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The Yamaha Rhino 700 is the big-bore version of the side-by-side that put Yamaha into the utility vehicle game. The whole Rhino line was built from 2003 at Yamaha’s factory in Newnan, Georgia, and sold from 2004 through 2013. The 700 packs a 686cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine with Yamaha’s Ultramatic V-belt automatic transmission, a low and high range with neutral and reverse, and the On-Command system that lets you switch between 2WD, 4WD, and locked 4WD on the move. When Rhino production ended, the Yamaha Viking EPS stepped into the same slot. Used 700s still sell well because the platform is tough and parts are cheap, but a handful of problems come up again and again in owner threads. This article walks through the ones owners actually report, what causes them, what a fix really involves, and a buying checklist for anyone shopping used. Before we dig into the failures, it helps to know how the drivetrain works, because most of the trouble lives in the transmission and the clutch rather than in the engine itself.
Grinding and clunking on a descent: the one-way bearing
The scariest Rhino 700 complaint is also the most specific. Owners describe riding down a steep hill in Low, feeling the engine braking cut out, and then hearing a grind that ends in a solid clunk. On a grizzlycentral thread on a 2012 Rhino 700 grinding and clunking in a descent, the owner lost engine braking on a slope, got a grinding noise, and then a definitive clunk from the driveline. The cause turned out to be the one-way bearing, also called the sprag clutch, that lets the engine coast while the driven side of the clutch spins. When it wears out, it no longer holds under the load of a descent, so the rear stops being braked by the engine and the failed bearing grinds before it lets go.
The good news is that this is a known, repeatable fix, and an experienced member on that thread laid out the exact steps. You drain the engine oil, remove the seat, pull the clutch cover, then take out the primary clutch and the inner sheave before dropping the engine side cover to reach the one-way bearing. The bearing itself must be an OEM part, and it has a correct installation direction, so pay attention to which way it goes in. Owners who do the job report the grinding stops and engine braking comes back on downhill work. Do not try to reuse a worn sprag clutch or fit a cheap no-name copy, because the same failure will come right back. This is one of those repairs where buying the right part the first time saves you from doing the whole teardown twice, so a little patience up front pays off.
It is worth understanding what the one-way bearing actually does, because it explains why the failure shows up exactly where it does. The Rhino’s Ultramatic uses a centrifugal clutch to launch the machine and a one-way sprag clutch at the output that lets the engine freewheel when you back off the throttle. On a descent in Low, the engine holds the output back and the sprag locks to give you engine braking. A worn sprag stops holding, so the clutch lets go and you suddenly lose the braking that slows you on the grade. That is why the grind and the clunk happen precisely when you crest a hill and start down: that is the moment the sprag is asked to carry the load, and the moment it fails.
Clutch heat and CVT belt wear
Rhino 700s are often used for hauling, and that is exactly when the clutch and belt get hot. The Ultramatic uses a V-belt between two variable pulleys, and slow, heavy going keeps the belt slipping instead of grabbing. Enough heat glazes the belt, and a glazed belt can slip so hard that the machine struggles on a grade it used to climb easily. Owners also strip or shear the plastic fins inside the primary clutch when they ride mud or sand, which then starves the clutch cover of cooling air and piles on the heat.
Prevention beats replacement. Keep the clutch ducting and its fins clean after every dirty ride, and do not sit and spin in deep mud or snow. If the belt starts slipping while your engine is hot, drop the belt guard and look for glaze and a rounded crown. A quality belt and clean sheaves are the real fix, and regular CVT inspection is the maintenance that stops most belt problems before they strand you. A torn belt, by the way, does not just cost you the belt itself, because the rubber strands wrap around the sheaves and can take out the clutch while you are replacing it. Clean out any debris the moment you drop the cover so the new belt starts life on a clean surface. Compare the Yamaha Grizzly 700, which shares the same 686cc engine and Ultramatic, for many of the same CVT habits.
Heat is the thread that ties most of the running issues together. The liquid-cooled 686cc single keeps the engine itself at a steady temperature, but the transmission and the belt tolerate far less heat before they lose grip. Riders who push a Rhino hard through mud in the summer, or who winch all afternoon, are the ones reporting belt slip and clutch noise. Plan your rides so high-load work is broken up, let the machine idle and cool after a hard pull, and the belt will last far longer.
The 2009 rollover repair program
Every used Rhino 700 buyer needs to understand the rollover history before handing over cash. In 2009 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Yamaha announced a repair program for the Rhino because of reports of rollovers at low speed on sloped terrain. The program originally covered the Rhino 660 and 450 and was later extended to include the 700. The fix added a two-inch spacer behind each rear wheel and removed the rear anti-sway bar, both aimed at widening the rear track and reducing the tendency to lift a wheel and roll on a hill. Yamaha temporarily suspended sales of the affected models until the repair was performed, and the CPSC advised owners not to use the vehicles while it was outstanding.
