Steering issue

[RockWarrior671]

Was up guys!! Had my first race yesterday and placed fourth overall against 5 other 400's!!! Didn't notice until I came home that I bent my rear right rim and my steering is now very hard to turn??? I don't hear any grinding or noise but its really stiff and I rode really hard yesterday considering the track conditions rocky and lots of ruts. Any suggestions as to what's causing the stiffness and resistance to turn the handle bars??:-/

 

[Surfrjag]

Try lifting the front of the quad onto blocks and disconnecting your tie rods. Try to isolate the problem.

 

[Blaaster]

It is possible that you jarred the steering stem and bent it some.

Do as Surfrjag advises and see if it is the stem or the geometry out of plumb.

 

[RockWarrior671]

So I took the tie rods off today and checked all my Hemi joints and its the one on my upper A-Arm, super stiff!!!!

 

[Awk08]

So I took the tie rods off today and checked all my Hemi joints and its the one on my upper A-Arm, super stiff!!!!

that would effect a-arm travel, not steering ??

 

[RockWarrior671]

It makes turning my handle bar really hard

 

[Awk08]

It makes turning my handle bar really hard

then it's something in the steering.....steering stem/tie rods/balljoints/spindle
not the a-arm travel heims, they olnly effect up and down travel, not steering

have you tried lubricating the heims, and injecting grease into all the tie rods/ball joints and the steering bushing ?

 

[slickerthanyou]

that would effect a-arm travel, not steering ??

That is what i was thinking

 

[RockWarrior671]

Yup I disconnected everything from the steering stem and it moved freely with no issues. Connected the left tie rod and and moved freely. Disconnected the left side and connected the right side and it was very hard to turn. Disconnected the bottom Hemi ballpoint from spindle and moved the Hemi pin and was good. Re connected the bottom and tried moving the whole wheel hub up, down, left ect. And there was plenty resistance. Disconnected the top Hemi and wow!!!! It was stiff and wasn't giving play moving it up and down but I turned it with the Allen wrench mimicking the steering movement and it was very hard!!!

 

[Blaaster]

Yup I disconnected everything from the steering stem and it moved freely with no issues. Connected the left tie rod and and moved freely. Disconnected the left side and connected the right side and it was very hard to turn. Disconnected the bottom Hemi ballpoint from spindle and moved the Hemi pin and was good. Re connected the bottom and tried moving the whole wheel hub up, down, left ect. And there was plenty resistance. Disconnected the top Hemi and wow!!!! It was stiff and wasn't giving play moving it up and down but I turned it with the Allen wrench mimicking the steering movement and it was very hard!!!

I do believe you have found the problem.