I was greasing the suspension on my 02 sportsman today and noticed that there is about 1/16 inch front to back play in the front lower arms, is this normal? Could the seals being worn cause this? I have also noticed that when Im backing up in AWD the front tires seem to "plow" and the handle bars are hard to turn. If its not in AWD it doesnt do this. Could the front end play be causing this? The tie rod ends are new and everything else seems tight. Alignment is just slightly toed out.
Thanks in advance

 

Has anyone noticed this play in their A-arms? My ATP doesnt have it so Im assuming its from wear but I cant figure out what is worn. The only thing there is the seal.

 

You most likely are getting play in the A arms because your bushings are worn. I'm not sure about the 02 but on my 04 the bushings are plastic and are cheap to replace. As far as your backing up problem you have a hub staying engaged so you might want to change the hub fluid.....

 

Thanks, that gets me on the right track.