Chucksta

A couple of thoughts on that... My old Honda's first gear, is called ( in the manual ), "Super Low".. you don't use it unless it's uphill with a load. For normal use, it's only the top 4 gears. ( 2nd through 5th ). The wife's 2021 had a dual range on it, low or regular. And you van pick between 2 WD, 4 WD, and 4 WD, with the front diff locked.. Also in dual range, so effectively a ten forward speed transmission. It also gives you your choice of auto shift, or manual shift. To tell the truth, the auto shift is amazing! Just when you think that it should be in another gear, it changes as smooth as if you'd ridden it forever. The Suzuki King Quad , ( mine is a '97 ), works out to be ( I think), around 16 different drive train configurations / ratios. Way over kill! but cool as hell if you want to yank on something big, without abusing the clutch.

Back in '22, the wife was looking at getting a brand new ATV. We were at a Dealership that sold both Polaris, and Honda, and the salesman kept pushing the Polaris ( which he had a LOT of stock ), over the Honda, which he said we would have to wait for. We ( I ), have a 1996 Honda Foreman 400..... I asked her how many times the Honda had broken down, or been in the shop. The answer was "Never".. Which was basically true, as it had only been in the Dealership for the first couple of services when purchased. Ten seconds of silence, and then she said, "I'll wait for the Honda." Yup, 20 years of neglect, with only occasional maintenance, ( It's been treated WAY better since it became my problem), and it never left anyone who used it on the side of the trail. One set of tires, and a few batteries, other than that, nada. I've got a '97 Suzuki King Quad, and my neighbour has a Polaris.. Can't say the same for either of those. The Honda is the workhorse

Hmmm.. I probably been more specific about what trans it has.. there's no shifter peg / lever.. there's only a up and down button on the left handlebar. My only other options are a lever that switches from high range to low range, which seems to be a direct physical connection, not electronic. My drive options are 2 wheel drive, press a button for 4 wheel drive, and slide a lever over the 4 wheel drive button to lock the diff. It seems to be all electronic. It does have a slide switch to change from auto to manual.. The "click, click, click" problem is present in all drive modes, and is only solved by booty bumping the quad, or, shifting to the desired range while moving slowly. There's a little lever just behind the shift buttons, that when pulled in, will make it go from drive to reverse, or reverse to drive, in one shot It really doesn't seem to matter what I do, it just glitches, unless I give it the "secret handshake" ( booty bump)

So.. It has now become cranky about changing from "drive" to "reverse". Sometimes it's seamless as it's always been, other times it just goes "click, click....click, click " when going from reverse to forward, or from forward to reverse.. Then it gives up and just stops at neutral. Only thing that seems to help is to give it a bit of a bump / wiggle with my own weight. Any ideas as to what to check? It's low miules / hours .. Dealership maintained..

I checked.. The full service manual is available in he download section..

Just be careful once they learn how to shift.. it'll ( according to Google), top out ( eventually) at just over 50 M.P.H., red lined in 5th gear. Manuals? I'm a bit of a newby here too. I bought my way to access, and paid for a membership. It supports the community, and gives you access to much more than just a regular sign up. Try it! Quads are a bit addictive, I'm pretty sure that this is just the first one, of a few that that you'll want the manual for.

Personally, as an old fart, I really don't ride much for just pleasure. I ride because I have somewhere I want to be ( Like that lake with great fishing, that's only accessible by ATV, or boat). Or , I'm on the quad, because there are trees to haul .. etc.. just basically chores to do. I actually went with my Significant Other and a couple from down the road on a joy ride on Saturday. I was "asked" to go, because the last time they went, the one trail that they wanted to do, was blocked by a large tree that had fallen across the trail... So I was along with one of my saws, to clear the trail. I didn't mind the parts of the ride that were on what will be Skidoo trails ( groomed) in the Winter.. But, when we were crawling along climbing deadfall, at about 2 miles an hour.. I could have gladly just gone home.. but I was there for a reason.. For me .. the one part of the trail was like spending an hour and a half in a washing machine.. 'effin hated it.. Where I live, there's a ton of places to ride, that aren't so lumpy that it's just a crap time. That's an idea of all the ride able land around my house ( blue roof ). Too damn old to look for mud .. just to get stuck in.. Gimme the smooth stuff!! Gonna keep at least one ATV this Winter, without a plow, or attached blower. If this Winter is like last Winter, it just might be that I can either use a sled or a quad.. Leave me some choices.. The less bumpy the better.,

