I have a 2004 polaris sportsman and i recently got back from some trails in upper michigan and notcied that the rear outer cv boot had ripped. Upon further investigation i notice that the other side seemes to be wearing itself out also. Has anyone encountered the same problem? Once i had the rear end taken apart i realized i'd better replace both outer cv boot while i'm doing the one. i ordered the thermoplastic boots from gorilla axles and i wondered if anyone knows how to put them on. Also i got as far as getting the axles by themselves but i cannot get them out of the transmission. Are the like automotive style where there are spring clips holding them in or do the have some kind of snapring holding them in. Any info would help thanks.

 

Take a look in the repair manual.
If its the same as my 2001 the rear axles are held in using a end clip on the shaft.
A rap with a wooden mallet should pop them out of the gear case.
You will note in the manual that it is important to use a new retaining clip as once
they are popped out - it doesn't take much to pop them out while on the trail.
I didn't believe it -
I do now... BTDT pain to get back in without pulling it all apart again. But it can be done.

Good luck

 

I just grabbed a hold of the axle and yanked hard. It came out. When you put it back together, you'll press it in there and it will snap into place.

I didn't replace the retaining clip, but haven't had a problem. (knock on wood)

 

Fortunately for you the outer cv joint is held onto the shaft by an exposed "c" clip. When you cut away the old torn boot and wipe away the grease you'll find a clip that need to spread open. You'll want to put the shaft in a vise so that you can pull the joint while the clip is expanded. Sometimes they can be a little stubborn so you may want to hit the outer housing with a soft hammer (I use brass). The cv joint will slide right off the shaft. Once you have the cv joint off I would recommend taking it apart and cleaning the inside thoroughly. You can do this by lightly tapping on the inner race to one side which will force the ball and cage window up on the opposite side. Once the ball is exposed you can pop it out with a screwdriver. Repeat this procedure all the way around until you get all of the ***** out. Now you can turn the cage and race side ways and line up the cage windows with the area in between the ball tracks and pull the right out. To get the race out of the cage turn it side ways and push the area in between the ball tracks into the cage window (usually 1 or 2 windows is larger than the rest). Now you can do a real good clean up and inspections of the internal parts. Another trick of the trade is once the cage is clean you can drop it on a hard surface. If it dings it's good. If it makes a thump then it's cracked or broken. If you need any assistance or pointers PM me and I'll be glad to help.
Danny