I Changed My Angle Drive!

    A while back, I was searching for a video of how to remove and replace the angle drive. Couldn't find a video anywhere.


    The whine in my 2016 was too loud for my tastes although by most people's opinions, it was no different than any other 2015 or 2016. And I found out that this was mostly true.


    However, i drove a 2018 and it was much quieter than my 2016. I learned that the part numbers changed for the angle drive somewhere around 2017 or 2018. So I ordered a new drive with the new part number.


    Well...what a job! The hardest part was getting the new angle drive up into the mounting position while at the same time trying to line up some bolts to hold it in there while at the same time trying to put the long bolt through the swingarm and the back of the angle drive.


    I measure the difficulty of jobs not by numbers like 1 through 5, but rather by the number of swear words necessary to get the job done. This job was a 37!


    After getting the driveshaft reconnected, the belt tension set, and the belt-on-pulley aligned slightly to the left, i was ready for a test drive.


    I was a little reluctant to take it for a ride. What if there was no difference? A lot of money wasted and a lot of time. But I learned a lot. Here goes.


    It was WONDERFUL! A lot more quieter, like the 2018 I drove. Success!. It was worth it.


    Still no video though for others to watch if they want change their own angle drive. I said to my wife that i wish she would have videotaped it so I could share with others. I said there is not a video out there that I could find.


    She said there is no video because NO ONE would consider doing this themselves.


    She might be right.


    Dave

    Quote from Bigdog

    I wonder what changes they made to make it quieter?


    has anyone ever figured out what was making all the noise? Gears, bearings...

    The noise from the angle drive comes from the gears "final machining" against each other. Polaris does a "rough" machining to the gears then let's them "final" machine themselves to a perfect fit over time. That's why people have been saying that they do quiet down over time.


    If you do the recommended rear drive oil changes at 1500 & 5000 miles, you'll be able to see the metal particles in the used oil. Gives it a very metallic iridescent look. You could easily see it at the 1500 mile change, less so at the 5K mile change. When I changed it again at 10K Miles, there was absolutely no sheen at all.

    Quote from chavey2

    The noise from the angle drive comes from the gears "final machining" against each other. Polaris does a "rough" machining to the gears then let's them "final" machine themselves to a perfect fit over time. That's why people have been saying that they do quiet down over time.


    If you do the recommended rear drive oil changes at 1500 & 5000 miles, you'll be able to see the metal particles in the used oil. Gives it a very metallic iridescent look. You could easily see it at the 1500 mile change, less so at the 5K mile change. When I changed it again at 10K Miles, there was absolutely no sheen at all.

    Thanks for the valuable tip.

    "If I were a Jedi, there's a 100% chance I would use the force inappropriately!"

    Quote from chavey2

    The noise from the angle drive comes from the gears "final machining" against each other. Polaris does a "rough" machining to the gears then let's them "final" machine themselves to a perfect fit over time. That's why people have been saying that they do quiet down over time.


    If you do the recommended rear drive oil changes at 1500 & 5000 miles, you'll be able to see the metal particles in the used oil. Gives it a very metallic iridescent look. You could easily see it at the 1500 mile change, less so at the 5K mile change. When I changed it again at 10K Miles, there was absolutely no sheen at all.

    I just changed the angle drive I think it was around 91,000 miles, that was the third time since about 5,000 miles. I have not done the trans. or the drive on Sling II yet

    chavey2 ,


    Thanks for the insight. I plan to change the oil in the new angle drive at 500 miles. is that too soon?


    Also, would putting in Redline Heavy Shockproof oil or Lucas Stabilizer oil at that first change be a good idea or a bad one.


    I have royal purple 80-140 in it now.


    Dave

    Great thread!
    There is a small button on my hearing aids that when pushed dramatically reduces the angle drive noise😉


    Goats_Hogs turned me on to the “redline” oil and although not a cure it did make a difference.

    Best takeaway; if you have a 15-17 and unfortunately need a new drive, upgrade!😎 great advice!

    We’ll get there when we get there and not a minute before. 😎

    I have a 2018 and I changed the engine oil and the angle drive lube at 500 miles. It made a big difference in the noise it is much quieter now. I used Royal Purple 80 / 140. I have almost 2000 miles on that oil now so I am going to change again this spring and see how much more steel comes out. Then refill it with Royal Purple to the next scheduled service recommendation.

    Quote from BigDan12

    I have a 2018 and I changed the engine oil and the angle drive lube at 500 miles. It made a big difference in the noise it is much quieter now. I used Royal Purple 80 / 140. I have almost 2000 miles on that oil now so I am going to change again this spring and see how much more steel comes out. Then refill it with Royal Purple to the next scheduled service recommendation.

    Just wait now until around 20,000 miles, unless you still just want to change it. I think I have changed mine at around 25,000 miles and just changed the last time at around 91,000 miles (3th time).

    Quote from SoCal

    Great thread!
    There is a small button on my hearing aids that when pushed dramatically reduces the angle drive noise😉


    Goats_Hogs turned me on to the “redline” oil and although not a cure it did make a difference.

    Best takeaway; if you have a 15-17 and unfortunately need a new drive, upgrade!😎 great advice!

    My "New Older One" has a pretty quiet angle drive. I know the supercharger puts more stress on it, but I have one with just break in miles on it on my shelf in the garage. With the prices on trade in, I feel that I'm good.... likely have this one for a longer time than the first one I owned(3 years and 5 months, not to mention 47k plus miles of fun). Just my two cents....

    (Throws two pennies on the floor....)

    I always hated my angle drive. Others said it was about normal for noise, but it aggravated me to no end, and it was a 2019. I had changed out the gear oil at 1500 or so, replaced it with redline, but I didn't notice a change.


    Finally fixed it by getting rid of the damned noisy thing. Also, I don't have to worry about keeping the belt clean anymore. Dusty roads don't scare me, now!