I have never worked on atv's before I bought this 2001 arctic cat 500 manual. Now i have changed cv joints, tie rod ends, front tire ball bearing cage, and a few other misc things.... this machine has been neglected. Anyways I was riding the other day, got stuck and after getting out, there was a noise coming from the drivetrain i believe when I would use reverse. The noise stopped but about a half hour after that my real left tire dislocated from the machine, axle and all. There was barely anything left of the bearings. My axle is now somewhat slanted, but my main problem is this: now my rear tire won't hardly move when it is in neutral, During disassembly I noticed about 1/4 inch of sand and whatnot built-up around the cavity of the gearcase where the axle is seated into. Please tell me the gearcase is fine and my problem is elsewhere! Thanx in advance to anyone who can shed light as to what my problem is.

 

My rear tires will not budge in neutral, however when i put it into gear and give it gas the remaining tire on it does spin. Dunno if that helps w/ the troubleshooting. I have a repair manual but can't figure out what it would be. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanx again to anyone who can help.

 

The axle that did fall out might be bent slightly. I'm wondering if the intact axle might have been bent when the other fell out while riding and that's the reason why it won't turn freely when in neutral. I realize I've been posting alot about this but I am trying to get it going by this weekend and really don't wanna bring it in to pay an arm and a leg to get it fixed. Again thanx to those who post a response.

 

How experienced a mechanic are you? This sounds like a really badly damaged axle assembly that will require an extensive rebuild. Do you have a factory service manual? If not, I wouldn't even try to fix it.
Yeah, you'll probably get bent over taking it to a dealer, but that may be the only way you will get to ride it and be sure the repair was done right

 

So if I understand you correctly the rear knuckle (part the axle bearing rides in) did not move but the axle slid outward popping out of the rear differential?

This would leave a splined end flopping around on the differential side that has a little flange attached to it that the dirt/sand was built up under?

I don't see how it can come out like that with out the knuckle moving or a CV joint failing. Assuming this is an FIS model and does not have a solid rear axle.

The sand/dirt built up under that little flange is normal, it is usually what wears out the seal on the differential. I know some even remove it all together.

There should be a little cir-clip on the splined end of the axle that goes into the differential. It may have failed but the knuckle should still hold it in place. Is the side that popped out the side with or without the brakes?

The reason I ask is rocks tend to like to lodge themselves between the tire and the brake caliper and either the brake caliper busts off, the axle breaks or both depending on how hard you were spinning when stuck.

If that wheel bearing was REALLY bad it may have given the axle enough slop so that the gunk could pop it out of the rear differential. How much diff fluid leaked out when the rear diff popped out?

Also, if you could post a picture or two we could probably have a better idea of what you are seeing and help you a little better.

Swampy

 

you said that u replace the cv joints did u tighten it down?? get some pics if u dont mind tring to just replace the rear end your self, take a lot of pictures as u take it apart when u do it so u know what it looks like to put it back together again

 

Lol @ being bent over! But yes I did get a repair manual for it. The reason why the axle assembly and tired popped out was the rear wheel bearing on that side was toasted, upon disassembly I found the bearing in pieces inside the axle housing, as well as the seal for the bearing housing.
The splines on the axle and differential are just fine and show no signs of being worn. Also there is no cir-clip on the splined end of axle that goes into the differential. Also the axle that did pop out was the left, not the caliper side. And as far as i could tell, don't think any fluid dripped out when i removed the rear differential, I'll check the level of it today. I got the new bearings yesterday and am gonna reassemble it today. My big question though was why the axle and tire that was still intact would be locked up when in neutral? I have the rear end on blocks and put it in 1st and the tire would still move when I push on the throttle, no bad sounds coming from the tranny. Maybe the bearings r shot on that side as well? I'm gonna replace them anyhow. Thank u all for responding, it's always very nice to hear other peoples opinions.

 

go on line to a car/truck site and ask that same question for some ideas, dont tell them its a atv just describe the problem?

 

u may have a limited slip rear end were only on side gets most of the power just a thought though

 

The wheel bearings were in half w/ the outer & inner ridercarriage completely seperated. Got them replaced along w/ new seal and put the rear end back on so I could test drive it.

The tires were still locked up in neutral, but if u rocked the machine back and forth the tires would free up. Took it for a quick spin then in 3rd the tires locked up and I noticed the terrible sound of metal grinding from around the transmission. I put it back in neutral then rocked it to free up tires and got it home.

Thought maybe diff got locked up or something, so drained it and found a bunch of shavings on the drainplug. The oil was really dark and almost milky at the same time. Tore the diff apart and looked at all the splines and they seemed fine. Everything still turned nicely.

I'm gonna replace the bearings in there as well hoping that's what the shavings r from. But i'm thinking theres something wrong w/ the transmission like maybe a shift fork or something(god i hope not). I have a manual for it and looked through it and wasn't liking how much work it is just to pull the engine/tranny.

Anyone w/ any suggestions or comments besides driving( < lol ya i wish) it off a cliff? Thank u all for the comments already.