I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

I had a small one for a while and did check all the bolts. After cleaning it off very well with the pressure washer and brakleen I saw it was coming from between the plastic of the actuator and the case. Figured it was the O-ring so ordered one. When it came I drained the oil, pulled the actuator leaving the wires on it as they didn't want to just come off. Noticed the O-ring was level with the housing on the bottom but not on top. Cleaned it all up and installed the new O-ring and it was the same. Mic-ed the ring groove and found it was over .08 deeper on the bottom then the top...well it wasn't exactly top and bottom...it was peaked between the 10:30 and 4:30 position. So the groove was cut wrong..their machine wasn't centered. So, using some black RTV I built-up the lower groove area, installed the O-ring and set it so it was as equal all the way around as possible, lit sit overnight. The used fresh RTV as a lube when installing the actuator and put a little bead where the case end touches the actuator. Let it sit for several days, then filled it with gear lube. No leaks.

Good luck with yours.

I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

I had a small one for a while and did check all the bolts. After cleaning it off very well with the pressure washer and brakleen I saw it was coming from between the plastic of the actuator and the case. Figured it was the O-ring so ordered one. When it came I drained the oil, pulled the actuator leaving the wires on it as they didn't want to just come off. Noticed the O-ring was level with the housing on the bottom but not on top. Cleaned it all up and installed the new O-ring and it was the same. Mic-ed the ring groove and found it was over .08 deeper on the bottom then the top...well it wasn't exactly top and bottom...it was peaked between the 10:30 and 4:30 position. So the groove was cut wrong..their machine wasn't centered. So, using some black RTV I built-up the lower groove area, installed the O-ring and set it so it was as equal all the way around as possible, lit sit overnight. The used fresh RTV as a lube when installing the actuator and put a little bead where the case end touches the actuator. Let it sit for several days, then filled it with gear lube. No leaks.

Good luck with yours.

Thanks NMK, another head ache repair on the list! I was actually in the process of installing my Scap doors when I noticed the one drop and from there I found myself under the front end. I also think my passenger front outer cv boot is leaking at the hub clamp side. I was happy and now I'm not with this machine once again after 740 miles...

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

I had a small one for a while and did check all the bolts. After cleaning it off very well with the pressure washer and brakleen I saw it was coming from between the plastic of the actuator and the case. Figured it was the O-ring so ordered one. When it came I drained the oil, pulled the actuator leaving the wires on it as they didn't want to just come off. Noticed the O-ring was level with the housing on the bottom but not on top. Cleaned it all up and installed the new O-ring and it was the same. Mic-ed the ring groove and found it was over .08 deeper on the bottom then the top...well it wasn't exactly top and bottom...it was peaked between the 10:30 and 4:30 position. So the groove was cut wrong..their machine wasn't centered. So, using some black RTV I built-up the lower groove area, installed the O-ring and set it so it was as equal all the way around as possible, lit sit overnight. The used fresh RTV as a lube when installing the actuator and put a little bead where the case end touches the actuator. Let it sit for several days, then filled it with gear lube. No leaks.

Good luck with yours.

Thanks NMK, another head ache repair on the list! I was actually in the process of installing my Scap doors when I noticed the one drop and from there I found myself under the front end. I also think my passenger front outer cv boot is leaking at the hub clamp side. I was happy and now I'm not with this machine once again after 740 miles...

Well, if it's the same thing it's not too tough to do after you take off that lower front plastic piece. And really you could just pull it, clean it up, toss some RTV on it and slap it back together. Give it a few days to cure-out before putting the lube in. That's really all I needed to do. There was nothing wrong with the old O-ring.

I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

I had a small one for a while and did check all the bolts. After cleaning it off very well with the pressure washer and brakleen I saw it was coming from between the plastic of the actuator and the case. Figured it was the O-ring so ordered one. When it came I drained the oil, pulled the actuator leaving the wires on it as they didn't want to just come off. Noticed the O-ring was level with the housing on the bottom but not on top. Cleaned it all up and installed the new O-ring and it was the same. Mic-ed the ring groove and found it was over .08 deeper on the bottom then the top...well it wasn't exactly top and bottom...it was peaked between the 10:30 and 4:30 position. So the groove was cut wrong..their machine wasn't centered. So, using some black RTV I built-up the lower groove area, installed the O-ring and set it so it was as equal all the way around as possible, lit sit overnight. The used fresh RTV as a lube when installing the actuator and put a little bead where the case end touches the actuator. Let it sit for several days, then filled it with gear lube. No leaks.

Good luck with yours.

