2010 m8 SP Diamond Drive bearing blown up/ upgrade requiring machining?
- Thread starter Uptown
- Start date
1972bone
Member
Do the 2011 M8's also have this problem?
- Thread starter
- #23
i would assume they do< open up the case and see if it has the single row bearing in it.
Also i made sure not to machine too much from the track shaft. the planetary does press on the c-clip when installed. prob a good this so its not slopping around in there. itll help with gear alignment.
I was out yesterday for a burn!!! sled runs great!!
Also i made sure not to machine too much from the track shaft. the planetary does press on the c-clip when installed. prob a good this so its not slopping around in there. itll help with gear alignment.
I was out yesterday for a burn!!! sled runs great!!
I did need the track shaft machined.I figured that when DD is installed, it needs to be swallowed in using the bolts. I guess that will work for sure.
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diamond milling
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diamond milling
2011 do require the upgrade. They still have the single row bearing. Imploded mine a month ago, about 1500 miles, so not bad wear on it. Every unit is slightly different, I did not have to machine mine it fit perfectly.
I put a 3203 in with out removing the D/D case, only .014 of an in difference It went back together as ace ventura says like a glove. 500 k on the new bearing and works and sounds perfect. I also use power up gear additive . BDX says no machening required an I beleve them MY 2 cents.
That's a very bad sign! Causes axial load on your 6203/3203/4203/5203 bearing.
There is no machining of the shaft required. AC makes an updated bearing spacer, I've put the part # on here a couple times.
too wide of a bearing and you can get axial loading unless you machine the shaft shoulder to accomodate the offset.
Unless the case goes on and bolts up loose without any binding, you need to machine the shaft if you use a wider bearing, or use the thinner spacer.
With the thinner spacer the stock bearing works just fine, pull the case cover for inspection and change the oil each season or more based on mileage as per the Cat service manual.
Getting a "longer lasting" bearing on one shaft is only going to extend the time between service intervals for all your DD components. As the oil breaks down, more things will wear in your DD (like all the gears and the other bearings), not just the outer shaft bearing.
The oil is about $20.
too wide of a bearing and you can get axial loading unless you machine the shaft shoulder to accomodate the offset.
Unless the case goes on and bolts up loose without any binding, you need to machine the shaft if you use a wider bearing, or use the thinner spacer.
With the thinner spacer the stock bearing works just fine, pull the case cover for inspection and change the oil each season or more based on mileage as per the Cat service manual.
Getting a "longer lasting" bearing on one shaft is only going to extend the time between service intervals for all your DD components. As the oil breaks down, more things will wear in your DD (like all the gears and the other bearings), not just the outer shaft bearing.
The oil is about $20.
stuckenough
Active VIP Member
I recently inspected my DD on my 2010 and too found it was hanging on by only 8 bearings. Now I'm not sure if i did this wrong, but because the replacement bearing supplied by the dealer was a bit wider, I had to remove the spacer from the shaft to allow the new bearing to fit and the case to go back on properly. Everything seems to be working fine, so hopefully she'll run good till the end of the season and I'll look at it then.
- Thread starter
- #32
Update:
Now have 2000kms since bearing upgrade and machining . Running perfect using amsoil chaincase lube. Beginning of this season the oil was spotless clean when it was changed! next time i take the cover off i will take some pictures.
Now have 2000kms since bearing upgrade and machining . Running perfect using amsoil chaincase lube. Beginning of this season the oil was spotless clean when it was changed! next time i take the cover off i will take some pictures.
James42005
New member
Hey guys I am a little late to this party but i am concerned. After doing some reading I decided to do the bearing upgrade. Ordered everything from BDX. Removed case cover only.Everything looked like new inside the DD case. Cleaned everything up as best i could. Installed new 5203 bearing on shaft. Trying to install cover back in and having troubles. I am about 1/8 from mating up with case. I know the the bearing is wider but not that much? What am i doing wrong? If machining is the answer I am a little confused as to what actually needs to be machined? I am guessing: on the shaft the bearing sits on, the collar the the bearing seats up against? So if i measure the old bearing/spacer together, measure the new bearing, then machine the difference off the shaft so the the new 5203 sits at the same height as the old one this should allow the case cover to mate up without cranking on the bolts and applying excessive side loading? Someone help me out.
Thanks
Brandon
2010 Arctic Cat M8 LE
Thanks
Brandon
2010 Arctic Cat M8 LE
moyiesledhead
Active VIP Member
In a word, YES. Do that and it should be good to go. That reminds me....I've got two of them to do before the snow falls!
