Hi all,

So i picked up a Grizzly the other day that needs some work. I cleaned it and got multiple pounds of dirt, mud, weeds, etc. off it. What a mess!
It as 358 miles and 42 hours on it. There is an issue with the CVT I think because in high gear it only goes about 10mph. That is a different issue.
My question is around the CV axles. The front right makes a "clacking" noise as I spin the tire by hand - which the front left does not do. The boots are all fine.
So before I replace the axle, I was wondering because it is 4x4 with diff lock, could one of the axles be "naturally" noisier because of that? What could have caused the axle to fail with only 358 miles on it? There is some front end damage on the right side but the a-arms and frame all look fine. The front bumper and plastics are bent/broken. Doubt it could be related to that, but wanted to disclose....

Thanks!

 

Feel the shaft as it goes round, you usually get a slight jump as it clicks. 42 hours is way too low to get CV problems, unless the boot is split, though. I am wondering if it has had a new speedo, and has done a lot more hours than that. You can get the diff lock, or 4WD gears not quite disengaging, causing a clicking noise but this would be evident on both sides of the bike. Also, I think Yamaha diff locks use a servo motor, so less likely to have a gear not quite out of mesh, than a cable system.

 

Thanks for the response. Boot looks good, no splits. Speedo is original so the miles and hours are accurate. Maybe a hub bearing? It was mudded pretty good...

 

CVs give a regular click, usually there is a bit of play in the joint too, though at low hours, unlikely. The click does tend to alter with steering, so may not click on one lock, but be quite bad on the other. With a wheel bearing you don't get this.

 

Wondering if it could be the wheel bearing then? How do you isolate the two?

 

So here is a pic of the front end damage and a link to a video of the "clunking" noise when I spin the front right tire.

Grizzly - clunking noise

Thoughts?

 

That does sound like the diff gears not quite out of mesh. Eigers and 400KQs are prone to it as the cable stretches, and it sounds just like that. Both front wheels would usually turn if you spin one, are they? Try the same test with it locked in 4WD but not diff lock. Also you were going a bit fast with your test, a slow turn so you can judge where the sound comes from is best, provided the sound doesn't disappear altogether. I would say it isn't a wheel bearing. Try a screwdriver/stethoscope test on the diff and hub carrier.