I just purchased a 2002 Prairie 650. As soon as I unloaded it off the pickup the first thing I did is go playing in a nearby pit. Sometimes the 4wd drive works and sometimes it doesn't. I engage the 4wd on the right handle bar, roll ten feet or so, and although it says 4wd on the lcd display, the frontend doesn't turn. When I do get the 4wd to engage like it should be, I can't get the differential to lock. I put it in 4wd, pull the lever on the left handlebar (not the brakelever) and at best I can only get 3 wheels to spin. Feeling frustrated, I went to visit one of my buddies who has the same bike. I took his for a ride and was able to get everything to work. Therefore, I realized the problem is not with me, but the wheeler. I inspected the frontend and noticed there is some play where the lefthand inner cv joint goes into the differential. This play has caused the seal to start leaking and although a few drops escaped, I checked the level and was o.k. The rest of the frontend also has some slop. The inner and outer tierod ends along with the balljoints are finished. I combed the internet looking for someone who could shed some light on my dilemna and came across this one. I read quite a few posts and am aware that there is a recall on the frontend of this machine. My 1st question is, "Will kawasaki still perform the recall if I am not the original owner of this machine?" "If kawasaki does honor this recall to 2nd owners, will they also fix my differential problem for free, or will they just replace tierods and balljoints." And lastly,"If kawasaki won't fix my differentail, is there anybody here who can tell me what's wrong." Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. And by the way, this site rocks....

 

Welcome to the forum prairiedog. First off Kawi will honor the recall to you because its considered a safety issue. Second its probably not your differential or it wouldnt work at all and you would probably have more serious problems than no 4wd. Its probably the actuator that engages the 4wd acting up or the wiring to the actuator is loose ect. As far as the diff lock check your cable to assure its not stretched and is working properly.

check your fuses.
Check your speed sensor- does the speedometer work?
check the reverse sensor and the neutral sensor.
The motor itself probably isn't bad. Take the cap off and take a look. Make sure you mark the cap so it goes back on the exact same orientation.
The KEBC controller could be bad, but that is not likely.
There is a sensor in the KEBC and the 4x4 actuator that could wear out, or get wet if you left it in the water too long. I bet that sensor could be found and replaced separately from the entire actuator if needed.
The KEBC actuator could be spooled so far one way that the KEBC controller doesn't know what to do. Mine did that when I put it back together after greasing. I took the motor cover off (while leaving the rest still installed) and spun the motor by hand both directions (many revolutions) until I found the place where it needed to be to start working right. Note that the motor won't work without the cap on since the magnets are in the cap.
I took apart my 4x4 actuator and it did not need any lubrication since it doesn't work as hard as the KEBC. The 4x4 actuator output shaft cannot rotate 360 degrees when installed (the correct orientation in 2x4 is 9[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]clock looking at the shaft end of the actuator with the breather tube pointint up, the little rotating block hangs downward when you install it). If the 2x4 4x4 is flashing, remove the cap (remember the orientation of the cap), flip the switch to 2x4 and you can twist the motor many time until it stops. Twist it the other way many times until it stops. Twist it approximately half as many times and then turn the key on, if it says 2x4, try putting it back together and see if it will work. If the 2x4 4x4 flashes again when you flip to 4x4, you may have the motor cap installed incorrectly and that makes th motor turn backwards. Take a look and the little dimples on the motor cap. Make them match the exact orientation on you KEBC, or just rotate it 120 degrees and try again.

That is quoted from this site thats full of info on the prairie. nyroc

 

Wow, now that's an answer!! Rivermud I want to thank you very much for responding to my plea. I was able to check a few of the things you mentioned and here's what I found. Checked the fuses and all were good. I did not remove or check the speed sensor bacause the speedometer works great, therefore, I'm assuming everything is ok there to. I took the wheeler for a ride and every time I engaged the 4wd it worked. However, I still couldn't get the differential to lock. The cable works fine and when pulled, it moves that little lever on the differential like it should. The only thing I did find is there is a severe amount of play where the left hand inner cv joint goes into the differential. The play is so severe that it has ruined the seal and now wherever I park the wheeler it leaves a puddle of oil.(Reminds me of the old days when I owned a Harley Davidson.) Could this joint be so bad that it won't turn the wheel, therefore inabling me to lock the differential? Has anybody else ever had this problem?

 

I guess thats possible. when you dig a little deeper to replace that seal you should be able to see more. Jack it up and remove the tire so you can get in there with it (that usualy helps me). Also check that link I posted and there are probably instructions in the tech tips to fix it.

 

Here is a step by step with pics on replacing that seal from KODs website fix

It also has good pics of the internals that are in question.

 

Rivermud, if you're trying to impress me, you've succeeded. I clicked on that link and the information, and pictures that came after were very impressing. Ive only been on this site a few days now and I'm blown away by the plethora of knowledge here. I'll be very busy for the next couple of weeks coming up, but as soon as I get a chance I'll take apart the frontend and repost with my findings. Thanks again Rivermud.