problem and frustrated with 300ex

[MX wannabe]

i just finished the rebuild of my 99 300ex today went out and took it for a test drive and it had only been like 5 mins when i went to turn around and my steering locked up and flipped me over sideways... i looked at it and couldnt figure it out because it was still locked when i flipped it back on its wheels so i jercked the steering and it came loose.... i am stumped and very frustrated cause my axel nut keeps coming loose too so i put all that time and money into a bike that i dont trust to take out of the front yard i need help thanks...

[300exOH]

Originally posted by MX wannabe
i just finished the rebuild of my 99 300ex today went out and took it for a test drive and it had only been like 5 mins when i went to turn around and my steering locked up and flipped me over sideways... i looked at it and couldnt figure it out because it was still locked when i flipped it back on its wheels so i jercked the steering and it came loose.... i am stumped and very frustrated cause my axel nut keeps coming loose too so i put all that time and money into a bike that i dont trust to take out of the front yard i need help thanks...

Are your tie rods ends flipped the right way? Your steering stops aren't broken, worn or ground off are they? Also if you reused the stock axle lock nut it will tend to come loose. They seem to pretty much be a one time use item. I have heard of people wrapping the threads with electrical tape and tightening them but personally I wouldn't trust this method. I bought a durablue lock not for around $40 or so and haven't had any probs with it coming loose. Just look for a locknut with the pinch bolts(allen head) and you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

[ZeroLogic]

same thing happened to me execpt i was pushing it backwards.... your tie rod got stuck onto the a arms check and see it there is any tie rod/a arms damage

[MX wannabe]

o boy i think that the tie rod ends on one side are flipped around so that the adjustment is by the steering stem instead of being beside the a arms could that have been my problem????

[MX wannabe]

also there is a problem with my brakes front and back in the front the wheel is always stuck cause the pads are hitting (on the top only) and i have tried everything .... and in the back i have no pressure i have bled the brakes like 30 times.... but the parking brake is broke and the bolt that holds the caliper at its stop point is broke too so i think i need a new p brake assembly???? but im not sure

[TheFontMaster]

Ditch the parking brake, and get a parking brake block off. Get rid of the parking brake, and that will probably solve your problem of the brake pad rubbing. With the front end binding, if it is stuck like that it shouldn't be too hard to see where it is binding. Check to make shure the bolt on the end of the tie rod end, where it hooks into the spindle didn't jump over to the other side of the tube on the a arm. On my old 300ex, it did that, but I flipped it, I had to bounce on the front end to compress it while i gave the bars a good twist to get it un stuck.

[bwamos]

On one side of the 300ex's (98's for sure), if you do a semi steep downhill to a leveld out area and turn sharply while the stock a-arms are compressed.. the nut on the balljoiny at the spindle can hop over the a-arm and get stuck.

I've seen it happen a LOT. It's always the same side of the quad too. Not sure where the design malfunction is, but it's a common issue. The other side won't do it even if you tried.

Just bounce the front bumper down and turn the wheel to get it back loose.

[MX wannabe]

i found the problem i dont know how i did it and how i didnt see it when i rebuilt it but my steering stem is bent so that the stopper is about an inch back from where it is supposed to be and the tie rod bolt just jumps over the tube like you said so i am going to weld id and try to get it back to what it is supposed to be and if it dont work i will buy a new steering stem... and for the back brakes???? are you sure that the p brake block off will make the calliper work right i hope so i am so fed up with this man... and my front brakes on the right side are binding and i dont know y... i tried to find out and couldnt see it so i think i will have my dealer look at it for me...