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Front end vibration and rattle


Phillip

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2020 Lonestar defender with low hrs has developed a vibration and rattle between 3100-3400 rpms.  Any slower or faster the rattle isnt present.  I'm starting to believe it's a drive train balance issue after some research.  It seems others may have experienced this and taken to dealership for warranty but the rattle cant be duplicated or they cant fix the noise.  It must be an issue as there are aftermarket vendors ( Sandcraft RCR and Super ATV) that offer drive line upgrades to fix the problem.  They include both front and rear driveshafts that are balanced and phased properly with stronger u joints as well as a upgraded serviceable carrier bearing.  Anyone else worked through this problem?  TIA

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Well, not necessarily that issue... but seems maybe you are feeling the clutches making their move in the mid range and you are getting a harmonic balance sounding off. As for the balanced HD drive line's and axles.... Not so much to fix a problem, other than WEAK LINQS... LOL... At say 1500 miles I blew a stock right front cv and replaced it with a set of Gorilla HD axles that have double plungers rather than just an inner plunger... now... the rest look VULNERABLE TO BREAKING!!! Hence HD replacements... as well as turbo rigs spinnin' one into a bannana.... 😉 

GOOD LUCK!!!

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Thanks but its definitely not coming from clutch area.  With my son driving I can clearly hear it coming from front drivers side.  When parked i have bumped all suspension parts and everything seems fine.  I do get a rattle from the fan shroud and it seems the vibrations causing it to rattle.  When looking at the aftermarket "fixes" they all stated it fixed a major issue with can am driveline vibrations. They have them for Polaris too... I'm not saying that's the answer but in my searches that's what I had seen.  And if I do it at least its fixing a weak link right haha!  Just didnt know if anyone had experienced it.

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My guess is you may have a loose CV jt. on your front right axle, do you have this vibration when in 2 wheel drive only, 4 wheel drive only or in all cases? I would not be a fan of installing a steady bearing on either drive shaft. Did you stay with stock tires or have you upgraded to larger or heavier tires?🤔

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Stock suspension and tires.  Vibration is in both 2 and 4 wheel drive.  Please explain what you mean by steady bearing.

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In your link the picture shows a picture of a bearing on a shaft (steady bearing) these were used years ago and are still used today on drive shafts that are long and have high torque. For example not used on pickups but used on trucks that are larger and have a large change in drive shaft angle. The short drive shafts on the defender shouldn't require a steady bearing and should be close to balanced and correctly phased from the factory. IMO

I need to correct my previous statement where I said my guess it was a loose cv joint on the right side, it should say left side if it is on the drivers side. 

If you can raise the vehicle and block it safely with all four wheels off the ground you could put the vehicle in 2 wheel drive first to see if you can still hear the noise if not put it in four wheel drive and do the same. You can turn the steering from full left to right and back to see if the noise changes, this may help you determine exactly where the noise is coming from and you may see movement on the driveline (vibration) from the defective component. 

The stock tires and suspension should not be a contributing factor to the noise and vibration, I changed my tires to the 30" Cryptid tires and they have a noticeable vibration at low speeds on pavement.🙂

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  • 2 months later...

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Any updates on this noise on the front end? I purchased 2020 max defender HD10 to hunt with and to no end could not find the source of the noise. It happens right around 32-3600rpm just like the OP. Dealer looked and looked and could not find the issue. I decided to sell after a month of owning and bought a 2020 HD10 pro instead of the max. So I test drove and it had zero noise or vibration. Well low and behold 90 miles and it’s back, same noise at same rpm. This tells me that it’s not a unique noise to just mine. Any thoughts or info on the source? 

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I've got the same problem on my 2020 XT1000

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Same here.  Sounds like it’s coming from the front/right/passenger side when I turn LEFT.  Just an annoying rattle.  I’ve jacked it up and rubber-hammered everything.  CV, maybe?  -Mark

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1 hour ago, Mark in Colorado said:

Same here.  Sounds like it’s coming from the front/right/passenger side when I turn LEFT.  Just an annoying rattle.  I’ve jacked it up and rubber-hammered everything.  CV, maybe?  -Mark

Not sure if it's related... but the right front CV was my first to go.... Gorilla axles now...

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  • 1 month later...

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Phillip, i have a 2021 defender max hd10 limited with the same vibration problem.  Did you ever solve the problem?

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Im still dealing with this also, we would have assumed someone had gotten to the fix. It's very annoying & surely gonna get worst over time...

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