yeah when your ebs engages the helix makes a scary noise

 

Yep and the 700's are known for breaking the lower bolts in the a arms also which could cause some problems like that.

 

Hey Mark!!!!

It is the short between the steering wheel and the seat!!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

I got a 250r and you don't nanananananananana

See ya
Dana

 

Oh yeah? I've got a GN and a Cobra and you don't! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

When are we going riding?

 

When did you get another cobra????
Have I seen it yet??

Chris beard and a few others are going to the drag races at hot spring sat.

Next time Bubba and I go trail riding I will give you a yell.....

Just have to rub it in a gn and a corbra[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

See ya
Dana

 

The noise you mentioned of a branch caught up in the tire sounds like the problem is not actually in the front diff, but in the cv axle or outter cup. I have stripped the splinned on my CV axle twice and broke the outter cup once. My bike would make an strange noise similar to what you mentioned. Later, the CV axle finally broke. It had a lot of slack. You may need to remove the CV boot and inspect inside the cup area. See if the axle is stripped or starting the strip or if the cup is cracked. This is my best guess. Let us know what you find. The is a lot of moving parts in the front differential on the 700, since this is where the 4x4 engages and disengages in the 600 & 700 models. Good Luck.

 

Latest update:

I took off the front left wheel and inspected all the moving parts between the gearcase and the hub. I couldn't find anything wrong with the U-joint, axle, CV joint, or hub. Brakes were fine - nothing loose or binding. The axle spins freely with no binding or noise.

After putting the front on jackstands, I jacked up the rear so that all four wheels were off the ground. I started then engine and ran it in high gear, varying the speeds and turning the handlebars back and forth. I also switched from 2 to 4 wheel drive a few times, just to make the front axles engage. I noticed that in two-wheel drive, the driveshaft was turning, as it should, but the front axles were not, as they shouldn't - Hilliard clutch was not engaged. BUT...a couple of times, something "popped" inside the gearcase and the front axles and wheels jumped forward, as if 4WD had been suddenly turned on and then right back off in an instant.

Now, the obvious thing here is that something in the clutch is catching during 2WD operation. During my tests, this only happened twice, and it did not make any sounds similar to what I've heard while riding. I can imagine, however, that if there is something making the clutch "catch", it could carry on for a few seconds if the wheels are under load.

I wasn't able to check the fluid level because I didn't have a hex-head wrench larger than 7mm. I did loosen the drain plug just to see if there was any fluid in the gearcase, and there was. I'm going to change the fluid tomorrow to see if it makes any difference in the original problem.

If the gearcase has to be removed, is there a written procedure for doing so? It appears to me that the radiator has to come out, as well as the entire axle assemblies on both sides. Anybody got any front gears they want to part with? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Thanks for the responses!

-Mark

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]Mark..you only have to remove the radiator guard and fan.not the whole radiator.plus the axle assembly.When you had atv lifted and running it in 2 wheel drive it is not uncommon for the front wheels to engage due to the churning of the fluid in front diff.hope this helps.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

don't take the gearcase out, it is perfectly fine, the reason the front wheeles didn't engage right away is because they are made not to until you slow down to about 10mph, you must have had the rear wheeles spnning like 25+ and you turned on 4WD and duh they arn't going to engage that fast, then when you slowed it down they engaged hard because the front wheels arn't spinning, thats a no no if you read your owners manual. Also when they moved the hub from the wheels to that gearcase that solved all the problems of the AWD engageing for no reason at all.

 

Well, kblazk, I'm not sure how you can be so confident that my gearcase doesn't have a problem, nor do I understand how you got all that information from what I posted, but no, I did NOT engage the 4WD while the rear wheels were spinning. I have read my owners manual and know not to do such a thing - "duh"! And, evidently they did not solve all the problems of the 4WD engaging for no reason, as that's EXACTLY what's happening on my machine. Now, if you can offer a suggestion as to why this might be happening based on the information I've given, and not what you read into it, then I'd be very appreciative.

MR, thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure that what you described was happening, but it very well could have been, if what you said will cause it to engage and disengage very quickly. I just thought that if it wasn't too big of a chore, I might as well take the gearbox out to pull it apart and inspect it. If the radiator doesn't have to come out, then I may very well do this.