Hey guys,
Recently picked up an 89 Big Bear 350. The guy told me the front end needed front ujoint replaced soon. It was making some noise when driving it but not bad.

Got it home and notice the one CV boot is a little torn. also that one front axle has some wiggle to it, the other side is fine. So is it a CV joint or ball joint that is a little loose and causing the noise? How do I know if the U joint needs to be replaced? Wish I would have noticed the torn CV boot before, but got a good deal and everything else is in great shape on the bike.

Thanks!

 

Jacking up the front end. Is there play in the wheel. Can you rock it side to side (ball joints) without the handlebars moving? Is the CV solid while rotating. Simple enough to check. Get it off the ground. You know the boot needs replaced. Popping noise from front?

 

The front prop shaft U/Js are prone to wear on Big Bears, as are the prop shaft splines. The only way to check the universal joints is to hold one half solid and see if the other half moves independently, any slop in the bearings on the spider is unacceptable. However clacking is almost certainly from that constant velocity joint. There is no point in fitting a new boot if the joint is worn. Either a new joint or a rebuild kit will be needed. Ball joints will only rattle over rough ground, CV joints clack with a rhythm even on smooth road, more so on turns.

 

Thanks guys. I will jack up the front end and see how much play is on the ball joints. I suspect it is the CV joint. but the noise is not constant, it came and went and was more of a grinding sort of noise.

 

chances are its the cv and your getting sand or dirt into the tear and thats the sound your hearing, if its not in to bad of shape you can clean it put it back together with a new 40$ boot and grease and still get some good riding out of it, once you get it off you angle the cage facing out of the cup and pop one ball out at a time untill you can take the cage out clean everything up really good, if there burrs use fine sand paper and get them out, put everything together with grease on everything and it should last you a good while ive done this multiple times on both my yammy and polaris and the cleaned cv's r still goin strong