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2009-2011 Diamond Drive Bearing Failure

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I will be giving it a try next week. I had an order in with BDx so I emailed Jeff and he said they put the bearing in their 2010's with no problem and told me it would be a good idea to put one in mine so he added it to my order.

It really sucks that I have to be doing this with a new sled.
 
I pulled mine apart yesterday and with it being my first time in my life accessing a diamond drive here are my impressions. Either I was just not having a five star day or my mechanical prowness continues to dwindle as I work exclusively now behind a desk.

1. My aluminum cast case of the diamond drive extended behind the aluminum frame behind left footwell. I had to bend the aluminum frame back with a hammer and a punch to create the clearance needed, as it seemed the case prefered to be pulled straight out when being removed.

2. When I pulled the case cover from the main body of the diamond drive, no matter how hard I tried to separate it, half of the orange gasket material stuck to the diamond drive body and half stuck to the case cover. I now need a new gasket.

3. The lower two fasteners on the case were a real pain in the neck to get out. The aft one really gave me trouble but, lucking it finally came out without stripping the head. It was touch and go there for a minute but it finally came out. It may have been because they were full of diamond drive oil from draining the oil from the case.

4. The only real good news is, my single row bearing appeared to be just fine but, I only have a few hundred miles on my sled.

5. Pulling the bearing off the diamond drive shaft proved to be a challenge too. It was clearly evident that my puller sucks. Finally, with a little help, I was able to get the single row bearing and spacer off the shaft. I then pressed the double row one on easily with my arbor press. Now, I am awaiting a new gasket. I sure wish the diamond drive used a rubber gasket like most chain cases. I'm not a fan of this cheesy thin orange gasket. Is there a better option for a gasket?

6. I do have a 15 ounce bottle of diamond drive oil. I assume it's poured in the upper hole and that the line on the case is where the level should be?

7. I would like to remove some of the guts of the diamond drive and clean inside the case since dark black goo keeps seems to continually seep out of the bottom of the case but, with the way things have gone I a little apprehensive about digging in any deeper.

Sorry, for sounding less than thrilled but, I really didn't have a very good overall impression of the experience. The good news is, at the very least it will all be put back together and it will have a new double row bearing.
 
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I know this is about the 2009 sleds, well I have a 2008 and I have the same problems. My sled was totaled with only 300 miles on it. Just got it down to the bearings. I have the same problem. My mechanic told me I wouldn't have made it through the season. Anyone else have the same on 2008
 
Frostbite...

This will be my first time pulling the 2009-2010 case apart but at least there is a gasket in there. With the older DD you have spread a thin layer of sealant around the case then put it together and hope it doesn't leak.

I have a DD lite in my big sled and I've changed gears in that many times. I put the gear lube in while it was on the bench then sealed the case.

I figured I would be changing gears on my 09 last year so I ordered a few sets of gaskets to have on hand so at least I'm set there.
 
Thanks, I think I'll order 3 or 4 of the gaskets, jsut to have them.

I just wish they were rubber.
 
sledstormed said:
I found my stock bearing/spacer out of my 2009 M1000 and the spacer is thicker than the 2010 stock spacer thus allowing more space thus allowing the double row to fit in the 2009 models. So they had to have changed something up in the DD in 2010. I'm by no means a DD expert so if someone else with a 2010 wants to take a look and see where I'm coming from that would be great....
Click to expand...

sledstormed,

Before you put your case back together you should be able to tell if it is going to fit or not with the new double row bearing on the shaft. The bearing goes on the shaft flush with the end of the shaft, so if the shaft is recessed into the bearng a bit, it won't fit into the cup in the case deep enough so the case will close all the way. If your bearing goes on the shaft all the way down so it is flush, it should fit into the cup deep enough so the cases will fit together tightly.
 
frostbite: I believe you are supposed to remove that bent piece of aluminum from the back side of the footwell that's held on with four torx screws. did you do that first?
 
Rprecision said:
Do you have to fool with the speedo sensor or is it on the brake side ? I cant remember ?

gezzzzz.......Hope you dont need to do that 3-4 times this year........
Click to expand...

Since your sled is a 09, you don't have to worry about any speedo sensors or electrical plugs like the manual says. The one good tip the manual gave to leave the big bolt connected inside the brake disk side and use it to tap the DD out of its place worked good for me. I just did mine yesteday and it was no drama. Since I don't have a press, I had to take my DD to the sled shop to get my single row bearing taken off and the new double row pressed on. FreeAgent got me the bearing and DD oil - she has the double row bearing in stock if anyone needs one.
 
shredjim said:
sledstormed,

Before you put your case back together you should be able to tell if it is going to fit or not with the new double row bearing on the shaft. The bearing goes on the shaft flush with the end of the shaft, so if the shaft is recessed into the bearng a bit, it won't fit into the cup in the case deep enough so the case will close all the way. If your bearing goes on the shaft all the way down so it is flush, it should fit into the cup deep enough so the cases will fit together tightly.
Click to expand...

The crazy thing about it the 2010 stock bearing goes below the end of the gear so the shaft rises above the bearing about 1/8th on an inch. The double row did fit flush on the end of the gear... I tired everything, taking it DD out, lying the sled on its side etc. The only thing I haven't done is broke out is the dremel. I think mine was built on the 3rd of July.
 
TTT

I called ray at bd-extreme and he is sending a care package out. Ill try to take some pics when i do this update.

I'm doing it to my 09 Xfire 800

Thanks for all the info guys, I have 400 miles on the 09 and would hate to have problems early on with a new sled.



Amsoil dealer
 
I pulled my 2009 M8 diamond drive apart last week after about a thousand miles. The bearing was still fine and the oil looked good but I replaced it with the double row anyway just to be safe. The width of the double row was exactly the same as the single row and spacer combined so I had no issue with the reinstallation. I had to freeze the shaft and heat the bearing but after doing that, the bearing easily tapped on to the shaft with an appropriate sized socket. A press is on my list of tools wanted. When I picked up the bearing they said the 5203 was no longer available and the 5000 series of bearing was replaced by the 3000 series. Dimensions and seals looked the same so that is what I used. Price was about $22 Cdn.

I pulled the cover off without removing the whole drive. The only issue was the bottom two torx bolts as you cannot get on them straight with a longer driver. I just used a very short bit and turned it with a vise grip.

I spoke to my local dealer and he said he is aware of the issue and has seen some damaged bearings but none that have failed completely. He also said that Cat has not done anything about it yet. He did say that the old M7 gearboxes used the double row bearing and that replacing the single row is probably a good idea.
 
Pulled mine off my HCR yesterday to inspect it was trashed 800mi. I would suggest to pull the snap rings and clean out the case as i found alot of shavings behind the gears. Thanks for the post guys saved me big time!!!:beer;:beer;:beer;
 
rmk800ak

When I found my bearing failure last may I pulled the snap ring and pulled out the planitery, found lots of stuff that would have caused more damage. Its always best to inspect and clean it while your replacing the bearing.
I will be checking mine this season about every 400 miles or so just to see how the new wide bearing is holding up. Rick
 
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