[iverger]

2021 950 sport @ 1100 miles. A bolt came right through the bottom of the front case. And I was just cruising along in 2wd on a gravel road, haven%u2019t used 4wd for days.

We%u2019ve been on the road for a few months and covered all sorts of trails from Moses Lake to Moab and Glamis and it%u2019s performed spectacularly.

Searching today I find out loose bolts are not that uncommon. Bummer, I love everything else about my machine. Now we%u2019re in Pahrmp, NV and I need to source a front diff which I%u2019ll probably have to open up and fix with longer bolts and nuts before I even install it. Then pull the rear and do the same, not fun on the road but part of the game I guess.

Just wish I%u2019d seen Jose%u2019s post earlier and taken the time to remedy both diffs beforehand.

Maybe something for MSC or Justin to do a video on.

Bob

[NMKawierider]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Loose bolts are a thing with CFM so that why we recommend going over everything.

[iverger]

Generally, I agree but thinking I  should check ring gear bolts on a new machine is akin to saying I should also pull the engine and verify everything from the head bolts to connecting rods.

This is recall territory.

[NMKawierider]

Generally, I agree but thinking I  should check ring gear bolts on a new machine is akin to saying I should also pull the engine and verify everything from the head bolts to connecting rods.

This is recall territory.

That's true..not sure your post mentioned it was an internal bolt that came out but CFM's problem with loose bolts.. has no bounds...unfortunately. Hopefully that will cover it as it is not the first. 

[iverger]

I fished 5 broken ring gear bolts out of the front case, pulled the front driveshaft, JB welded the holes in the case and refilled. So far so good, we’ll finish the trip in 2wd (with speed).

I also pulled the rear diff apart today just to make sure and all of the ring gear bolts were well under the 55 ft/lbs spec but none were “finger“ loose. Pulled each one, cleaned them up, red loc-tite and re-torqued. Not a big job and I feel much better now.

Called a local dealer and a new front diff is $1500 and 3 weeks out so I’ll sort That out when I get home.

[NMKawierider]

I fished 5 broken ring gear bolts out of the front case, pulled the front driveshaft, JB welded the holes in the case and refilled. So far so good, we’ll finish the trip in 2wd (with speed).

I also pulled the rear diff apart today just to make sure and all of the ring gear bolts were well under the 55 ft/lbs spec but none were “finger“ loose. Pulled each one, cleaned them up, red loc-tite and re-torqued. Not a big job and I feel much better now.

Called a local dealer and a new front diff is $1500 and 3 weeks out so I’ll sort That out when I get home.

F'k..sorry to hear that. You are not the first to have this happen though. A person or dealer can only do so much checking. The rest is up to the manufacturer.

[Black5heep]

Loose bolts seem to be a pretty common occurrence.     I have had a few in the suspension components   

I guess China does not have torque wrenches in the factory.   

[Ama]

I must have gotten lucky. I checked all the bolts i could get to on my two 2021's and did not find a single loose bolt. I did not take diffs apart either so time will tell.

[Jose Maria]

No problem.  everything has an easy solution if you know how to do it.  longer bolts and lock nut.  If you need the front or rear differential cover, I have one at home.  I bought one myself to expedite the repair and then the dealer gave me another one.  I have it there at home unused.  reference Q810-310001-10002

[Jose Maria]

Una foto más

[iverger]

No problem.  everything has an easy solution if you know how to do it.  longer bolts and lock nut.  If you need the front or rear differential cover, I have one at home.  I bought one myself to expedite the repair and then the dealer gave me another one.  I have it there at home unused.  reference Q810-310001-10002

Jose, We arrived home a few days ago and I should get a chance to pull it out and disassemble later this week or early next. If it looks salvageable I’ll send you a PM and we can work out the details.

Thanks

[apinkbunny]

Sure this should be covered under warranty, I had just replaced my front diff because of this same problem.  My unit was out of
warranty by 6 months and I still got it replaced free of charge. After a bit of back and forwards with my dealer and CF Moto they came to the party as I think they're aware this is a major problem and not a user fault but a manufacturing fault. I pulled my new replacement diff apart to check the bolts that have been locktighted in and marked as that they had been torque (Black pen line over ever bolt) A+ for Cfmoto to supply me with a replacement diff without a fight!  I would go back to your dealer and say hey...

[iverger]

Took your advice Pink and contacted CF Moro directly. They told me to do a warranty claim anyway so I dropped it off last month and picked it up today. CfMoto warrantied the part but not the labor, so it still cost me $550 but it’s taken care of…. Sort of. The part number didn’t change so I’m going to assume it’s not any better than the original and open it up at about the 50 hr mark.

FYI: The dealer I took it to said this was their third case, the other two were rear diffs but the same issue.

Bob

[glenlivet]

I have heard of CF Moto crown gear bolts working their way out and causing devastation. I've thought about taking my front and rear cases apart just to see if I'm in that club.
My experience with CFM and under tightened fasteners was last year, when I found my 2017 Trail 800 needing wheel bearing replacements on 3 out of 4 corners, at just under 10,000 kilometers (6200 miles)
In disassembling the wheel spindles I found that the right front spindle nut was finger loose, and after I removed the cotter pin I could turn the nut nearly half a turn without resistance before it began to bear up against its sealed bearing! Since it was prevented from moving by the intact cotter pin, that meant this spindle and bearing had to have been pretty much that loose right from the manufacturer.

Makes you wonder, is CF Moto hiring unskilled farmers on their assembly lines,and when these labourers feel the need to scratch their arses does the part they intended to torque to spec roll on down the line and out of their reach, to be forgotten about with a shoulder shrug? Hmmm...