2002 Kawasaki Prairie 400 4x4 Vibration

[Jim Waters]

hi everyone. recently iam get a good vibration that comes and goes while iam riding my praire 4x4. iam afraid something is going to detonate. vibration is felt in the steering and then you will here a noise and this comes and goes. its very noticeable when iam on a blacktop surface. iam worried. i cant get any slop in the drive joints i can grab onto. so any input would be appreciated. i have a manual downloaded and i,ve went through it pretty good. my thought is its from the output shaft to the front drive. let me know if anyone has experianced this.

[Frank Angerano]

It sounds like it’s happening when you hit a certain speed? Especially if it’s heard on a blacktop surface.  My guess is that one of the drive shafts has a slight bend in it where you wouldn't feel it until a certain rpm. You may not be able to see that bend.  I would inspect all the drive shafts for any marks that may be there. Something along the lines of you hitting a rock or tree trunk while you were riding ? 

I would also get the front wheels off the ground and spin the tires to see if there’s a bend in the rims and wiggle them as well to check the hubs.  Do this for the front and rear.  

[Jim Waters]

its the u joint on the out put of the transmission to the front drive. i have been trying to get it off several hours today to no avail iam dam close to cutting it in half. the shaft is damaged but savable and the other half of the joint coming from the trans will need to be replaced. it was ready to explode the u joint is broke. i cannot find the parts for it yet or a easier way of removing it then the manual says. doing something wrong i guess. any help would be appreciated. its the shaft in the middle picture of the attachment.

 

thanks

jim