Bingo! I think thats it. I put a probe in the hole and can rotate it so it turned upward above the hole. It will not rotate in a downward direction, so it would appear that the hole is actually a drain.

Any other ideas guys?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Mongrol

HIGHOCTANE, what you're saying is that the main cavity where the gears are is seperated by metal from the area that the hole is supposed to drain?



I can check that right now, be right back.</end quote></div>

Exactly..that is all it is. It is basically a drain for that cavity where the steering post mounts/plugs into and the post. It is cast over at the bottom and is has no opeings into the diff.
Nothing to worry about at all.

 

Yep, I'm convinced. Thanks for the input.

 

while installing winch,i was laying under four wheeler connecting battery and looked into the hole and i could see a gold nipple that was screwed into the front transfercase housing with a vent tube connected to it running up the steering shaft,how far up it runs i couldnt tell

 

Hello everyone. I am a new poster here but work for the company that makes the front drives for Polaris. I want to let everyone know for sure that the steering post which is part of the front gear case has a barb fitting in the center just below the steering bearing. It is hard to see as it sits in a hollow recess in the casting that is bolted to the steering bearing retaining plate. The fitting should be attached to a vent tube hose that runs up through the center of the steering post. The barb fitting and hose is the same as all the other model front drives that are external and easy to see. The drilled hole in the casting that is visible in the front of the steering post is just to aid in water removal in case the steering tube gets filled. So to wrap it up, all front drives that Polaris uses do have barb fittings that are in some way attached to a vent tube hose that are routed higher in the vehicle to prevent any internal contamination. They do not have check valves and are not sealed units. If anyone has any questions on any of this feel free to send me a PM and I can answer them. Also, one additional note, the previous years Hawkeye's use the same front drive as the Sportsman 400's. But they do have an externally visible barb fitting that is bent at 90 degrees. The radiator hose interfeared with this location in the newer 400's so we moved the location of the vent tube to the steering post. Hope this helps clear all this up. Everything should be fine as long as the vent tube hose is attached with the proper hose clamp to our fittings. Thanks and sorry for the long winded post...

 

Good post. I have both Hawkeye & 400HO and you've described them perfectly. Thanks for first hand info.

Keep posting, we value more informed input.

 

Thanks Mongrol for the kind words. If I see anything that is not posted correctly or if anyone just needs help with anything relating to front drives or the older wheel hubs I'll share what I know. I've been around all the different front drive products for a long time and should be able to help out where needed.

 

what an excellent memeber to have on the forum. that is great info that can help ease alot of minds. welcome to and thankyou for the great input.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: lksyotas

Hello everyone. I am a new poster here but work for the company that makes the front drives for Polaris.



Welcome to the Forum. It really is great to have someone with first hand knowledge.

Does your company happen to make the rear gearcase for the XP's too?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Does your company happen to make the rear gearcase for the XP's too?</end quote></div>

No we do not. Only front drives and PVT EBS components.