James42005
New member
I talk to Jeff from BDX today. As per his instructions, case went back together just fine. For clarification, at first i only had the cover off, he told me to remove the entire case. I would also recommend just doing this right away. It makes it easier to clean everything up. What he told me is that sometimes when the cover only is removed with the case still installed, the output shaft ( or sun gear) that spines to the trackshaft can get pushed outward. Making it impossible to mate the cover back up with case. This is why you should just start out by removing the entire case. Once out of the sled and cleaned up, make sure the output shaft it COMPLETELY seated into the case. I think this is where some people think they need to machine parts when they might not have to. Then reassemble the rest of the case, if it still does not go back together easily and completely you may have to machine the transfer gear shoulder. Also when installing the case back into the sled, if it doesnt seat completely and easily against the tunnel, you may have to machine the trackshaft. According to to Jeff from BDX, and most of the guys who seem to know what they are talking about in these forums, this is a case by case, sled by sled situation. I got lucky, everything went back together perfectly once the case was removed. As for the new bearing being wider, and sitting flush with the end of the transfer gear: again according to Jeff, this the way it suppose to be. The reason the 6203 bearing was prone to failure, other than it being only a single row bearing, was the spacing at the end of the shaft. Not sure why but that what i was told. So, with the case out, if everything mates back up, no machining required in my opinion. Again, every sled seams to be different, its just ****ty manufacturing practices by Arctic Cat and their suppliers. Hope this helps.
There were tolerance issues with tunnel width and driveshaft lengths, ie the spacing issue you talk about above. The different lengths of the shafts and tunnel widths caused side loading of the bearings, making them fail. The single row bearings are fine if the tolerances are ok and the bearing doesn't have side loading. Cat made an updated bearing spacer that was thinner than the standard one, if you use the thinner spacer you don't need to machine anything. Its far cheaper and faster than machining
.....
My quote from Page 12 of this thread:
"
updated bearing spacer Part # 2602-259. Confirm the thickness when you get it, if needed you can machine the spacer down more instead of machining the shaft shoulder, but the new spacer should be 40 thou thinner than the original. Item #13 on this e-fiche
Its used on all the new DD's right up to the Bearcats and 570 that are still using the DD for 2013
"
mallard d69
Active VIP Member
i just did my bearing this past weekend and tried to do it inside the sled and the case would not go back together... but as per bdx's suggestion i took the diamond drive out of the sled and finished the job on the bench and when i did that the case went back together with no problems what so ever. 2011 m8 hcr 4200 kms on the original...thats right the original 6203 bearing replaced with a 3203 i picked up at commercial solutions on the west side of edmonton for 39$
if for any reason anyone needs any help with installing your DD bearing get ahold of me im in the edmonton area and this is an easy job easily finished in an evening if you have the parts ready
happy tinkering... you'll never learn till you turn that first wrench
if for any reason anyone needs any help with installing your DD bearing get ahold of me im in the edmonton area and this is an easy job easily finished in an evening if you have the parts ready
happy tinkering... you'll never learn till you turn that first wrench
fj40
Active VIP Member
Hi all I am up grading my bearing to a NSK 3203B2RSTNC3
My question is this bearing was a sealed bearing with grease in it.
I took off the seals and removed the grease.
Now it looks like the cage holding the ball bearing in place is made of a plastic not metal.
So is this ok or should I get a different bearing
Also there is talk about machining the shaft but to try it first.
How hard is it to take off the pressed on bearing with out doing damage to it.
My question is this bearing was a sealed bearing with grease in it.
I took off the seals and removed the grease.
Now it looks like the cage holding the ball bearing in place is made of a plastic not metal.
So is this ok or should I get a different bearing
Also there is talk about machining the shaft but to try it first.
How hard is it to take off the pressed on bearing with out doing damage to it.
Last edited:
mallard d69
Active VIP Member
should be no problem with the plastic cage. its much better then the single role cage that came stock just make sure you repack it with quallity grease. or some people say to just leave the seals off and let the gear fluid do the lubricating... but thats up to you i installed mine with the seals.
you should not need to machine the shaft most people that machine the shaft were not installing the gears correctly and then machine the shaft to make up for the missalignment.
if your having any problems load up your sled and bring it over to my place in spruce and well get you fixed up in a hour or 2 always nice meeting new peps
the bearing easily comes off with a bearing puller (i have) then just use a bench vise with cardboard to protect machine surfaces to press the new one on
*if your machine is newer then 09 make sure you use the proper bdx or arctic cat gasket they are a specific thickness if you dont you will end up having to machine shaft ... $50+ to machine shaft or $17 for a gasket seems like a no brainer to me
you should not need to machine the shaft most people that machine the shaft were not installing the gears correctly and then machine the shaft to make up for the missalignment.
if your having any problems load up your sled and bring it over to my place in spruce and well get you fixed up in a hour or 2 always nice meeting new peps
the bearing easily comes off with a bearing puller (i have) then just use a bench vise with cardboard to protect machine surfaces to press the new one on
*if your machine is newer then 09 make sure you use the proper bdx or arctic cat gasket they are a specific thickness if you dont you will end up having to machine shaft ... $50+ to machine shaft or $17 for a gasket seems like a no brainer to me
Ruegsegger
Active member
Hey guys, I've been looking at threads all over the net about this and from what I have read sleds up to 2009 have the stock output shaft machined for 5203 and also BDX brand gears are still machined for 5203 but apparently stock 2010/2011 CAT output gears have a slightly shorter surface for that bearing ( I have not measured this myself but comes from "experts" on snow west lol). I think the stock spacer and bearing was 15.9mm and 5203 are 17mm width, the solution is a 16mm wide 4203 double row bearing, this is not a common bearing, I just ordered mine today and they had to get them from a warehouse in Ontario! This way you should have no worries with pre-load coming from the drive assembly itself but if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the sleds with narrow tunnel + slightly oversize track shaft you may still get some pre-load from that.
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