Hi,

I'm in the process of rescuing an old 1985 LT185 and I've got an issue with reverse, When I engage it the gear grinds but there is no drive, if I jack the wheels of the ground then then the wheels turn backwards but as soon as I introduce resistance they will stop and the grinding noise comes back. Sounds like the gears are not engaging fully, Is there some kind of adjustment or is this a worn gear and I'm going to have to go into the crankcase?
Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks

 

Sounds like there are some broken teeth. Best way to figure it out is to go into the crankcase. Also you can drain the oil and check oil filter for metal shavings.

 

Is the reverse lever properly adjusted? It may only be partly engaging the the reverse gear. If that is good then I agree with bikedad3 you'll need to get into the crankcase.

 

I had an '84 185 and it always made a grinding sound when going into reverse unless I shifted in and out of 1st gear. Check to see if you can adjust anything to make sure the pull up handle is going into the fully engaged position.