Just started hearing a kind of grindish sound coming fron the front sprocket. At first I thought that I was having a rear wheel bearing problem, took the belt off, rolled the rear wheel and didn't hear the sound. Reinstalled the belt rolled the wheel and could hear the sound coming from the front sprocket area. Also noticed a reddish dust on the front sprocket. Any ideas on a solution, other than taking it to the stealer??? Thanks Wes

Sounds as if your front pulley came loose. If it has been that way for much time it most likely has damaged the pulley and the shaft of the transfer case. A couple of guys on here have repaired their transfer cases and can guide you through the process.

Bummer...

My 05 worked loose I tightened the nut back up and bent the lock washer in several places to hold it. If you have after market wheels like I do with a direct drive pully with out a cush drive you need to check it often. The quick decel and accel will cause it to work loose.

I'll be taking a look at that pulley. I did notice that it seemed to have a little play front to back and top to bottom. Sure hope I don't have to rebuild anything in that gear box though..

wcurdog wrote:
I'll be taking a look at that pulley. I did notice that it seemed to have a little play front to back and top to bottom. Sure hope I don't have to rebuild anything in that gear box though..

there should be absolutely no play, especially top to bottom, I can understand back to front if the nut is lose, but once it is engaged fully, zero play. If it's loose in that way, then both the pulley and middle drive gear are toast. Happened to mine just before the tranny recall, had a slight gear oil leak, so tightened the nut, it was loose from factory since it had never been worked on, and according to manual, no maintenance as well. Was pointed out to me during recall, I ended up having Yamaha pay for the parts since my contention is was not tighten correctly at factory, and dealer backed that statement up as well to Yamaha. when I got the new parts, I only slipped the pulley onto the middle drive shaft as I held it straight up, zero play, then compared the old pulley on new drive gear, slop, then old pulley and old drive gear, even more slop. when they wear, they both wear

My '05 was making a clunking noise right after I got it home, and I noticed just a wee bit of seepage from around the front pulley drive shaft. The clunking was thanks to a loose drive pulley because it came from the factory without a lock washer at all, and the pulley had just started to loosen up. The seepage was thanks to a seriously over-tight drive belt from the knuckleheads who assembled the bike. I bought a lock washer and adjusted my own belt tension.

So if your pulley's loosened up, check your (or check for your) lock washer.

wcurdog
I have been noticing on my bike lately, when I am coming to a stop, I hear a sound like metal to metal or like a brake dragging coming from the left side ..It always happens right around 15 mph...I have put the bike in neutral and let it slow without using brakes and get that metal rub sound only around 15mph..I have wondered if it could be a vibration.
I started hearing it after I changed the rear tire about a month ago.
Does this sound like your problem?

Found out that I have a friend who is now the service manager at a local Yamaha shop. Talked to him about my problem, he also said it was most likely a loose front pulley. There is a collar behind the pulley that apparently wears down and causes the pulley to become loose. Anyway, I opened up the front pulley cover found that the lock tab was bent securely over the nut, I unbent the lock tab and sure enough the nut behind was able to be removed by hand. I took the nut off, found out that I did not have a socket to fit it, took it with me to Sears and for $9.52 I now own a 36mm socket. I cleaned everything up, checked the shaft for visual wear, reinstalled the pulley, semi tightened the belt, had the little woman step on the rear brake and torqued that nut to 150 ft lbs. Then I bent the locking tabs (both of them) over the flats of the nut and went on about reassembling the bike. Haven't ridden it yet, but just rolling the wheel I have no more noise. Before you could hear the sounds by just rolling the rear wheel with the bike off of the ground in neutral. Thank God for the simple fixes in life.

Southwest: Mine was more of a clunking, grindish kind of sound, and I could only hear it either in a real slow turn or with the engine off and simply rolling the bike. My '05 has just over 22k on it, first time I've had any type of problem like this with it.

Glad you cured your problem simply. I would like to check mine....how do you remove the pulley/sprocket cover?