My front differential housing broke not sure to exact cause but is about a one inch hole in the bottom.Looking for info on dealers in the nothern United states for parts quotes.I suggest that anyone else who owns this type of atv should try to make themselves a skid plate out a piece of steel or aluminum.I myself will make one out of a piece of quarter inch steel plate and place that under where the front diff is located.I am thinking a rock or a stump perhaps in a mudhole was the culprit.

 

More than likely wasnt caused by anything you ran over. More than likely you have become a victim of the pin!

There is a pin in the ring gear that holds the spider gears in place. That pin is attached to the ring gear by 2 very small spot welds on each end of the pin.

Get a new housing, and I can send you a pin if needed. they dont make them seperately. Or you can have one made at a machine shop. This happened to me as well as many other depending on your model. I just took a pin out of a spare ring gear I had. Also if you quad isnt under warranty, go ahead a remove the diff and ringear. Make sure it wasnt a tooth off of one of the spider gears inside the ring gear that broke. If all the teeth are good, its a simple fix.

Alot of the time the pin will slide out when the spot welds break, and the pin will travel around and catch the drain bolt, and rip it out causing your hole. Sometime it will catch one of the molded shapes inside and rip a whole in it.

 

Thanks for your reply I already have the unit out of the bike all the gears look fine>I will try to see if the pin you are talking about is gone ,but it is exactly as you described a hole in the case right where the drain hole is.Where did you get a new case from and how much was the cost.

 

Look up country cat they can hook u up!

If the welds are still intact on the pin, then it was a tooth that let go on the spiders. You may not be able to tell bcause a lot of time the gear will roll over concealing the broken tooth. The part that broke of, more than likely fell out of the hole. If it's a tooth that broke you will have to get a new ring gear. Country cat deals in used parts too and has some good stuff! A new ring gear will set you back about 250. A used one 100-150
I've seen complete diffs sold by contry cat for 250-300

What year model is yours and what size.

 

I have a 2002 500i 4x4 there doesnt seem to be any teeth missing off of the gears try to get some pics out tomorrow swamped with snow today

 

Did you rotate the gears inside to see? They will hide by rotating on around only showing the good teeth.

 

I have the diff apart on the bench looks like all the teeth are there to me

 

That's what I thought too until somene told me to stick the axle or just the inboard joint in to the diff and turn. making them rotate around. Once you do that then tell me there is no teeth missing. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

No teeth missing but a small chip in one of the small gears tooth.Can you tell me how you got the small gear out of the housing

 

thats what im referring to. There is almost 0 tolerance between the body of the ring gear and the case. So what happens, is the teeth on the ring gear will catch the chip off of the tooth/teeth of the spyders, and as it rotates it will catch the drain plug, and CLANK!

There is no way to remove those gears inside the body og the ring gear.

You basically have 2 choice

1) weld the spiders and have true 4 wheel drive when engaged
2) buy another ring gear from catbargains.com country cat

I would be looking at getting the gears for the 2004 650, the diff lok cable,the case cover for the diff lock, and the bracket. Then you will have a locking unlocking diff like mine.