Hi all- I'm a new forum member and a new Rubicon ('05) owner. This forum helped me decide on the Rubi. I love the machine, but it has one annoying problem...occasionally (and seemingly randomly) the shifter locks up. Since this is an auto, I mean the gear selector. I've had it lock in D, in R, and in L positions. The first time it happened my wife was riding it and couldn't get it out of reverse. I hopped on, and it was truly locked in R. I tried "rocking" the quad, throwing my weight forward and back; giggling the selector, etc. No luck. Ended up backed up against a tree. Pretty frustrating! Especially since it only starts in N position. It's happened several times. Hot or cold, level or hilly. Of course it won't happen when I take it to the shop. The shop claims that they've never heard of this problem. I spent an hour or so searching the forum and couldn't see any similar postings. Got any ideas?
Thanks.

 

We have 3 Rubicons we use at work for towing , pushing etc. and if they stall in gear they can sometimes be a bugger to get back into neutral .. But only in reverse , in D/L it will start with the brake .. But as a rule they all shift VERY well unless your on a slight hill then if the weight comes on the transmission it's hard to shift .. If yours is harder to shift than normal even on level ground then it's possible something isn't sliding smooth in the sub-transmission ..

 

OK, this may seem totally off the wall, but I have saw these problems in the dealership. I dont know how long you have had the Rubi, of how you have ridden it.
I have saw sticks get stuck in the shift mechanism up near the shifter that would get in the way of it moving. Also, The shift handle itself has two set screws in it, they are phillips screws, I have saw these fall out and the handle raise to the point that the button didnt depress the release. I have also saw, down on the front of the engine, on the shift linkage bellcrank, sticks stuck in there, or corrosion to the point it caused trouble shifting. Like Hondamech stated they will cause some trouble if the machine is in a bind but not normally. If your trouble is sporadic as you say, have a good look up under the plastic by the shift handle and see if something might be stuck in there, then follow the shift rod down to the engine and have a look there.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. The "hill" issue was expected, but it also happens on the flat, which is what bugs me. Since it is random, the dealer never sees it and won't acknowledge it. Rocking the ATV helps sometimes, but others it is simply "stuck". BTW, it's good to know I can start it in D/L with the brakes on (maybe I should have read the owner's manual, eh?). Have you ever heard of other Rubis having this problem? This generally occurs when I'm just putzing around doing errands on my land (fencing, weeding, etc.).

 

Sounds to me like something has gone amuck with the button that pushes in the release on the shift ****. I really doubt that you have a problem in your tranny. Take the **** off with the 2 screws and look at the release mechanism.