I searched this issue here and found several old threads that lacked any real conclusion as to the cause for what seems to be a fairly common concern. My Mule clunks loudly in 4wd only, never in 2wd. I posted in the FB Kawasaki group and was told by a poster there that tire psi was a factor and can be helpful in reducing the noise. It was suggested to use 12psi front/ 24psi rear which I did and it seemed to erase the issue entirely for about a week. Then the noise came back with a vengeance! Now it's louder than it had been.
I'm told by a former dealer mechanic that the clunking is from the springs that are designed to relieve the tension within the drive train which occurs in 4wd only and derives from the the front drive ratio as different than the rear ratio.
I bought this Mule new, now it's nearing 400 hours and has been used only on our farm it's entire life, a combo of crushed rock on steep private roads or dirt roads in our forested areas. Our main road to the pavement is~ 1/2 mile and a 4wd grade. The other rocked road is an even steeper road that climbs up high on our property in the E KY mtns. and cannot be driven except in 4wd. For most of the years we've owned this Mule it never made much of a clunk in either drive mode. This year it began to clunk loudly, I did the tire air adjustment and all seemed OK for a few days. Now, it sounds like a machine gun in 4wd only.
Feel free to guess but the Mule runs great as long as not in 4wd mode. It's not wheel bearings, drive belt/CVT or U-joints as I've checked them. In 2wd it's smooth as glass on any road.
The air pressure thing having made a difference that magically went away is flat out weird.
A former dealer on FB says there was a dealer only bulletin on this but neglects to expand on that fact. I reacted to his saying it was a hard packed road issue in 4wd by saying that my Mule didn't do this for ~ 8-9 years then began to do it-> all on the same piece of land and roads. I also added that I was a retired pro mechanic as a FWIW, but he took that as me suggesting I was a know it all and told me to go fix it if I was such a great mechanic.
I'm not on an ego trip, just that I find this noise perplexing and obviously something changed on this Mule over time. The whole idea of these web forums is towards we being helpful to each other and talking about this or that.
Do these tension release springs weaken over time and call for replacement? Our Mule is in daily use and I'm building right now so any help that saves me time is great.
Ideas are welcome, thanks!
I'm told by a former dealer mechanic that the clunking is from the springs that are designed to relieve the tension within the drive train which occurs in 4wd only and derives from the the front drive ratio as different than the rear ratio.
I bought this Mule new, now it's nearing 400 hours and has been used only on our farm it's entire life, a combo of crushed rock on steep private roads or dirt roads in our forested areas. Our main road to the pavement is~ 1/2 mile and a 4wd grade. The other rocked road is an even steeper road that climbs up high on our property in the E KY mtns. and cannot be driven except in 4wd. For most of the years we've owned this Mule it never made much of a clunk in either drive mode. This year it began to clunk loudly, I did the tire air adjustment and all seemed OK for a few days. Now, it sounds like a machine gun in 4wd only.
Feel free to guess but the Mule runs great as long as not in 4wd mode. It's not wheel bearings, drive belt/CVT or U-joints as I've checked them. In 2wd it's smooth as glass on any road.
The air pressure thing having made a difference that magically went away is flat out weird.
A former dealer on FB says there was a dealer only bulletin on this but neglects to expand on that fact. I reacted to his saying it was a hard packed road issue in 4wd by saying that my Mule didn't do this for ~ 8-9 years then began to do it-> all on the same piece of land and roads. I also added that I was a retired pro mechanic as a FWIW, but he took that as me suggesting I was a know it all and told me to go fix it if I was such a great mechanic.
I'm not on an ego trip, just that I find this noise perplexing and obviously something changed on this Mule over time. The whole idea of these web forums is towards we being helpful to each other and talking about this or that.
Do these tension release springs weaken over time and call for replacement? Our Mule is in daily use and I'm building right now so any help that saves me time is great.
Ideas are welcome, thanks!