Thanks NMK, another head ache repair on the list! I was actually in the process of installing my Scap doors when I noticed the one drop and from there I found myself under the front end. I also think my passenger front outer cv boot is leaking at the hub clamp side. I was happy and now I'm not with this machine once again after 740 miles...

Well, if it's the same thing it's not too tough to do after you take off that lower front plastic piece. And really you could just pull it, clean it up, toss some RTV on it and slap it back together. Give it a few days to cure-out before putting the lube in. That's really all I needed to do. There was nothing wrong with the old O-ring.

That was my next question, how to access and what I need to remove, thanks!

I removed the front plastics, bumper guards, and the winch to gain some access. Removed the 4 Allen bolts and pulled the actuator. I had grey adhesive all around and in the o-ring groove. The o-ring was distorted and pinched in two. See pics. Do I need to replace the o-ring or will the rtv seal it up once I clean off all the stuff?

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Clean all that off, do replace the O-ring with a new one, spray it all down with something like brakeklean to get all oil residue off, slip a thin coating of RTV all the way around the actuator and a little extra in where the round part meets the matting surface, make sure the slide is all the way to the right, then slowly work it in and when you get to the O-ring make little circles as you move it in so the nose can get through the O-ring without cutting it..Oh..one thing, sense yours did get cut before take a file and take the edge off the end of the actuator so it won't catch it again. Just slightly.  Bolt it down and you should be good. I would wait a day or two before putting the oil back in. Give the RTV time to set and dry.

Clean all that off, do replace the O-ring with a new one, spray it all down with something like brakeklean to get all oil residue off, slip a thin coating of RTV all the way around the actuator and a little extra in where the round part meets the matting surface, make sure the slide is all the way to the right, then slowly work it in and when you get to the O-ring make little circles as you move it in so the nose can get through the O-ring without cutting it..Oh..one thing, sense yours did get cut before take a file and take the edge off the end of the actuator so it won't catch it again. Just slightly.  Bolt it down and you should be good. I would wait a day or two before putting the oil back in. Give the RTV time to set and dry.

Will do, thanks again NMK.

I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the front end, upon further inspection I can see and oil / grit mixture around  the bottom of the black box , the 4x4 actuator I assume, on the front diff.   I'm hoping I have a loose bolt... 

I had a small one for a while and did check all the bolts. After cleaning it off very well with the pressure washer and brakleen I saw it was coming from between the plastic of the actuator and the case. Figured it was the O-ring so ordered one. When it came I drained the oil, pulled the actuator leaving the wires on it as they didn't want to just come off. Noticed the O-ring was level with the housing on the bottom but not on top. Cleaned it all up and installed the new O-ring and it was the same. Mic-ed the ring groove and found it was over .08 deeper on the bottom then the top...well it wasn't exactly top and bottom...it was peaked between the 10:30 and 4:30 position. So the groove was cut wrong..their machine wasn't centered. So, using some black RTV I built-up the lower groove area, installed the O-ring and set it so it was as equal all the way around as possible, lit sit overnight. The used fresh RTV as a lube when installing the actuator and put a little bead where the case end touches the actuator. Let it sit for several days, then filled it with gear lube. No leaks.

Good luck with yours.

Thanks NMK, another head ache repair on the list! I was actually in the process of installing my Scap doors when I noticed the one drop and from there I found myself under the front end. I also think my passenger front outer cv boot is leaking at the hub clamp side. I was happy and now I'm not with this machine once again after 740 miles...

Well, if it's the same thing it's not too tough to do after you take off that lower front plastic piece. And really you could just pull it, clean it up, toss some RTV on it and slap it back together. Give it a few days to cure-out before putting the lube in. That's really all I needed to do. There was nothing wrong with the old O-ring.

Hello,

This is my first posting not sure if this thread is still active. I have started doing my own services on my older cfmoto 500 rancher UTV and after taking off the plastic bash plate noticed there was an oil leak  coming from the 4wd actuator/diff housing. My first assumption too was that it was the oring, so last week I replaced it even though the old one looked fine. No luck, still leaking, I did notice that both the old and new oring's were fairly loose fits and the only way I could stop the new one from sagging before reinstalling the actuator was with oring grease, so I'm not too confident another oring will help. A  question for Daveydo, I have not used RTV before, do you think using it would kind of glue the actuator in? I guess my worry is that if I mess up the application of the RTV then I'm in more trouble than I'm already in with the leak, if it's permanent. I really would prefer fixing this myself since getting my unit to the dealer is a PITA. Any extra info you can give regarding how you applied the RTV for your fix would be awesome, specially around how much to use and where on the actuator. Cheers

