. unbeknownst to me, i kept rippin. further damaging the inside of the clutches with every rotation. i wish i would have taken pics to show you guys but the clutches were a mess! all the knicks on the inner surface of the clutches put a ton of extra friction causing the belts to fail. i could have saved alot of time money if i had paid more attention to the inside plating of the clutches. the dealer re finished the clutches and i have had 0 issues since. just a heads up for you guys. get rid of those stock hood vents and get something else. i went with some frog skins. anything but those clips! check around under the hood...i bet a bundle MOST of you guys have a clip or two floatin around....
peace out!

SLEDIOT · Oct 26, 2009

ahhh haaaa hence the reason SLEDIOT zip ties all vents to underside of hood!! Wish I couldve told u.........

Woody67 · Oct 27, 2009

one of our guys hit a tree in 08 limped it home and repaired all the damage but would only run one one cylinder at idle and low throttle settings. Took awhile to find it but when it smacked the tree it sucked a screen clip in the broken air box and got caught in one of the reeds and held it open a bit.

likkerpig · Oct 27, 2009

Pull that BS hood foam out and silver heat tape it. I love removing those clips, I always wind up putting a screw driver through my hand. Did that this weekend...

CATSLEDMAN1 · Oct 27, 2009

Bad to the bone

Those hood clips are bad news, I've seem then stuck in the throttle linkage, sucked into engine................ throw them away.

iluv2fly · Oct 27, 2009

What do you guys use in place of the clips?

likkerpig · Oct 27, 2009

likkerpig said:
Pull that BS hood foam out and silver heat tape it.

Tape 'em in. they won't be going anywhere. You'll get more contact area to hold them with foil tape than you will with a few half assed clips. when I pulled mine, 2-3 per vent weren't even touching the frickin screens. They're a waste.

mtn mike on boost · Oct 27, 2009

my stories even better???????? i was up in pemberton the other year after just installing my new cutler turbo kit w/ the cold air intake.after rolling the sled a couple times it wouldn't get up on boost, had to tow back to camp.turns out after rolling the sled, one of those little insulator clips off the hood, went right down the cold air intake.of course i didnt bring a back up sled, so i ended up hanging in the motor home while everyone is out ridding 3 ft of fresh the next day.after a $1200 rebuild by turbo doc, i now run with a metal mesh covering the intake.

Backcountry Bandit · Oct 27, 2009

ya....u got me beat! lol. i despise the li'll basterds!!

Backcountry Bandit · Oct 27, 2009

SLEDIOT said:
ahhh haaaa hence the reason SLEDIOT zip ties all vents to underside of hood!! Wish I couldve told u.........

i wish so too! good i dea with the zip ties tho. but i pulled the old vents outta her and put on some froggies.

Backcountry Bandit · Oct 27, 2009

likkerpig said:
Pull that BS hood foam out and silver heat tape it. I love removing those clips, I always wind up putting a screw driver through my hand. Did that this weekend...

the heat tape actually deflects enough heat to protect the cab? if this is the case i am for sure taking off the hood foam. do you have any pics?

thanks man..

hatchers · Oct 27, 2009

I remove mine also....drill a small whole in each plastic tab that meets each metal clip, then simple run a zip tie in each whole and through the metal mesh vent thingy...

Monty · Oct 28, 2009

So what's the best way to remove all the foam without it lookin like chit

arcticman31 · Oct 28, 2009

Bummer

Never Had that happen with the screen clips but did break a couple exhaust springs and had them get into the clutches and ding up the sheaves a bit....

Blk88GT · Oct 28, 2009

Monty said:
So what's the best way to remove all the foam without it lookin like chit

Rip it off, use your favorite goo remover (I used gas) to clean it up. Then silver tape EVERYTHING. Works like a charm.

likkerpig · Oct 28, 2009

I'll see if I can get a pic tonight of my handy work. The hood foam stuff, at least on my 06, was only held on by those POS clips. I just ripped the sht out and popped the clips and went to work.

blackcloud2k · Oct 28, 2009

yep just remove the foam and tape with silver alum sticky HVAC tape. Works wonders and saves a tad bit of weight. Just make sure if you have an aftermarket pipe that you get the area right above the pipe nice and good...

RMKdude · Oct 28, 2009

does anyone make a product like the frog skinz covers for the onpening in the very front of the hood for these upper vents? i have the ones on the front and have noticed that the clips are kind of mangled for the other vents, i would like to prevent some the woes of these little clippers

Frostbite · Oct 28, 2009

I know Arctic cat makes a 3 and 5 piece mesh vent kit. I can't seem to find the picture I am looking for on the site.

Try this, page 123

http://www.arctic-cat.com/snow/accessories.asp

Destroyer · Oct 28, 2009

yes they make them for the upper vents. They go on pretty nice. I hope they last. it looks like the bottom corner where the top kind of turns into the side of the hood is a little loose. Should be alright.

hood vent metal clips....get rid of them!!

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