RTV 900 Rear U joints

[Vanceiii]

well you are right, but 25 miles there, then 25 back, 50 miles round trip, then re-do it a week or 2 later, now you're at 100 miles, then doing it during business hours, etc etc etc...

you are right though, I see some guys are a few hours away from their dealer...


About being an overkill, I kind of think it may be an overkill, there is another person on here that has around 4,000 (4 thousand) hours on his and still has all his original u joints still on his.

I guess it just depends on how "critical" it is that you have your machine running?

I probably do things differently, but if it were me I would wait and see if the ticking gets worse, and deal with it if it becomes a problem? Then I would only fix the one that is causing the issue.

You can spend tons of money fixing Issues That May Not even be a problem.

The service people are probably going to say "Yeah you should replace them all" but then again they have an ulterior motive... That's how they eat!!

That's just my opinion.

 

[DT86]

I am not sure whether the "loose axle nut" problem discussed in http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/272432-rtv-1140-rear-drive-issue.html would cause a ticking sound, but it wouldn't hurt to check yours. Steve

Thank you Sir,

I will check that out!

 

[DT86]

Well I tend to use mine every day but can get by using the ATV for a while.

Did I read some where about messing up the transmission housing if ran too long with a bad u joint? I think that is what made me want to do them all at once.

 

[Vanceiii]

I haven't heard about it messing up the transmission housing.

I'm trying to think about how that would happen?

Hmm, the closest u joint is on the end of a shaft maybe 6 inches outside of the transmission, I cant think of how it would mess up the housing.

Also thinking back about how my joints messed up. the first time one of the caps on the joint had dried out (they were/are not grease-able) and there was no way to know it was dry. The bearings basically disintegrated to the point that the + joint and the cap were steal on steal, and making a grinding noise. Of course as soon as I noticed it I stopped driving it and replaced it. but no telling how long the joint was "bad" before It got bad enough for me to notice.

The next two times the joint just broke, 4 months ago I was just driving, nothing hard, going down a small incline, let off the gas, mine does not have the relief valve so letting off the gas is like stepping on the break, anyway I was going about 6-8 mph, releasing the gas to slow down and all of a sudden the thing started coasting (at about 4 miles per hour) I could tell something was wrong, then it would not go anywhere, I put it in 4wd then It would go. back into 2 wheel drive then no go. sure enough the joint broke.

Of course yesterday was due to me pulling trees. (see previous post)

So I don't know, neither one caused any damage to the housing. And I still can't think of how it could cause damage to the transmission housing?

But then again I am a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" kind of guy.

If I hear a noise I'll try to figure it out, If I can't then I'll wait until it gets bad enough to tell where it Is coming from.

Obviously if it is a engine knocking or transmission grinding noise I would not let it go long. But I don't "try" listening to hard for noises, otherwise I start "hearing" noises that aren't really there. Ha!

But I don't usually worry about to much. (or at least I try not to worry to much)
What ever happens, happens, and I'll deal with it then. This has usually worked out for me!

Vance.

 

[ayelvington]

I'm replacing the inside u-joints on my RTV900 and shooting videos at each step. I've gotten as far as dropping the axle support bar and pulling the inside axle/u-joint assemblies.

I had a false start trying to lower the support bar, so you hear me mention it in one video, but you won't see that

I'm having trouble removing the old u-joint cups, so I'm taking them to a machine shop to get the out.

I've ordered my replacements from here:

2003-2008 KUBOTA RTV900 4X4 Rear Axle U Joint

Here's my YouTube playlist if you are interested. I'll be back at it tomorrow and adding videos as it goes along.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6ueHfalAognnkx67SNRe185UIqta93FI

Al

 

[ayelvington]

I'm done with the videos for now. Fresh u-joints, engine oil, and transmission fluid. Life is good.

FYI: A 2-1/2 gallon jug of UDT is not enough to fill the transmission. (It's a quart short of what the transmission and filter need)

 

[kubotasara]

Hmmmm. I know American CV has aftermarket u joints - I agree, grinding down the sides doesn't sound too good...did you look at aftermarket parts dealers like them? Like - Search results for: 'u joint'

 

[MAK122061]

I replaced my u joints today. I used 1-1557DL from Autozone. They fit great. $10 each. I have a late 2009 model RTV 900. I had ordered u joints from The U Joint Store. They were about 1/8 inch to long and the clips would not go in. They were about $130 including shipping. Got to see if they will rake them back. Still cheaper than ordering from Kubota.

 

[FTG-05]

I replaced my u joints today. I used 1-1557DL from Autozone. They fit great. $10 each. I have a late 2009 model RTV 900. I had ordered u joints from The U Joint Store. They were about 1/8 inch to long and the clips would not go in. They were about $130 including shipping. Got to see if they will rake them back. Still cheaper than ordering from Kubota.

Ordering solid gold is cheaper than Kubota parts.

 

[rchristner]

The joint I have replaced (twice) is the passenger rear, by the transmission, it is not that difficult if you have the correct tools.

I just raise the bed (no need to remove it) jack the back up, both wheels off the ground, makes it easier so you can turn the shaft from the transmission to reposition the joint. remove the wheel on the side you are working on..

Get a ball baring press (if you don't have one) from O'Reilly or AutoZone they both have a free tool rental program where they basically sell you the tool you need, then you return it when you are finished with it. $130 from O'Reilly, $100 from AutoZone, but it doesn't really matter because you are going to get all your money back anyway. (btw, this is a program they offer, I am not cheating them, just ask them about it)

For someone who is good and has experience with u joints, it is probably a 1-1.5 hour job maybe less, I'm not that good so it took me about 2-2.5 hours? but this is from start to finish, including gathering up all my tools, then having to go find my pliers etc...

I don't do ALL my own service, but in my opinion the trouble loading it up, taking it to the dealer, waiting a week for them to do it, then paying them who knows how much to fix it.. If you feel somewhat comfortable doing it your self I would defiantly recommend doing it yourself.

$22 from NAPA (or $9) from AutoZone, and a couple of hours of "TINKER" time.

It's definitely not like replacing the transmission gasket or anything like that.

Vanceiii, I know this is going back a ways... Hopefully you are still on this forum. I need to replace the same u joint you described (passenger side rear). Did you replace the u joint without removing either propeller shaft? Everything I've been researching online has been focused around removing the full axel so I assumed I would need to do that?
Thanks for any additional guidance on the steps you took to get it done in 2.5ish hrs.
-Richard