Hi everyone, I just got a used 2006 Polaris Sportsman X2 and went to do the front differential oil change. I removed the drain plug and no oil came out. There was just some mud. I went ahead and put in the 6oz of on-demand oil to see were the oil leak is. It seems to be coming out where the drive shaft comes into the differential unit. I have the ATV jacked up, so I started it up, put it in high and AWD. The AWD indicator appears on the display. I give it some gas and the rear wheels will spin, the drive shaft to the front diff is spinning, but the front wheels are not doing anything. I swear it seemed like the AWD was working but I guess I made a bad mistake. I have seen some different posts about the front diff problems, but these 4wd atv's are new to me and I just need some ideas and prayers that this isn't going to kill the pocket book. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

 

thats not good. you better start tearing te front end apart(if anything to replace the front seal) to check to see what damage has been done. most likely the roller cage set up is most likely damaged but hard to tell until you can see it. good luck and let us know. oh and you can find a john deere rplacement parts that is alot cheaper then polaris parts if it is the cage. imo

 

before you tear it all apart, add another 3 oz of fluid up front. it actually takes 8.97oz of fluid. It should be right at the bottom of the fill hole when you have enough fluid.
If this helps then it may be just a seal that you need where the shaft enters the front gear case. It would be a good idea to pull it apart and get all the containments out of there.

 

The newer AWD system with the single front roller cage are not tough like the old twin hub system when it comes to abuse, the single plastic roller cage can explode even with clean fliud and riding with common sence,let alone no fliud and mud in it.

Just another one of polaris improvements for the worst I always thought.

 

I have found these John Deere part numbers through other posts;
Roller Kit #MIA10666, Cage Kit #MIA10667, Seal Kit #MIA10654 . I haven't found any schematics on any of the kits, so I could try and picture what parts these actually are because nothing in the Polaris part descriptions match in their diff description. So is the roller kit actually some bearings? What is the roller cage? I dont see anything labeled seals. Dont mean to be ignorant about this, but I am.

 

here is a parts break down if that helps
Ronnie's Mail Order for atv parts, atv tires, snowmobile, watercraft and motorcycle featuring an OEM microfiche parts finder.

 

Before you start tearing it apart you might want to make sure something is broke. Dont you need wheel slippage to lock in the front end? Meaning dont you need a wheel to slip before the front end (AWD) is engaged?

 

Well I finally got the front diff removed from that atv and sitting on the work bench. Then lo and behold there is a 1 inch by 1 inch chuck missing from the main case! As I tried to stop from fainting and crying I took the covers off and found the massively rusted out internals. Then found that the John Parts I ordered do not work for this unit. The roller cage and rollers are the wrong size!! Hope I can return them. So I guess I have the quandary of is the unit even salvageable? Can the case be welded somehow so it will seal properly. From the parts fiche, you cannot by that so if you need it you have to by the whole gearcase. Which at least I could do but it will cost around $920. Any advice on the route(s) I can go would be greatly appreciated. Buying a whole new unit would be nice to just drop in but at a major expense. But the internals are so hammered I am not sure if it would be any cheaper in the long run. Welding the case and being confident in it, all new seals, and bearings. And trying to polish the insides of the case and covers would be interesting. Thanks.

 

Thats rough man...maybe check crashed toys and see if you can find a rebuild bike that has what you need...between the 2 maybe you can basically build a new bike. Worth a look id say at least

 

Try Ebay