I have an 03 400i automatic, I have about 1500 miles on it, last spring I had it into the dealer to fix a leaking front diff, it would suck in water but not loose any oil, the pressure tested it and found that the little "O" ring that goes into the diff on the shifter linkage for the 4wd lever (the best way to explain it) was leaking, so they replaced it, then in the fall I checked my front diff (should have done it part way through the season) and guess what, full of water again, so I drained it all out, filled it up again, parked it for the winter, now this spring I drained it again just to clean it out good, put some ATF into the front diff ran up and down the street, then put in some clean oil. Does anyone else with this same machine have a front diff that is always filling up with water and figured out where it is coming from, I just cant see the same part wearing out every year. And also same machine, how often should the front bearings be replaced, repacked or whatever, my front bearings are fairly loose, can I just tighten them or should I repack them? And my rear ones are starting to get a bit of play in them also. Thanks for any help.

 

Doober,

From what you have said I can only see 4 ways water might enter the from Diff.

1) Throught you wheel bearing seals. If they are loose at all it could seep in if submerged.

2) Through the front dive shaft seal. Here again if the front drive seal is worn it could enter through there when submerged. I think you might notice a vibration in 4x4 with this one though.

3) Through the front Diff vent tube (the black acrodian thing) if it is torn or has something stuck in it.

4) If the Wheel bearing seals are good, and the vent seal is stuck closed I believe there is a possibility of getting condensation in the front Diff after it has been ridden, heated up and allowed to cool.

I have not had any difficulty with water in my differentials but have found some water in the oil when I changed it last. Which is when I believe is from cendensation because I have not driven mine submerged in water and it has an oil cooler not a radiator. I would check that vent tube first since it doesn't cost anything to look at it. Then, the wheel bearings, but try to get sealed ones from a bearing store they are much cheaper. If it is still doing it look at the drive shaft seal.

I see you are running Titan 589's if they are oversized (larger than thefactory 25" tires) they have been known to cause early wear/failure of bearings. Also just a suggestion from a friend of mine. If you are going to replace the bearings and have the bike down for repairs. You might as well do front and back bearings so you don't have to do the job twice.

Hope this helps.
SJ

 

The tires are stock size didnt want to go any bigger cause of the weight of them, the black acordian thing isnt torn, i checked that, thats what I thought of also, never even thought of the driveshaft seal, I will take a look at that. This is my last year of warranty so I am going to stay on top of it, the bike itself has been really good, and my dealer will generally cover everything, if it isnt covered, they will make it so that it is covered (accidentially break or something strange) so they are pretty good that way, I am trying to get my bearings done on warranty right now so we will see how that works out. Swampy how are the bearings on your bike?? and what kind of miles do you have?

 

Doober,

I believe I have just over 2000 actual miles on the bike. Not quite half that with the 26" midlites. My back bearings seem to be a little loose, the front are tight. I have not looked up cross reference numbers yet so if you go that route let me know the numbers on the sealed bearings if you can. Some place on this forum a guy posted the numbers for the AC 500i which should be the same but I am not sure?

I keep wearing out the front and rear shock bushings though. It did this prior to the new tires so its not a tire thing. The black rubber seems to wear fast and causes a clunking sound when going over bumps. I think I have replaced them 4 or 5 times now and they need it again.You are right to hit the warrenty work up. When I purchased mine they did not offer the extended warrenty. So mine is expired. Haven't had any problems that needed it though. Very tough machine.

Prince George, BC is a beautiful place. Wife and I stayed at a B&B just out of town there last year while passing through. I don't remember the name of it though.

SJ

 

No problems yet ,that I know of or don't know of . I never thought of checking the front diff .
I've had it as deep as I can get her without getting water in the air box ,I have noticed some oil around the 4x4 shifter rod at the front diff ,I only had the standard 6 month warranty ,no extended was given at the time ,I did have to replace the rear axel seal 3 times on the right side .

Fan override switch, EPI Clutch Kit ???
I am still stock on everything, what's the EPI Clutch Kit do ? and the fan override switch for ?
Is it worth it ?

 

jwoodsman I dont know if you pay attention to your machine or not but they run REALLY hot, and I really didnt care for that much, so I hooked up the fan so that I can control when it comes on and off, it will also come on when it is suppose to, so I can keep it running a bit cooler, the clutch kit helps keep it in the power band a bit better, engagement is a bit higher, so you have more power when starting out, it helps out quite a bit I found, I lost some power when I put on the 589's (heavy tire) if i were you I would check your front diff just to be safe, I change my diff fluids when I do oil changes, cheap to do and gets rid of any moisture that could be in there. swampyjunior, my bushings are fine as near as I know, they arent making any clunking noise, but I do have an annoying vibrating sound coming from somewhere at about 15-20 mph, I just cant find it, tried putting washers behind the muffler as some people said to do, put weather stripping between the frame and skid plate, but still there. As for the bearings, if they arent going to cover them, I will get them somewhere alse cause they want about $140 for the bearings seals and whatever esle goes in there (per side) I would think that the bearings should be the only thing that needs to be done and that is $50 each.

 

Doober,

That vibration is coming from the silver heat shroud on the outside of the exhaust that runs under your left thigh. The bolts work loose and the shroud vibrates. It's very annoying. AC doesn't have a good fix for the problem and lock tight comes loose. My dealer is also a Harley dealer and I got some Harley rubber washers for both sides of the bolt. They are heat resistant and have done the trick. All the bolts are very easy to get too (there all right there) except for the front one that is behind the front wheel well. I left that one and so I still have a little of that vib going but much better. Good luck.

 

I tried those before, all tight, but maybe I will take them off and look.