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Hello,

This is my first posting not sure if this thread is still active. I have started doing my own services on my older cfmoto 500 rancher UTV and after taking off the plastic bash plate noticed there was an oil leak  coming from the 4wd actuator/diff housing. My first assumption too was that it was the oring, so last week I replaced it even though the old one looked fine. No luck, still leaking, I did notice that both the old and new oring's were fairly loose fits and the only way I could stop the new one from sagging before reinstalling the actuator was with oring grease, so I'm not too confident another oring will help. A  question for Daveydo, I have not used RTV before, do you think using it would kind of glue the actuator in? I guess my worry is that if I mess up the application of the RTV then I'm in more trouble than I'm already in with the leak, if it's permanent. I really would prefer fixing this myself since getting my unit to the dealer is a PITA. Any extra info you can give regarding how you applied the RTV for your fix would be awesome, specially around how much to use and where on the actuator. Cheers

Might have read that on mine the O-ring's grove was cut too deep on the lower side to allow any contact with the actuator so that made the O-rings useless. I used RTV on the surface where the actuator makes contact with the diff case to seal it...and it worked. RTV is just silicone so its not a hard glue or epoxy. The actuator will come loose after taking the bolts out with a gentle pry. So don't worry about it. However, for it to work any and all oil residue must be removed from both contact surfaces so use acetone,lacquer thinner or brakeclean on clean rags to prep the surfaces. You can leave the O-ring lube on the O-rings to help keep it in place.

Thank you so much for the quick reply, yeah I did notice that you had an issue with the machining of the oring seat, i don't yet have an MIC to do a measurement, but when i had the actuator out i did try to visually see that. It's quite possible mine has the same issue as I too think the oring is useless. I have a theory that it's always been an issue on my machine and the dealer just kept quiet about it, it was only recently after I started servicing it myself that I noticed a buildup of oil on the skid plate, I don't think there was enough flow to drip onto the floor with the skid plate on. With the skid plate off I do see now that the oil seems to leak down to the 'low water mark' of the rail where the actuator drives the gear, only guessing that since i keep refilling it and it only takes like 100 ML each time with no usage of the machine. Fortunately I never use 4WD so I'm hoping the lower level over the past won't be too much of an issue.

Thanks again for the info, I will let you know how it goes. Getting the machine to the dealer involves me taking a day off work, towing it for an hour, then waiting overnight and picking up the next day.

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Thank you so much for the quick reply, yeah I did notice that you had an issue with the machining of the oring seat, i don't yet have an MIC to do a measurement, but when i had the actuator out i did try to visually see that. It's quite possible mine has the same issue as I too think the oring is useless. I have a theory that it's always been an issue on my machine and the dealer just kept quiet about it, it was only recently after I started servicing it myself that I noticed a buildup of oil on the skid plate, I don't think there was enough flow to drip onto the floor with the skid plate on. With the skid plate off I do see now that the oil seems to leak down to the 'low water mark' of the rail where the actuator drives the gear, only guessing that since i keep refilling it and it only takes like 100 ML each time with no usage of the machine. Fortunately I never use 4WD so I'm hoping the lower level over the past won't be too much of an issue.

Thanks again for the info, I will let you know how it goes. Getting the machine to the dealer involves me taking a day off work, towing it for an hour, then waiting overnight and picking up the next day.

Well, In 4wd or not, everything is still turning and needing lube. 4WD just connects inner carrier section to the outer that's always being driven and diff-loc just joins the two axles in the inner carrier section. But...there won't be the load on it in 2WD so might be OK.

Yeah I understand, hopefully if the diff does go, by that time I would have gained enough confidence to swap that out 

Thanks again for the info. I finally got up to the place my truck is stored on the weekend. I found that the oring i installed with the grease as a kind of glue had been pinched, so that explains why the oil leak was not fixed the first time. So the next thing i tried was to very carefully file the sharp edge off the actuator insert to hopefully stop that pinching. I had 3 practice tries but each time the oring pinched. So my assumption is my oring groove is just not set right and gave up on it. I put it back together just with RTV and have left it to set. I won't be able to get back to the machine till easter so there's plenty of time for the seal to cure before I refill it.

Barry,

If your setup is like the pics that Davydo posted. All you "should" have to do is clean the mating surfaces, put a light coating or bead on the flat mating surfaces. Don't crank the bolts down. Don't want to squeeze out all the RTV. Let cure and fill with lube.

Once I replaced a water pump on a 350 engine. Let cure for 30-45 minutes. Filled radiator and drove 7 hours back to Ft. Campbell. That was with the blue silicone. Good times.

You should be fine.