Bunch of MAX II questions

[Surfer Dude]

First off i'd like to say thank you guys on here because I have read tons of your guys posts to give me ideas on my machine and helped me fix some problems on mine also. But still leaves me with some questions that I havent seen answered yet. My first question is. When driving my Max II even going straight I get a slight popping noise, and gets louder when turning. seems somewhere between the center and the front. First it was on the right side only (my right while sitting in the machine) and now seems that it is doing it on the left also but not as loud. I replaced all Bearings and bushings in the machine when I bought it about 7 months ago. All axles seem aligned correctly. And since then I had an incident with a tree stump that was hiding cleverly beneath the brush that decided it wanted to flip me over. The noise started shortly after that so I assumed it was the bearing on the front wheel that took the impact so I decided to change it but did not fix my problem. I will start with just this one question and see where it gets me. Thanks in advanced guys. Just want this machine in mint condition so I can start making it to some of your guys trail rides. Oh and by the way the machine is mid to late 90's. round headlight style but with solid axles with bushings not bearings on the inside. Thanks again

[Mike]

To me it sounds like a chain riding up on a sprocket and slamming back down into place. This will happen when your chains are really loose or your sprockets are out of alignment. If you hit a tree you could have also bent an axle or pushed it into the frame which would cause the misalignment.

[Surfer Dude]

Mike thank you for your reply,
I have ridden with the floor out to try and see the problem and i don't really see any chain riding up on sprockets but maybe i just am not seeing it. The chains are defiently tight enough and i just replaced both front chain tensioners. It's possible the axle got bent. but like you said, if that was misaligned i would see the chains jumping and I can't. Think I am going to remove both front chains one at a time and try to atleast narrow it down and make sure it is not a jack shaft chain and just sounds like it is coming from the front you know what i mean. Anybody else with any ideas please let me know. Thanks again all

[MAXII420]

Jack it up on blocks or 1 gallon paint cans and run it to check for bent axles and such. That should help you find the issue.
BE VERY CAREFUL when working around running chains and sprockets (no loose clothes, long sleeves, or un-tucked shirts)!!! My dads friend JD has 3 of his fingers in a jar on his mantel (he is a bit off) from where he ran them thru the chain and sprocket on his Harley. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Surfer Dude]

OUCH, don't worry I do know that much... haha.... I have already tried putting the machine on blocks to try and find the problem but without the weight on the tires and the resistance from turning the popping noise almost seems none existant and obviously makes it very hard to locate when it's not doing it ...... But I can do it again to double check to see if the axle is bent just to see if maybe i missed it the first time. If it's barely bent maybe I just could not tell the first time. I am pretty mechanically inclined as I do a lot of automotive work so I used my common sense to try and find problem. Now i'm calling in the experts.

[Surfer Dude]

And also is there something in my settings on this site that i can change so that I am notified if someone posts on this thread? instead of me having to check it all the time waitiing to see if someone said something?

[MAXII420]

Now i'm calling in the experts.

Well that leaves me out....Fellas!? a lil help! lol

[Surfer Dude]

Haha. No thank you very much for your reply. Like I said I will check again for a bent axle like you said.

[jpswift1]

I had a similar issue with the popping noise, especially when turning, and I thought it was a chain issue too. My friend had the same problem on his Max IV. It wasn't the chain in either of our situations, it was actually the inner bearings needing replacement.

[Surfer Dude]

Well see, that wouldn't be true in my case though because I do not have the inner bearings. I'm still old school bronze bushings and stub shaft. Which i just replaced all of them and all stub shafts not to long ago also and they have almost no play in them. Did not have any popping when i first put them either so doesn't seem like I did anything wrong on install.... Only things I have not changed so far are the chains and sprockets. Is it possible that the chains are so stretched that they are not meshing with the sprockets correctly?

[jpswift1]

Well see, that wouldn't be true in my case though because I do not have the inner bearings. I'm still old school bronze bushings and stub shaft. Which i just replaced all of them and all stub shafts not to long ago also and they have almost no play in them. Did not have any popping when i first put them either so doesn't seem like I did anything wrong on install.... Only things I have not changed so far are the chains and sprockets. Is it possible that the chains are so stretched that they are not meshing with the sprockets correctly?

Bring it up to MaxIVMark's shop on Sunday. A bunch of us will be in Lockport and turning wrenches on AATV projects. We'll help you get it figured out.

[Surfer Dude]

What time you guys all getting there?

[jpswift1]

10:30-11

[Surfer Dude]

i'll see you there then. whats the address?

[jpswift1]

Sounds good. PM sent.