# Looking at '04 400 4x4 Auto



## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm a sport quad rider and was suggested this site from a member over on the KFX forums. My girl rides a Honda 250EX right now, great little bike, but I'm looking to get her on something different. As much as I know about sport quads, I don't know squat about utilities...

Bike I'm going to look at is an '04 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 Auto. He said he doesn't ride it anymore and it may need a carb cleaning, but fires right up and has new battery. Says he replaced wheel and axle bearings and boots but one rear CV axle 'pops' when in reverse. Does that sound like a common CV problem, and what exactly would cause it? Replace the whole axle? Other little things like torn seat cover, broken (cracked) fuel gauge and worn grips. None of this sounds like a big deal to me, but what else should I look closely for? It's all stock except for ITP alloys and Mudzilla tires (75% tread). I got him down to $1200 with title, I think that's decent. Any suggestions guys? From what I've read, it's got a Suzuki Eiger 400 motor and they're pretty solid bikes.


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

That axle will need to be replace at some point, popping usually leads to breaking. It sounds like it's seen its share of hard riding from what you desribed but, if its in sound mechanical condition, I dont think $1200 is a bad price... however... if he quickly agreed to that price (and wanted more) there might be something mechanical lurking underneath that could cost ya some $ to fix... I'd definately ride it around some and see how she sounds/runs.


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## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

That's why I wanted to look closely at it, for $1,200 it's almost too good to be true around here. But everything is original on it, plastics are all there, original racks, etc. The guy seemed honest but we'll see when I look at it. I expect to have to replace the whole CV, cheap enough. Where is a good place to go for that? Should be looking at it tonight...


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

SuperATV has axles, they are one of our sponsors & give a %10 discount to forum members.


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

find you a broke axle with at least one good cup and you can rebuild it... its not hard. sometimes you can take the boot off and yank the bar out of the race and take the joint apart, clean it really good and regrease and it will solve the popping, if its not too far gone... usually popping is caused by trash getting in the joint via a loose band or a torn boot, and sometimes by lack of maintenance


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## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

So, the Cat is in my garage... I was pretty impressed with the shape it's in, bought it from the original owner. The axle is popping pretty bad, so I want to replace it before I ride it. Again, I'm a sport quad guy and my drivetrain knowledge goes about as far as drive sprockets, chain and gearing. I think I'll replace the whole axle, then see what's wrong with the one on it, maybe rebuild it for a spare if only one side is bad. Both boots are in tact. I checked SuperATV and they don't have an axle listed of a 2004 400 4x4 rear. Anywhere else I can get one, or any specific brand to buy?


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

Call and talk to them they may have one for a different model that will still fit ???


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

im pretty sure that model axle is the same as my model, i may be wrong bc i know that at least one years 400 axles were different.


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## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

Ok, finally got time to do a little wrenching and have some questions.

1) Left rear CV (when sitting on bike) was popping or clicking when under load. Does this ONLY mean the outer joint is bad? I removed the axle and both joints seem to move like they should. What do I look for to know what to replace? Where is a good place to buy joints or axles for this bike? OEM is about $200, Rhino is $200 if they have it for my application. I heard bad things about Sixity and CV Man on Ebay...

Edit- Outer joint has both rotational and in-out play so I suppose the joint needs to be replaced. Considering Gorilla STI replacement axle for $139...

2) There was slop in the rear wheels like bad wheels bearings, which owner said he replaced. Both castle nuts were NOT tight, calls for 75 ft lb. However, I checked the wheel bearings and they seem to have some play, in and out and up and down. Not much, but shouldn't the be solid? They spin okay.

Answer- Removed the dust seals and the bearings are shot.

3) The shock bushings were completely shot, arm bushings look okay. Is the metal spacer in the arm bushings supposed to spin freely? All bolts (except one) came out easily, but I'm not sure if that spacer is supposed to spin inside of the bushing or not.

Edit: Upgrading all shock and arm bushings and adding Steerlites.

4) Is there a way to bleed the brakes? Manual says to bleed from caliper like any other quad I've worked on, but my calipers (rear at least) doesn't have the bleeder nipple. Little confused there...

Answer: Bleeder valves are broke off two of three calipers, so the manual wasn't lying to me... haha. Going to try to drill and tap the holes. If not, I'll be looking for new ones...

Sorry for all the q's manual I DL'd isn't clear about every detail, and is missing a few pages haha. Just trying to get all the parts ordered I need to fix it right the first time. Again, just learning the utility bike...


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

let me know if you need some new calipers. Ill have at least three ill sell you (without pads or shoes) for $50 you pay shipping. Oh and if your axles still have the dust covers on the inner joints, go ahead and knock them off if you have the axles out. They will get mud and sand trapped in them and eat up the differential seals.


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## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

greenkitty7 said:


> let me know if you need some new calipers. Ill have at least three ill sell you (without pads or shoes) for $50 you pay shipping. Oh and if your axles still have the dust covers on the inner joints, go ahead and knock them off if you have the axles out. They will get mud and sand trapped in them and eat up the differential seals.


I may hit you up for the calipers, problem unresolved. Found the prob with the axle. Bearing cage was cracked on outer joint along with noticeable wear on the 'forward' side of the race. I beat the p1$$ out the race but it won't budge from the axle. I'll be ordering a new axle, Monkey STI sounds like the most reasonable...

Also ordered new arm and shock sleeves from Country Cat and all new bushings and Steerlites from Todd of Power Shop Central.


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## greenkitty7 (Jan 26, 2011)

those steerlites that todd makes are AMAZING. they make the bike ride and steer so much easier. sounds like you had some contamination in the axle. i usually get a slide hammer to get the race off the splines. spray it down with PB blaster first to break it up. if you want to ill take that old axle off you and take off the price on the calipers.


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## strubby (Jun 8, 2011)

PM sent.

Yeah, the suspension will all be fresh now, new steering column bushing, new rear wheel bearings and axle. Should be on the trail by next weekend! In the meantime, I'm going to experiment with some underbody spray and paint...


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