1991 QuadRunner slips out of 4wd

[Chadwick]

I have the 250 QuadRunner which slips out of 4wd with selector in 4wd position. In diff lock position there is NO slipping. Selector arm on diff seems to be in sync with control lever/selector. Pops out and goes right back in and is worse pulling a load. Any ideas?

Thanks

[DirtDemon]

I wish I could give a more specific guess as to what seems to be wrong, but it seems to me that the primary engagement mechanism for the front diff is worn somehow. Could be a sloppy bearing allowing too much movement and bumping the diff out of engagement with the input shaft. There are alot of possible causes from what I can tell, but I don't know alot about how these machines work. This particular 4wd system that Suzuki uses is unlike any I have ever seen. Somehow, it seems that locking the diff keeps that engagement intact. The way I would go about figuring out the problem if it were my machine is - (A) buy a repair manual and look through the diagrams of the front diff and 4wd system, check out the troubleshooting guide to try and get an idea of what might be going wrong before I - (B) Take the front diff apart and look for visual evidence of damaged or worn components. Hopefully someone with some knowledge of this particular drive system will chime in with some more helpful info. Until then, good luck.

[Chadwick]

Thanks Josh, we use this machine almost exclusively as a work horse. Hate to have it down for any period of time, but I guess we are going to have to dig into it. Good project for my 12/14 yr old sons and myself.

Thanks so much,

Chadwick