Hi guys. I am new to the forums and decided to come to the experts here to try and find some help with my ATV. I have a 2008 Sportsman EFI 800. I bought it new in November 2008. I plowed with it for 3 months and hunted with it in between. After the first season I noticed it started to grind went I went into reverse (ocassionally). Now it does it most of the time when shifting to reverse. I never shift above idle and all other gears are just fine. Are there any adjustments I can do to the shift lever to help? I hate to tear into it internally or pay the high service costs if it's an easy adjustment. I just can't see any adjustments from the outside. Anyone else experience the same thing? what to do..... Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank for your time!

 

what is it idling at? my 08' did grind a little while shifting when i went slow while shifting. when i shifted firmly and in one motion it didn't grind.

 

After 5 minutes warm up it idles at 1260. While it grinds, the grinding goes away if I hold the shifter forward to take out the slop while still in the REV position. Just noticed that. Also...I always sfift at a dead stop, never while moving.

 

correct idle should be around 1150 rpm's but yours isnt bad. does it idle alot higher when warming up? mine pretty much stayed the same once you started it. when stopped going into reverse from either park or forward should be a swift firm movemnet. keep an eye on it as it shouldn't be getting worse or even be that much grinding while shifting.

 

The idle starts at around 1000-1100 and climbs to 1260 during 2-3 minutes of warm up. It really wasnt an issue of getting "worse" over 2 years. It just started and never stopped. Does it about 75% of the time. It doesnt grind when actually moving the lever. It feels like the shifter goes where it should and the indicator reads R when I shift. It only tries to go into gear when pressing the accelerator. It jumps into gear (which I think is a bad design). My opinion is that the shifter should go into gear and you should feel it "bump" before hitting the gas. The whole "shifting at idle" thing is useless. You cant really shift at idle. You have to bump the gas to get it to bump into gear. It's been that way since new so I figured it was suppose to be that way. Sound like it causes wear. When you drive your car, you select a gear and feel it change into gear when at a complete stop. In a car, pressure and fluid causes it to shift. Not with this ATV. You have to bump the gas to get it to pop into gear...any gear. This is when it grinds ONLY with reverse...from when I bump the gas, until the RPMS come back to idle. My hand is off the shifter.

 

You shouldn't have to touch the gas at all when you shift gears. Something is wrong. Maybe the linkage needs adjusting.

 

The clunck is only from a dead stop and only when I change gears at a dead stop. Here's the deal. If I start the ATV and its already in HI, I can go FWD with no cluck. If I am at a dead stop in HI and decide to shift to REV, I get the clunk, only after bumping the throttle. Same from REV to HI/LOW and Neutral to REV, HI, LOW. Same applies if I am in REV. I can start the ATV in REV and go backwards with no clunk but if I change to any FWD gear at a dead stop, I get the clunk. The grinding is only when shifting to REV and then bumping the throttle and my hand is off the shifter. I was told 3 times today that it was normal and these guiys have the same experience with the clunk.

 

there is alot of chain slack in the transmission causing sloppyness for sure put as mentioned you should not have to bump the throttle to get it to sync into gear. i know on both my 800's it was not this way. the chain is so loose it actually wore into the drain plug so i took the plug out to grind it down before it did damage. you could actually unhook the linkage as it's adjustable and manualy put into gear to see if it's the same or better to eliminate the linkage being the issue. just a thought.

 

I just watched 2 videos of NEW 2008 800 EFIs. Both ATVs were started from Park and placed into HI. Both were accelerated and right as they took off, I could here the clunk. Mine clunks exactly like these 2. I can feel it bump forward or backwards when it clunks like it engages as it clunks. Anyway, same clunk with 2 new machines. I also read a post by a super moderator in the forums and he states the clunk is normal and all of them do it. Most poeple shift and accelerate. if I shift and bump the throttle it clunks. If I shift and accelerate hard its hardly noticeable.

Also, how is the linkage adjustable? My shifter has a center rod snapped onto it and it also snaps onto another clip at the rear selector bracket. The rod does nothing but snap in place. No bolts or other appreant adjustments possible as I can see.

 

i can't remember on my 800(2 yrs ago since i had it) on it was so i looked at my 08' manual and see under trouble shooting to unhook it and noticed there a lock nut so i assumed there was adjustment so i could be wrong. sorry.