another newbie question Rear chain keeps falling off!!

[mudd]

Ok. My rear left chain (under the motor) won't stay on the sprockets. I put it on and rode for approx 45 min and it came off again. When i put it back on the first time i pulled the tensioner up as far as i could, but it wouldn't get as thight as the other side, which was on and running good when I bought it. Does this mean I need a new tensioner? If so, do I just order that from RI?


Also, if the front long chains are squeeking does that mean thy are too tight? I have no idea how tight to make all these chains, so I just kind of pulled them ti I couldn't pull anymore.

thanks

[racerone3]

with the max adjusters, you really can't get the chains too tight. when you put the chain back on, and pulled up on the adjuster, did you have the tires off the ground? if not you didn't get the chain adjusted properly. a common mistake... jack it up, roll tires in opposite directions so the side of chain without the adjuster is tight (i use my knees to hold the tires while doing this), then move the adjuster to take the slack out of the chain. there are several possible problems. a bent axle, or sprocket. sprockets not aligned properly, adjuster not aligned with sprockets (if the chain is pulling the adjuster away from the frame rail, it will eventually pop the adjuster loose), your chains might just be worn out. your adjuster may also be worn. there are serrated teeth that can become worn and the adjusters won't hold anymore. you may also be missing the spring on the back of the adjuster that holds it tight to the frame. you would probably be best to pull the engine and get a look at everything. if the adjuster is worn out you can get a new one from RI (i think they are about $45 each) if you want to keep riding while you wait for the new adjuster, you can wrap a #44 hose clamp around the adjuster to hold it from slipping... takes a little trial and error to get it positioned where it won't be against the chain. it's a serious band-aid fix, and i wouldn't use it for a long term repair, but it would get you by for a week or 2 and also makes a good emergency repair on the trail.

your squeaking at the front is more likely the inner bushings or the brake assembly. try spraying some oil at the inner bushings and see if it goes away. sometime down the road when you have it apart to replace bearings and bushings you will want to add grease fittings to the inner bushings

[thebuggyman1]

You may be in for a rebuild. Mine started out "only needs new chains" when they came out I could see the wear on the sprockets. After pulling them...almost every bearing and bushing needed replacing. But hey, It's all new now!

[racerone3]

here are a couple shots of the "hose clamp fix". like i said... it's only a short term solution!!

[mudd]

thanks for the info guys. I can already see that these machines are ALOT different than the honda atv's i been ued to my whole life, lol. Not as much of a "jump on and ride" atv. But I can say that the work is worth the reward cuz these things are great! I just want someone to assure me that, one day, the riding time will start outweighing the working time with my max...cuz I've had it 4 days now and spent 6 hours working and 1 hour riding

[Jeff t-boss]

Mudd; your better off putting your riding time on hold for now, and putting in your repair/working time now with patience. It will pay off greatly in the end. Cause there is nothing worse than the time waisted trying to get a broken or disabled vehicle back in from the fields and swamps. Not to mention the headache of trying to get something to it to load it up on. I, for 1, can assure you that it will pay off in the end. These machines are not super high maintenance, but they do need their caretaking time. The more thurough you are now in your repairs, the less caretaking time you will have to devote later. Also remember that although they are very tough, they are not indestructible. Have fun and be safe. Also forgot to mention that if your chains end up being worn, chances are that the sprockets may be too. While you got it all apart, you might want to take a good look at these.

[jshade]

Check the alignment. The first time I replaced the bearings on my left rear (other side from yours) I got the sprocket off and had the same problem. After the alignment it was just fine. The sprocket to the engine didn't give me any problems while it was miss-alligned, just the sprocket/chain to the center wheels.