Wikipedia’s entry on the Yamaha Rhino confirms the timeline and the scope, including that the program swept the 700 in. What this means at the dealership and on the used market is simple: later production Rhinos were built with the spacers and rear modifications from the factory, and earlier machines were supposed to have had them applied under warranty. When you look at a used 700, check the rear track for the spacers behind the wheels and confirm the anti-sway bar is gone, because those are the markers that the repair has been done. Out of the whole list of Rhino 700 problems, this is the one tied to safety rather than inconvenience.
It is also worth knowing that the rollover concern was specific to how the vehicle was being used at the time. The Rhino is a high, narrow two-seater, and the tracked rear axle made it easier to reach a tip point on a side slope than a modern, wider machine. The spacers the program installed widened the stance and, along with the anti-sway bar removal, made the rear more predictable when a wheel lifted. A Rhino that has had the mods will still tip if you drive it badly, but the factory address reduced the surprise factor considerably.
Used Rhino 700 buying checks
If you are shopping a used 700, a few checks separate a solid machine from a project. Confirm the rollover repair is done by looking for the rear wheel spacers and the missing anti-sway bar as covered above. Start it cold and listen for the sprag-clutch grind going down hills, and check whether engine braking holds in Low. Pull the oil fill and smell for a burnt scent, and ask when the CVT belt was changed last because a neglected belt will cost you later. Also compare the 700 against its stablemates before you commit, because the Yamaha Rhino 660 and the Yamaha Rhino 450 share much of the same DNA with the smaller 4WD machines that start cheaper.
Do not rely on the seller’s word alone. Take it for a ride over varied ground rather than just a parking-lot loop. A Rhino that grinds in a descent is fixable, but a running example with a healthy one-way bearing is a far better deal. Budget for the basics you will want regardless of history, including synthetic oil for the engine and a fresh CVT belt, which you can pick up through an Amazon search for a Rhino CVT belt.
Maintenance that keeps the 700 alive
Most Rhino 700 problems trace back to skipped service rather than design faults. Change the engine oil and filter on schedule with a quality oil, keep the coolant fresh at the spec level for the liquid-cooled single, and service the Ultramatic by inspecting and replacing the belt at the recommended intervals. Keep the one-way bearing area fed with clean oil, because that is the part that fails when owners stretch oil changes and run low. Check the CVT intake and clean the cooling fins after mud, and inspect the axle boots and grease the joints.
Work through the greasing points at least a couple of times a season, especially after water crossings, because a dry joint is what turns a minor service into a replacement. The shift cable and the parking brake are easy to overlook, but a regular spray and adjustment keeps the transmission from feeling notchy. If you are not sure which oil grade the 700 wants, the service manual lists the exact spec, and it is worth following it rather than guessing.
A few minutes of upkeep stops most of the expensive repairs cold. When you do spend, spend on the parts that matter, including an OEM sprag bearing and a proven belt. For cheap consumables that make a real difference to clutch heat and belt life, a search for synthetic ATV oil is a reasonable place to start, and it is an easy upgrade even on a stock Rhino.
Is the Rhino 700 still worth owning?
Given all this, is a used Rhino 700 still a smart buy? For most people, yes. The 686cc single is a genuine workhorse, the Ultramatic shifts smoothly on trails and through town, and the simple frame has an enormous aftermarket behind it. The two real watch points are the one-way bearing on the descents and the rollover repair history, and both are known, documented, and fixable. Buy one that has had the rollover mods applied and a healthy sprag clutch, and you get a lot of machine for the money.
Parts support is another reason the 700 stays popular. Because the platform sold in big numbers for years, both Yamaha and the aftermarket keep supplying belts, bearings, oil filters, and body pieces, and the mechanicals are simple enough that a home mechanic with a decent manual can handle nearly everything this article covers. That low cost of ownership is a big reason the older Rhino still outlasts newer, more complex machines in the same price range.
It is not the newest or the safest design in a world of modern side-by-sides, and a buyer who wants today’s traction controls and wider cabs should look at the Can-Am Outlander 570 or one of the current utility machines instead. But if you want a tough, cheap, easy-to-fix Yamaha that older-generation riders still love, the 700 remains one of the better values on the used market. Know its weak spots, inspect before you buy, stay on top of the maintenance, and the Rhino 700 will haul and ride for thousands of miles.
Bottom line on Rhino 700 problems
The Yamaha Rhino 700 has a short, specific list of known problems: the one-way bearing that grinds and clunks on descents, belt and clutch heat under heavy load, and a rollover history that created the 2009 repair program. None of them is a deal-killer on its own, and owners have worked out clear fixes for all of them. Check for the rollover mods, listen for the sprag-clutch grind in Low, keep the CVT and oil on schedule, and a used 700 is a dependable, affordable utility machine that should give years of service.
