My '03 450 kodiak seems to have loose steering , way too much freeplay from side to side. do i just tighten the nut at the bottom ( the one with the cotter pin?). OR....... what do i look for? worn bushing or bearing?

THANKS!!

 

well, took it apart last night and the upper steering stem bushing is probably worn. the steering shaft is worn which seems odd from a plastic bushing.

why do they call the 2 seals "oil seals"? there's no oil in there. maybe a dust seal. Yamaha recommends putting grease on there. mine was totally dry and scored.

just wondering how much difference new bushing will make with slightly worn shaft. do I need to build up the worn area on the shaft with some JB Weld??

ALSO, hard to tell condition of the lower bearing. and it looks like that'd be nasty to replace. looks like it sits inside a cross member. does the lower bearing tend to be a high wear item on these? Anyone replaced their lower steering bearing?

 

This is my second Kodiak and both have had the same problem you're describing. All I did was tighten the nut at the bottom which helped a little. I don't think the play will hurt. It's just annoying at times.
Buck