i got a 98 foreman 450 es the last time i rode i noticed that it was all front wheel drive and the back tires were just rolling. i had one guy tell me i might need a new axle. just wondering if anybody has had this and has any solutions that could help me.

 

Neither of these is likely, because if it happened I would think you would hear a bunch of noise, but simple and worth a try: Maybe some gears stripped in the rear axle or even in the engine??? I would drain the oil from the rear end and the motor, and see if it comes out clean or with a bunch of metal shavings in it. Take a good look at the oil filter for shavings as well (your engine and trans share the same oil).

 

thanks for the advice ill give it a try a see what happens

 

Also, when you take the fill plug off the rear diff, I think you should be able to see the crown gear, so you can check it out and see if the teeth are fine. With light and some good eyes, you might be able to see the pinion as well????

 

thanks again. i drained the oil and found nothing so i went and pulled the rear axle out and sure enough the splines were worn down pretty bad and lucky for me the local honda shop had a axle there so within a hour or so i had it back together and runnin like new.

 

I didn't initially think about the splines.