[Chalkymon]

Howdo guys. The front diff on my 02 450es (with selectable front axle engagement) is it a Limited Slip Diff ?
I've not seen confirmation it is but I've heard differing opinions. My concern, following an oil change prior to doing a ride at the beginning of the year all looked fine, no metallic evidence in the old oil, it was clean & on the level. Good oil was used in the refill. During the ride when it was being pushed hard it became apparent a bearing type noise was developing from the diff? The wheel bearings are brand new by the way!
I've heard some say unless 'additives' are introduced during a refill noises can start to be heard. One guy reported a similar story to my own & after adding a particular LSD treatment the noise disappeared. What oils and/or treatments can be recommended? Many thanks.
Chalkster

 

[fishfiles]

the OEM recommendation is Hypoid 80-90 , 85-90 or what ever it really is , so if you use that you should be within specs ... as far as being OK , that is questionable

 

[mrbb]

most GOOD brand name gear oil these days has limited slip additives added to them already right out of the bottle,
BUT they also do sell limited slip additive, you can add to things, WON"T Hurt anything if not needed, as honestly, these atv;'s go so SLOW< as long as there isn;t water in the oil, about any lube will be fine!
as for bearing sounds, , well wouldn;t be the first time NEW bearing were DRY from the factory and failed real fast
of fit loosely in hub and then wore out fast again!
but could also be diff bearings too!

 

[retro]

The front differential in your 450 does not have any organic paper/cork friction discs in it (it is a cams/followers design) so you can safely use either LS gear oil, or non-LS gear oil in them. Doesn't matter which type as long as the gear oil meets the minimum service specifications.

So if you find a carrier bearing or a pinion bearing failing in the diff, its unrelated to the type of oil you put in it. If one of those bearings are indeed failing it'll loosen and gear oil will begin to exit the housing past an oil seal though. So monitor the gear oil level for a while... in the meantime check the wheel bearings and CV joints on the axles in case a seal/boot has failed allowing dirt/water into a bearing area.

 

[Chalkymon]

Excellent advice guys, as always many thanks for your valuable feedback.