So... the bearings got pressed in for free by North Bay Cycle. I think it was to make up for having completely dropped the ball on the parts for the driveshaft. Gonna be probably 2 to three weeks before the bits show up. They showed as in stock when I was at the counter, but for some reason, they didn't place the order until the next day. By then, someone had beat me to them. I could go elsewhere and source the parts, but I have been specifically warned to only get a factory seal. Got the swing arm with the fresh bearings installed a couple of days ago.. At least I can move it around in the garage easily. One thing I never thought to do when I had it with the old bearing in, was to spin it and check for noise. Now, it rolls across the floor easily. Once again, thanks to all for the useful advice and hints. I'll be back to post up the details when I get the parts for the seal.

Yup ... cooled it with a dip in the freezer, it didn't go in any further than about just above even with the lip. It's gotta go passed that point, to give the seal somewhere to go. It also has to go in far enough to (almost) pinch that center bushing. Heated the outer casing with a propane torch ( not too hot, there was no smoke). No dice .. Of course, by that point, it's possible that I had deformed it up to the point that it was toast anyways. I pounded it back out, and it was only about three or four half hearted smacks to get it out.

It was frustrating, to say the least.. Sometimes, you CAN solve a problem by throwing money at it. I mean really.. how much would a shop charge to toss it on their press, and be done with it? it's not even a ten minute job. I'll be taking it to North Bay Cycle, an actual Suzuki Dealership. After all the bucks I've dropped, on bits for the sleds, and on parts for Suzi, I doubt if they'll even bill me for it. Also, I'll see if any of the bits for the oil leak have shown up yet. They showed stock on what I needed, and "back ordered" on a couple of bit's that I won't know If I need until I get it apart. I'll keep you posted....

And I truly hate... "You replies have been merged" Separate thoughts and subjects are... exactly that.. Separate!! When I go to a nice restaurant, and order a steak and a baked potato, if the Server brought it to me, having been through a blender, it'd land up sliding down the wall as I left the building. Sorry ... rant over..

Well... so.. that part about " I should be able to get it done without 'effin it up".. Umm not so much, as least as far as the rear bearings are concerned. The bugger came apart in pieces. The pieces from "All Balls" arrived, and I had at it. All went according to plan, at first, ( well.. doesn't everything?). All good right up until it came time to pound in the inner bearing. I should have known hurt was coming, as the outer went in just too damn easy. Maybe, because it was seized and had probably spun, or tried to.. Might have been the reason for the " whoop whoop whoop" tire path. But anyways.. When I went to bang in the inner bearing.. no frickin way. I started by cleaning the internal race... Brake cleaner, compressed air, wire wheel on a air die grinder.. wash, rinse, repeat. I started trying to tap it in.. At first, all good.. then it just got plain old stuck. I slowly, but surely, increased my aggressiveness on banging it's sorry as* home. No dice. pounded it so hard that the outer fell back out. 4 pound sledge hard.. no way it's move another thou.. Flipped it over, and three smacks later, the inner is in my hand. Only problem is, is that I hit it so hard, the inner is no longer a bearing. the inner won't turn like the other one that literally fell out when I was banging the other one. and I used what was called for.. nice fat socket, moved it around, smacked it ... probably 3 to 4 hundred times, with various degrees of impact. Got out the torch and ( gently) heated the outside of the 2 cones.. No difference,, it wasn't going in another thou... no how.. no way. FWACK... FWACK 'effin FWACK!! So.. I ordered another bearing / seal kit from "All Balls" through Amazon. Should be here on Saturday, the 28th .. I've re cleaned the inner again, ( wire brush bit on a air die grinder ).. Do I take another whack at the Suzuki King Quad Pinata, or do I take the bits and hand them over to a shop with a press? In other late breaking news... Ordered the bits for the trans seal.. Well.. I ordered all the bits that I thought I might need. But, not all of them are available at this point. Best that North Bay Cycle could do for me was let me know that if I salvaged a couple of bits ( washer and another piece), which were back ordered, I might make out just fine. We shall see..

Well.. Thanks to all for the help. It's too late to cancel the rear seals and bearings, but "All Balls" parts have previously been of decent quality. I'll print this out, and hit up the Suzuki Dealership, and get the bits I need to get it done. As far as it goes, I'm a half decent mechanic, at least when it comes to cars, and small engines. The quad world, however, is new territory for me. I should be able to get it done, without completely 'effin it up.. I'll keep you all posted.. That being said, it'd be nice if the max file size thingy could be reset.. I'm down to 18.48 MB.. That's only about 6 3 MB pictures..

