[glenmalkowiz]

hellp

i recently bought a 2004 honda fourtrax 400 ATV. i had it for about a year now and it has been good ever since a couple weeks ago. A couple weeks ago i notced my steering started getting harder and harder to steer. at the beginning i was only a little bit hard but now it has gradualy gotten worse and worse. does anyone no what is wroung? thanks

 

[saber6]

There is a tie rod end or ball joint seizing up.

 

[glenmalkowiz]

why is my atv so hard to steer

how would i stop this tie rod end or ball joint from contenuing to seiz up? thanks

 

[tomgodd]

how would i stop this tie rod end or ball joint from contenuing to seiz up? thanks

Replacing it is the best solution.

 

[glenmalkowiz]

..

is this hard to do? or would i need to get a machanic to replace them. and how much do they cost to buy? also what do u think caused them to start siezing up? i had my atv sitting outside in the snow over the winter and never drove it, do u think that might hav caused it? thanks

 

[polarisman]

it's because you bought a honda :cheeky4: just kidding,
rust,lack of grease, just worn out, but they are pretty easy to replace. buy a repair manual and fix the small thing's that go wrong and you will save a lot of money

 

[tomgodd]

What polarisman said is correct. Get a manual and you cand do it yourself. Just spray the threads with antiseize like liquidwrench or something a day before you take it apart it may help you.

 

[glenmalkowiz]

....

ok thanks for the help. have a couple more question though.... i use my atv for work alot and i have no time to replace them now, but i will be finshed work in a couple of mouths. even though my atv is fairly hard to streer it is still usable. can i still use it untill i finish work? or will i wreck something? and is it very hard to greese the (tie rod end or ball joint)? because if i grease it maybe i can use it longer...........

 

[polarisman]

grease should help if you have grease fitting's, the most that will happen is the part will break. you should stop by the dealer and tell the service department and see if they have any idea's what they think it it could be.

i would not be going really fast until you fix the problem, it sorta hurt's flying off at 30 + mph

 

[tomgodd]

It does not take that long maybe an hour if you properly prepare for what you are doing.But if you dont fix it be careful!

 

[glenmalkowiz]

...

yeah i only drive like 10 mphs anyways because im pulling a trailer must of the time. and what are grease fittings?

 

[tomgodd]

yeah i only drive like 10 mphs anyways because im pulling a trailer must of the time. and what are grease fittings?

Grease fittings r little nipples where you use a grease gun to inject grease into a part. They r on the end of tierods ball joints, U joints on trucks have them.

 

[Texasroadlawyer]

depending on your mechanical abilities, this is something fairly easy to do with a factory service manual and the right tools. But if you are not so inclined, just resign yourself to taking it to the dealer (and taking it in the a$$) for repair. You might also consider the steering shaft bearings which are commonly overlooked for maintenance but take a lot of pounding.