shifting problem again

H

hoggr9

Member
Sep 10, 2014
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Xenia, IL
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  1. 500
Am I the only one that has a machine that doesnt shift all the time?????
guy from work came out last night. Went for a ride around the house and the p.o.s. would not shift half the time..
might have to hot shift it 3 or 4 times b4 it would shift.. it would kill ignition and lunge but no shift..... didn't matter what gear seemed to have no rhyme or reason..... this is getting old... it does this alot from L to 2 so I normally start out in 2. But I am wondering if it is a voltage issue. Machine started fine last night but crappy shifting. Put on battery tender over night and tried it this eve and it seems fine. Only missed one shift from L to 2 rest of time it was fine........ could I have a weak stator or something? You would think if mine started ok then it should have adequate voltage when running to shift correctly. But this seems odd.........any body else?????????
 
M

mikeyd

Member
Aug 3, 2014
57
13
8
I've really only seen intermittent L to 2 shifting trouble.
Mostly when the engine is cold and taking the initial ride of the day.
The driveway up to the road is a pretty good incline so shifting midway up is where it will hang if at all.
I think if I had a bit more patience and let the engine warm up more it wouldn't occur, doesn't seem to do it other than a cold start.
If it occurs for you outside of those conditions you might want to check the linkage / give the dealer a shout.
 
N

ninjafreek

New Member
Jul 16, 2014
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2
0
Mine doesn't it every time on first shifts until it warms up.
 
H

hoggr9

Member
Sep 10, 2014
88
93
18
Xenia, IL
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  1. 500
Emailed the dealer..they said it sounds like maybe faulty battery..but I havent had a chance to do anything more than that. Will let yoy all know what I find out...when I finally get a final fix.
 
B

buffaloo

New Member
Mar 9, 2015
1
0
1
Mine has done this from new, to get in the woods from my house their is a steep hill so I start in L and about 5mph I try to shift with food on gas, no good will not shift, if I let up on gas it will shift but by the time it does I am stopped..... Do not like paddle shifter....Also normal driving it shifs very hard up and down
 
M

Mikej

New Member
May 14, 2015
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3
Having same shifting issue on flat ground in warm weather. Live in Louisiana just joining forum. Mines been doing it since I bought it. It doesn't happen all the time. So I haven't contacted the dealer yet. Are you still having this problem?
 
bobbyhill

bobbyhill

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Just wanted to say @buffaloo and @Mikej Welcome to the Club!!
 
5

500pilot

Member
Apr 17, 2015
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Mine is getting worse by the day and only have 310 miles on it.
Last weekend it really pissed me off. Motor kills but does not shift.
It too started off just on the l-2 shift but now seems to do it in other gears as well.
 
5

500pilot

Member
Apr 17, 2015
10
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Tech Line has never really heard of this so I suggest bring it in to the dealer so it will be reported.
 
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RydeAK

RydeAK

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Aug 20, 2016
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Alaska
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Cruising through old threads because apparently I don't have enough to do this weekend lol.

Anyone figure this shifting issue out? Mine only has a 100 miles on it but does it now and then. Seems like it only does it from L to 2 and when it's not warmed up yet. Seems kinda odd and one guy on here says it gets worse. Do I need to talk to the dealer before my warranty runs out??
 
H

HondaTech

Guest
Has the clutch been adjusted yet? Battery cables tight? I get a new units which occasionally have L to 2 shifting issues. Adjusting the clutch usually fixes this problem, I've developed a method to adjust them that's different from Honda's recommended procedure.
 
Mudder

Mudder

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Has the clutch been adjusted yet? Battery cables tight? I get a new units which occasionally have L to 2 shifting issues. Adjusting the clutch usually fixes this problem, I've developed a method to adjust them that's different from Honda's recommended procedure.
What's your Procedure? Should it be done for improvement or just for problem? Mine has 120 miles and shifts abruptly going slower, but ok on the gas.
 
Shadesmn

Shadesmn

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Aug 19, 2015
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Ramsey, MN
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Has the clutch been adjusted yet? Battery cables tight? I get a new units which occasionally have L to 2 shifting issues. Adjusting the clutch usually fixes this problem, I've developed a method to adjust them that's different from Honda's recommended procedure.
I'm curious to know this procedure as well. Mine was acting up from l to 2 yesterday and it had been running for long enough to warmup doing some l to r ground leveling with the plow before I tried shifting past l...
 
H

HondaTech

Guest
Each unit is different, but mainly instead of turning it back only a 1/4 to 1/2 a turn from resistance they seem to like to be loosened a little farther. Maybe 3/4 a turn, but keep playing with it, till you get the perfect shift. Most common problem I see is the unit seems to feel like it shifted (up or down) but then the engine catches up and it feels like the unit slams into gear. This sensation is really prevalent on downshifts, but is noticeable on up or down.
 
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H

hoggr9

Member
Sep 10, 2014
88
93
18
Xenia, IL
Ownership

  1. 500
Mine still does it..dealer says all is normal. stator is good, battery is good.
It definitely is worse now that the weather is cooling off.....I refuse to let it warm up for 15 minutes before I take off. so I normally fire it up for about 2 minutes then take off..then fight it and cuss and b****.....l
 
sthomp54

sthomp54

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2015
356
375
63
I was having some issues shifting but mine has finally "broken in" and shifts great. Really weird, I would consistently have issues with it shifting out of low when cold, hard shifts, slipping, etc. Turning the machine off and back on would usually fix the cold shifting issue temporarily. I adjusted the clutch and it helped some. I had switched to Rotella T6 sythetic at 100miles so I thought that had something to do with it and it may have delayed the break in. I have around 400 miles on it now and it just started shifting awesome...not sure what happened, unreal how much smoother it is now vs when it was new.
 

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