Polaris Quattro gets stuck

May 27, 2017
38
TX
Pool Size
12000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
My Quattro worked well for years in a large plaster pool. Now in my smaller Pebble pool it gets stuck at the wall in a 45 degree angle. I tore it down and replaced the wheel bearings, checked the gearbox, etc. Strange thing about the wheels/gears, one side is definitely the power side with a metal drive gear, and the other has a plastic gear and much less power - also that side is much easier to stop rotation with my hand and slips. It would appear the gearbox is set up for occasional slippage so the unit rotates for a period of time and picks a new direction, but even with that the 45-degree gears don’t always seem to fully mesh and I can’t tell if that’s intentional. Anyway - the tires appear ok, almost sticky and coupled with the rough pebble pool finish one would think grip isn’t a problem but alas this thing is constantly stuck at the wall in a helpless position. I’ve got the main pump at 3450rpm and a PB4-60 booster. I’ve tried adjusting the rear jet up/down/sideways with no effect. Any ideas?
 
Is there a red or blue restrictor disc in the wall fitting? If so remove it and see whether that helps. (Speed of the filter pump should not matter if the booster pump is working properly.)
 
I had the same issue and it was the main gearbox. The main bearing had failed such that the gears would occasionally slip. My experience is if it's slipping, it's shot. I think the 2 gearboxes inside it each have about a 500 hour lifespan. I really like the Quattro - it's a great design, but let down by cheap materials in the gearboxes.
 
Yeah I think she’s toast. I pulled it apart and found that if there’s more pressure on the one section of the gearbox then the teeth stay engaged. So I added about 2mm of plastic to that section and closed it up. When I turn the gears by hand the fix works perfectly but in operation she won’t stay engaged at all most of the time. Nothing like $240/year for a robot that goes into the trash.

Edit: I found a gearbox on eBay for $68 and going to try that as a last resort. Since that piece is where the problem lies it should hopefully solve the issue. Will report back!

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!
 
Last edited:
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Reactions: Rocket J Squirrel
Replacing the gearbox did the trick. It doesn’t climb the walls every time but at least it does it now. Enough power that it’s not getting stuck in one place.
 
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