Chain case

653 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by outdoorsguy48, Oct 9, 2006

artcat900

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2006 (Edited by Moderator)

In the process of putting my chain case back together when I decided to put a 12" straight edge across the top and bottom gears at the same time.

Hmm interesting find!

The top gear is approx. .050" closer to the center of the sled than the bottom gear ( found by laying the straight edge flat on the bottom gear and seeing the gap at the top gear), looking even further after this, the inside edge of the top gear at a point near the root of the teeth around its entire diameter has some deep score marks worn into the side of the gear. These marks appear to be caused by the end tabs of the chain wearing into the side of the gear due to the fact of the horizontal misalignment of the two gears.

Checking the spacer thickness of the gears, top spacer is .368" in thickness and the bottom one is .408" thick.

The gears are installed properly, with the correct side out, and I might add this is a 2006 sled and this is the first time it has been apart. Also a note, I see marks all across the face of each tooth of the top gear and my dealer informs me that this is NORMAL!! caused by the driving torque on the gear. ( BTW no marks at all on the bottom gear)

I can not believe that this SIDE load force on the chain and gears is normal, I might accept the torque wear marks on the faces as normal, but NOT the side force.

ANy one know if they sell spacers of different thickness for this application?

I do have the ability to surface grind the spacers if need be, but, would like to avoid it if possible and just get spacers of different thicknesses.

Another note, both the top nut and the bottom gear bolt are torqued to the correct specs. when I observed this.

Any thoughts?

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grover

· #2 · Sep 29, 2006 (Edited by Moderator)

I always check my sleds when I have it apart. Some better than others, mass production. My '06 took out some links and I checked alignment, off. You can get them machined, but I go to a good hardware and pick different washers and bushings etc... I usually take a dial caliper and measure different ones to get something(or a few) that will work. Same for the clutches.
On a another note. Make sure if your get a aftermarket gear that it fits in the chain right. I had one that was 'bevelled' oddly and took some links out.

-Grover

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sleddude5

· #3 · Oct 1, 2006

Remember hearing of all the chain breakage last season? Wonder how many folks checked this.

Guess we should all check our gears for alignment before the season starts.

Thanks for the heads-up.
Jerry C.

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loots-42

· #4 · Oct 7, 2006

What is an acceptable offset? I'm starting to put my sled back together and I'm off by about 25 thou. I can't find a shim that narrow.

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· #5 · Oct 7, 2006

I had this problem also. I took a few factory spacers to work and had our fab guy taken them down. It is a perfect line now on my sled and on my friends. If you are interested, I can take another one in and have it machinced for ya. It's the complete bottom inside spacer that I can have done. If you are interested, pm me and give me an offer.

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artcat900

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 9, 2006 (Edited by Moderator)

What I wound up doing was first putting the large gear shoulder side up on a surface grinder and taking off about .015". I did this mostly because of the ruff face that was on the gear where it butts up against the spacer, it actually started fretting the face of the spacer from its ruff face causing accelerated wear and secondly by doing that I hope to take out any axel runout as the gear tracks around its rotation. Now all mating surfaces have a mirror smooth contact area where they mate up.

Took the remainder aprox. .035" off the thickness of the bushing, now its in perfect alignment top to bottom.

Side note, My dealer upon showing him the gear gave me a new top gear and chain for free and commented he never saw one worn that bad. Hat's off to Garganos sales and service

BTW if any one else has the same problem give me a pm and I'll see what I can do

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06MXZXRenegade800

· #7 · Oct 9, 2006

Maybe this was the cause of all those broken chains?!?!

Just a bad batch of out of spec spacers.

I never checked my alignment with a straightedge but the gears did not have any abnormal wear... I hope its straight...

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· #8 · Oct 9, 2006

I had my track off when I did mine because using a grinder, you normally can't get it squared, just make sure when using the square on the gears, you turn it to make sure it's not moving. That was my first try, then I had it machined.

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outdoorsguy48

· #9 · Oct 9, 2006

artcat900 said:
In the process of putting my chain case back together when I decided to put a 12" straight edge across the top and bottom gears at the same time.

Hmm interesting find!

The top gear is approx. .050" closer to the center of the sled than the bottom gear ( found by laying the straight edge flat on the bottom gear and seeing the gap at the top gear), looking even further after this, the inside edge of the top gear at a point near the root of the teeth around its entire diameter has some deep score marks worn into the side of the gear. These marks appear to be caused by the end tabs of the chain wearing into the side of the gear due to the fact of the horizontal misalignment of the two gears.

Checking the spacer thickness of the gears, top spacer is .368" in thickness and the bottom one is .408" thick.

The gears are installed properly, with the correct side out, and I might add this is a 2006 sled and this is the first time it has been apart. Also a note, I see marks all across the face of each tooth of the top gear and my dealer informs me that this is NORMAL!! caused by the driving torque on the gear. ( BTW no marks at all on the bottom gear)

I can not believe that this SIDE load force on the chain and gears is normal, I might accept the torque wear marks on the faces as normal, but NOT the side force.

ANy one know if they sell spacers of different thickness for this application?

I do have the ability to surface grind the spacers if need be, but, would like to avoid it if possible and just get spacers of different thicknesses.

Another note, both the top nut and the bottom gear bolt are torqued to the correct specs. when I observed this.

Any thoughts?

After reviewing the answers to your question, I wonder is BRP really that far out with their assembly methods?
Maybe this is allowable runout? but hearing about all those chaincase incidents it would seam that your measurements reveal a very serious problem.
Maybe we all should decline payment for our PDI's and do the sled setup ourselves, BRP and the dealer dont seem to be on to it.

Just My Two Cents

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