It was brought to my attention (tc1) that cat has stepped up to the plate and has issued an across the board recall on all 2008 and early 09 front diffs. If your not the original owner call the toll free number in the link.
If you are the original owner expect a letter from cat.
IMO, I have not installed my upper A-Arm bolts improperly or wrong. According to the parts diagram all the rest of my front end bolts are installed from the front with the nut to the rear. To me that makes perfect mechanical sense in the unlikely event of a nut coming off or nut failure. This is my quad, I work it hard with wood hauling and plowing, I do not go “quadding”. I plow lots of snow, sometimes hard chunks and slush, and the quad fills up pretty good. I do not think the nut should be to the front on that bolt. I probably installed the front diff bolt “wrong” as I didn’t like the rad hose rubbing on the nut. I have included a picture of my Arctic Cat 300 and all front end bolts have the nut to the rear. The front bumper has to be removed to remove the front upper and lower A-Arm bolts on that one.
I included a copy of the invoice as I thought it was very strange that it appears Arctic Cat only allowed 1.31 for the front Diff Recall. The same dealer charged 4.34 on my friends 550 and they didn’t even have to open up the Diff. I don’t think I could ever do a Front Diff in 1.31. I have now been informed Arctic Cat is paying 2.6 for the Safety Recall. Sounds like a proper amount of time. If they are paying 2.6 and TTS worked on mine for a total of 3.14 maybe they should have charged me .54 for my “installed wrong” A-Arm bolts?
I have included a picture of my current front end as it sat on my trailer after the Recall. My brake lines are now touching the upper A-Arms and the frame. I also noticed my lower shock bolts are installed “wrong” and my rad hose appears to be touching the Diff bolt and nut.
Arctic Cat has been contacted and they are getting back to me.
I have not raised my voice or been impolite to anyone including the dealer.
Thanks for all who replied, public and private, it has helped me figure out what went on here.
Talking to an Artic Cat Mechanic this am - he tells me not to use the diff. If I do there 'could be' a problem.
I am in no way a mechanic, but is he correct. Prodding a bit more he said if I don't use the diff then there is no issues.
I find that hard to believe after seeing the past Pic's of this very issue now come to the forefront.
Anyone??
The front ring gear always turns and the pin/side gears are always in play no matter if you are in 2wd or 4wd, if the pin welds break and it comes loose, the front wheels are going to lock up, no matter if you are in 2wd.
Could it be more likely to break the welds in 4x4? Possibly.
got the recall done today , they said my brake pads were shot on the front so they put new ones on , kimpex 20 bucks each no labour since it was apart, I put Chinese ones on last year they wore fast , will see how these ones last
SO, after waiting almost an entire month, I called the local dealer today to see if my recall parts were in, and did they forget to call me ? The service manager said, "let me check, you won't believe it, your parts came in yesterday" Unbelievable, if I would have called in another week would my parts have came in then as well? bringing it to them tomorrow, reluctantly, what a joke...
I hear ya doorfx, the next nearest dealer is almost 100 miles away....I would be happy to do the wrenching myself if that was possible, we'll see how it goes today at drop off....
I just called Arctic Cat to check the recall on my 2 day old belong to me 08 Thundercat that blew the diff on its first ride, its covered. The local dealer here in Calgary told me they are getting parts much faster now then when the recall first came out, but he said they might have to send the Diff INTO arctic cat to make sure its covered and not owner error or something! he cited another guy who bent a shift fork or something and it wasn't covered. Mine made a couple of huge bangs and the side of the diff cracked and started seeping gear oil full of metal shavings.
Next week until they can look at it, probably January until it'll be done, Ahhh the joy of buying your dream Quad, getting in a solid 2hrs of drivetime before its off for recall for the month, Ack!!
Ralph's! So they told me to bring the machine down asap and they can look at it next week and parts are coming faster now.
So I get the trailer attached, load the machine (2wd she can't climb into the truck) take it down to Ralph's on my break, they tell me it'll be the MIDDLE of Jan before the parts come in and they MIGHT try to screw me on the whole diff if they can prove I was up to no good and it costs 2200$ for a new diff.
2200$ for a diff on a machine that is 11,000$ new is totally insane, its tiny, there aren't even that many parts in it, what the hell!
They said to harass AC about it to get a diff faster, I hope this doesn't turn into a war, I guess at least they recalled it, except everyone knew about it forever on the internet before they bothered to step up.
I've got a total of 2hrs of riding on this thing, AhhHhhH!
That's why I asked!!! Not a very helpful dealer EH ? Pro am motorsports is now a cat dealer. Call them. Cat was replacing diffs for free even before this recall and Ralphs has done a few. This should be a non issue. The only way they can get out of it , is if something else broke. Tell them you want to be there when they take it apart. Take lots of pics.
Hey DoorFX, thats not a bad idea. I went to Ralphs as the salesman at ProAm are really pushy and I never got a good feeling from that place, but I think its worth a call to see if they can expedite it. I'll get on that tomorrow, 5 weeks or more for parts is unacceptable as I'm sure you would feel as well.
I saw that Cat was warrantying it back in 08 and offering it even further after that, so they knew about it a long time before they did a general recall to avoid any other lawsuits. sigh!!
And a good point to make sure I get a look at the Diff as they take it apart so I can avoid getting screwed on some extra charges or something rediculous blaming me for being hard on it.
I called Pro-Am and they checked on it for me, told me that my order has been delayed and delayed and delayed as they don't have the parts, told me likely Ralph's is telling the truth on it.
The factory who makes the diffs must be on a as-needed basis, which is rediculous to have a safety recall and not have at least some parts on hand.
I just bought this 2008 650 HI two weeks ago, I saw your post on the recall, I called the local Artic Cat dealer, he ran my Vin # and verified it was indeed under the recall, part date keeps changing, I'll keep you posted
Thanks for the heads up
Yours is in! how long did you wait for parts? I'm still bloody 4 weeks away, its outrageous! i'm calling tomorrow to complain to those wankers at AC, rediculous.
I called my dealer and had to give my vin to verify and my name. They said they will notify Arctic cat for a parts kit. And they will call me when it arrives. They said 3 weeks at a minimum. Good news is that I have to replace both front axles and the parts manager said he would do it for no charge. Gonna have them replace the brakes while there also.
The dealer said Arctic Cat is pretty closed lip on these issues. He told me he hasn't ever had an issue in 15 yrs with the front diffs on Cats before. ..except when you add big mud tires and go in deep holes..
PFT Arctic Cat is full of defects just like any other manufacturer. The defective pin welds is well known, documented, and pictures. Back in 08 they were fixing ton of them. I think its just a few machines that had really easy riders never broke them and now they've had too many lawsuits to not fully recall them.
Its true that people break tons of stuff with big mud tires and holes, thats probably the #1 reason for exploded axles and diffs, but in this case, that is not the fault, its their fault for sourcing a poorly made differential that did not have enough welding on the spider gear holding pin.
And I'm Furious its 6 weeks for parts on a problem they recalled themselves and it blew on the trail on me.
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