[bcsman]

Well have fixed a numbers of issues on this fairly new to me Foreman. I see Honda didn't put any grease fittings on this so am curious what I should look at to do any greasing or lubing? Everything seems to be working and sounding OK but would like to stay ahead of any issues. Main concerns are ball joints, tie rods, axles, wheel bearings, and any moving items. I may have missed any info in the service manual but didn't see much. I have changed fluids on both differentials. Thanks in advance for any help, this forum has been a wealth of knowledge in assisting me.

 

[shadetree]

you can't lube ball joints, tie rod ends,nothing like that. most you can do is lube cables, steering column bushing, bearings with grease, which means taking apart. as well as the foot brake lever, remove, clean, re-grease, install back on.

 

[retro]

They have to be torn completely down & cleaned out to get fresh lubes back in every moving part, as shadetree advised. The 1st time generally costs ya a bunch of money in new grease seals. Once they are apart you can do a few extra things (add zerks, drill ball joints & tie rod ends, etc.) to help ya speed up the process the next time though. Always use synthetic greases and oils in everything for extra long life.

I just went through that process on my Rancher for the 2nd time. It was routine and over very quickly... every bearing was still packed with clean, red Mobil 1 syn. The ball joints and tie rod boots were still bulging with clean red syn, but I shot fresh grease through them anyway, via the greaser holes in the caps that I drilled before they were installed. I replaced a few shock absorber seals and collars that weren't replaced the 1st go 'round, replaced the air filter, performed all maintenance and readjustments, replaced brake fluid again... repainted some parts that didn't hold up after the 1st attempt, etc. Maintenance is a great wintertime sport... can take your time on them.

 

[LedFTed]

i thought you had a 2000, for some reason. any way;;; the steering column bushing, is way over-due lube wise. ball joints, or was that tie rod ends have a boot, as cv joints,, some-thing's, there is no way to cheat on. something with a boot, well maybe.. i have a grease gun with a needle. i injected grease, where they say ya cant get to. cv joint's, ya can stick that needle into, right at the joint, reach the other's too, with a bit of imagination. tie rod ends, you can still inject the boot. it helped me. axles, wheel bearing's, are a way different subject. ya cant cheat on them, best i know.
if ya can, i wanna know..
tie rod ends are so tight, from some factory installs, there is no point, for a grease fitting.
yet still, a touch of grease, can work, applied properly. ya got to use grease that dont rot your boot.
"ya got to use grease that dont rot your boot",,, must be a joke in there somewhere.
by the time bearings make noise, its too late

 

[bcsman]

Well that's what I kinda figured, not much that can be done without teat down. I will look into getting a needle for my grease gun for the boots. Too bad Honda dropped the ball on these quads....

 

[_Wilson_]

I did the needle deal ONLY on ball joint boots (ONLY in one spot)....it made a world of deference on steering! I would NOT!! punch holes in the cv boots, IMO that's a bad idea! Besides ... Cv joints don't use regular soap grease.

Get you one of these injectors. It's saved me a lot time and $$$ in sealed bearings and ball joint life.

 

[Jeepwm69]

I've actually done bearings on a couple of bikes in the last couple of weeks (for friends). I've found that if the ball joints don't have slack in them you can stick a needle up under the boot from the bottom, put a few squirts in there, then work the joint around a bit and it will really help slick up the ball joint movement, including helping with steering.

I've started adding zerks in some spots on my machines; foot brake pedal, upper a-arm in the middle, and inside the left rear wheel on the axle tube for starters.

 

[retro]

Ya, don't go pokin' any holes in boots unless the joint is already junk. Ya gotta do the wheel bearings anyways... once the axles are out its easy to pop ball joints loose with a single hammer blow, stretch boots down & fill them from the bottom where they seal against the ball studs. When ya slide the joints back in the knuckles & lower A-arms, those boots will slide back up the ball studs and be bulging, full of grease.

The tie rods can be taken off for drilling the caps on each tie rod end. Seal those caps with glue after you've pumped them full of grease and the boots are beginning to bulge. Easy as takin' candy from a baby... and next time ya grease them it will go twice as fast. The best thing about DIY maintenance preps is... money stays in your wallet where it belongs.

 

[LedFTed]

I did the needle deal ONLY on ball joint boots (ONLY in one spot)....it made a world of deference on steering! I would NOT!! punch holes in the cv boots, IMO that's a bad idea! Besides ... Cv joints don't use regular soap grease.

Get you one of these injectors. It's saved me a lot time and $$$ in sealed bearings and ball joint life.

that looks like the needle i got. i didn't punch hole's in the boots. i used the needle.
my cv joint's were klacking, when i turned, so i used the needle. they been quite since. atv has been sitting for a bit, i did this, though, a couple a year's ago, give or take my memory. for me it was give them the grease needle, or replace them..
same with the tie-rod ends.. after i stuck them with the needle, they worked better. i have 4 tie rod ends 2 tie rod's, that are new. now i have to wait, for something to go bad, before i replace it.
i got a 2000es. i'll play it out, till i cant. the reason it's sitting is electrical, an health problems., not grease problem's.
it is said, that joint's that come with zerks, have more room in them, so the grease will fit. i dont think i believe this. most likely a part's sale's person.
ed

 

[QuadJunkie]

I did the needle deal ONLY on ball joint boots (ONLY in one spot)....it made a world of deference on steering! I would NOT!! punch holes in the cv boots, IMO that's a bad idea! Besides ... Cv joints don't use regular soap grease.

Get you one of these injectors. It's saved me a lot time and $$$ in sealed bearings and ball joint life.

Hey, got a question.
Do you remember where you got that grease needle? Do you add grease to the top of the needle or feed it with a grease gun? Thanks.

 

[fishfiles]

Quad Junkie , I bought my needle injectors off e-bay , one is thin like a hyper-dermic , the other is heavy metal about the size of a coffee stir straw ------

BCSM , as far as getting grease into things like a squeaky a-arm bushing or the top steering bushing , I been using some stuff called Garage Door Track Grease , Home Depot has it , it comes out the aerosol can as a liquid then turns to grease , there are other brands , but that one is cheap and as a bonus , I found that it works really good when you spray it on black plastic parts like the headlight switch , it makes it look new better than Armor-All

 

[LedFTed]

I did the needle deal ONLY on ball joint boots (ONLY in one spot)....it made a world of deference on steering! I would NOT!! punch holes in the cv boots, IMO that's a bad idea! Besides ... Cv joints don't use regular soap grease.

Get you one of these injectors. It's saved me a lot time and $$$ in sealed bearings and ball joint life.

Hey, got a question.
Do you remember where you got that grease needle? Do you add grease to the top of the needle or feed it with a grease gun? Thanks.

been a while, but i got mine at tractor supply, maybe an auto part store, like auto zone, or any other.. mine has a fitting on the end like a zerk. i'd guess you would say it is a zerk. just stick it on the end of your grease gun hose, go at it. i wouldnt use it on atvs that mud or ride in water. i only used it on mine to save me a bit more time, before i had to replace things.. on the tie rod ends i stuck it in the boot where it would get grease close to the ball.
the cvc joints, i stuck it where i could fill it, hitting the bearings, but used the out side of the boot. in the end, i guess it dont matter.. once the hole is in the boot, just the temperature changes that occur during use, or even during the day, may draw moisture into the boot. the needle i used, had a sharpened, point on it, and i seen it used with horses. aint gonna use nothing on me like that on me doctor, least, you put me under, an i want pain pills for later.
say's its 18 gauge.. looks much bigger to me. :wink