So... on that note .. I ordered ( what I hope ) is the right seal and bearing kit for the left rear axle. I'm pretty sure that that was the root cause of the whoop whoop.. As the wheel had at least a couple inches of play. Here's what I found for the right bits to fix the drive shaft leaky seal. I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me which bits I need, and which I don't. Also, should I replace the U-joint while I've got it in pieces?

The Amsoil was specific to ATVs' ..At least according to the packaging and the (supposedly) knowledgeable sales staff. There was no immediate leaking since added almost a year ago, it would drop it's obligatory drop every know and then, but that was it. the leak went from minorly annoying to WTF happened here, virtually over night. It went from the odd drip to a fountain.

Sigh... SMFH.. They showed up in almost the exact opposite order that I loaded them in... Here's the cheat sheet.. Top picture.. After half a can of brake cleaner. Blown off with compressed air.. Dry as a bone... That lasted a whopping 2 minutes. Second picture down. WTF is that hanging from the casing? Does that indicate that at some point, it's been worked on? Third pic and ( fourth pic /short video ). Wet and messy. Hadn't properly cleaned it yet.. Anyways.. what does that thing do, anyways?? Fifth pic.. how much oil it pissed out in three hours. Sixth pic.. pre cleaning. Seventh pic... another pre cleaning pic. Beside seventh pic.. The (empty ) sight glass for oil level. Gee.. it seems a bit empty, doesn't it? Suzie, ( as I call her) is rapidly pissing out some very, very expensive Amsoil lubrication.. And now, Ladies and Gentlemen.. The winner of our contest for pictures that look like they'll impact my financial future... The last picture!! It clearly indicates that the oil is coming from behind that ring where the front (?) drive shaft enters the transmission.. Damn it!! That looks expensive, and labour intensive. It would also seem that I will also need a left rear bearing and seal.. Hopefully, not a U-Joint too. Depending on the cost of parts.... "Suzie" might get sold as a "Donor " bike.. On my screen, it shows that I'm down to 21 MB of upload .... If that changes.. I'll upload the video that I still have..

20240917_193028.mp4

The site first said that uploads were limited to 120 MB ( ish) Now it says max size is 38.75 MB... The file I wanted to upload is only 80 ish MB.. ??? Also.. Not being able to load a video might be the least of my worries.. What causes the excessive play in the left rear? Got the skid pan off. gonna take a couple of pictures ( I know they are small enough to load) .. Hose it down with brake cleaner, and take some more...

So ... there's more than one version of the King Quad. And there's a very important difference. Some, have a thermostatically controlled fan, that blows ( sucks?) air through the oil rad at the front of the bike, some don't. If you got one that doesn't have the fan, either mount one with a switch, ( thermostatic or manual ), or be real careful with high load / low speed stuff in the Winter. Hell of a load, pushing snow at a couple of Miles an hour, with no free air passing over the cooling coils. 5W-30, or 5W-40.. The 5 is still the same cold viscosity, but the 40 will give a higher temperature tolerance.. Yup.. even in the dead of Winter. I've got an old Honda Foreman, that pushes a 48 inch snow blower in the Winter... The next time I hear the fan running to keep the temp down, won't be the first.

I'd load another video file, but it says max size 38.75 MB ???

1st of 2 videos.. Houston.... we have a problem!!

1st of 2 videos.. Houston.... we have a problem!! 20240917_153127[1].mp4

20240917_112323.mp4

Well ... So here we go.. As promised, pics and video. To be honest, I pumped up the left rear tire to probably 20 P.S.I. three days ago.. The ride still isn't perfect. but it way, way better than before. I'm not leaving marks the way it was before. The oil leak is two patches, about two days for each one. Up until now, it was maybe a drop a week.. Which I didn.t worry about. If you listen to the audio on the video, you can hear a bit of he whoot, whoot whoot . 2nd video to follow, and I'll pick it up and crawl under and see what I can see.. 20240917_112855.mp4

Definitely not a was down situation.. It's only leaked a few drops in 10 months.. Suddenly it's flooding the garage.. Like get out the kitty litter oil.. I can see a drop on the skid pan, near the sight glass for oil level, but I'll do better with pics and vids of the issues in a a day or two..