Last weekend, I found that when i selected fifth gear and accelerated, it would pull hard and then drop out of gear into neutral. I also found that sometimes while trying to do a quick change while accelerating, it would miss and select neutral or wouldnt engage gear properly. By the end of the day it was slipping out of gear in third fourth and fifth!

Does anyone know what has broken or wat is bent inside? Im just trying to find out how much this is gona set me back and whether I should tackle it myself. Also if parts like the shift drum, or the gears themselves have broken, are there any aftermarket ones which are stronger and more durable? I get the feeling that the gearbox was never one of the zilla's strong points!

I think i must have been treatin the zilla like I treat my banshee....a little too hard on the changes. I havent drained the oil yet so i dont know what is inside it actually but could a change of oil make any difference? looks like Ill be doing that rebuild a little early!!! Thanks guys [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Well Ausie Buddy I'm afraid not much good can come from this. That is what happened to my '87. Those transmissions are not really that complicated, so I decided to tackle mine myself. I replaced all the gears, the shift forks, detent, springs, about $600 worth of parts to have it still not work. Here's the crazy thing. I tore it apart and replaced everything that had not been replaced the first time and put it back together and it still didn't work. I then sent it to my local dealer who replaced the shifting shaft and the spring on it and said that he was convinced that that's what my problem was, so I put my motor back in and was in shock when it still didn't work. I then said enough is enough and sent it to Trininty Racing in California. Basically they replaced parts that I had already replaced and sent it back to me. And you'll never guess but it didn't work. I was a little mad and I called up Harry and he said to send it back and they would go through it again with free labor and pay shipping one way. So I did. They "went through it with a fine tooth comb" he said and found some little thing and replaced it and sent it back and it still didn't work, surprise surprise huh. They said they would take it back but I had had enough and I sold it as is and bought another one. Mine was something wierd for sure, don't know what it could have been. I doubt that your's has the same problem. Probably just worn gears and shift forks. With all that said if my tranny goes out on this Zilla I plan to rebuild it myself, at least try. If you have a shop that you trust it wouldn't be a bad decision to let them handle it, but with a shop manual I wouldn't be afraid to give it a try yourself.

 

I had this happen to second gear. The gear box is fairly stout in the zilla, but let's face it these bikes have been around for 10+ years and few are used for agricultural/hunting. Look to the shift forks, shift drum, and since you continued to ride it after symptoms showed up... gears. I had a small chip out of the shift drum that caused mine to begin to slip out of gear. If you have a chance take a look at Mr. Dunes web site...last year he went over just what you need to do, split the case. Not really hard, but time consuming...not for a first time wrencher for sure. If you take on the challenge be sure to really watch the end of the shift drum, easy to mix up and put in a part 180 degrees from right. I'd guess the total cost 600+or- if you do the work. And no there are no aftermarket parts for the tranny I am aware of. I actually borrowed my local shops manual. You can't get shot for asking, offer to leave a deposit.

 

Well thats not the response i was hopin for hehe. Im gona give it a shot myself and start stripping the bike down this weekend. Any hints or tips? Ive got the Suzuki manual and that seems to give me a good overall idea. I hope it doesnt come down to me havin to sell it hey. theres not many of these beasts in my state let alone country! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Hints eh? I'll type these as they come to me, sorry for the random order but that is my norm.

I usually never took the gears off of the shafts until the new parts came. Get a new detent spring for sure, the original spring is a problem waiting to happen. If there is any, and I mean any, visible wear on the shift forks get new ones. It is possible you bent the shaft the shift froks reside on so be sure to check by rolling on a counter or better yet glass. It's a great time to replace bearings in the case for the trans as well as the main crank bearings. To put the new ones in freeze them for an hour or so and heat the case half in the sun if summer or in oven set on less than 200 F....the bearing will usually drop right in!! I used permatex gasket eliminator it comes in a red tube and can be found at auto stores to put the case half together, be sure edges are clean and free of oil before use. Torque the case in stages...not all at once. Some people go the extra mile and have the main bearing area for the crank fitted with steel inserts...see Mr. Dune's web site for details. Some manuals say it is essential to replace the drive and driven gears in sets, my experience so far shows this is not so...if you have a limitless supply of cash do so but I have done 3 LT250R trannys and two 500s with no problems and I ride HARD.

 

My advice to you since you don't want to go through this again in a year or so, is to replace everything that is remotley questionable. Replace ALL shift forks regardless. If you are not familiar with these transmissions the gears actually wear on the side, not the teeth. You will see when you get it apart that.............I'm searching for the terminology here. Basically the gears slide sideways on the shaft. Most gears have what we'll call a male side and a female side, I'm sure that isn't the right terminology but you get the idea. When the male side slides sideways on the shaft, it grab's the female side of the other gear and starts to spin it. After years of these gears engaging and disengaging at high speeds the corners start to round off where they come together, and that is what causes your problems, the gears don't like to stay together. You will see what I'm talking about when you get it apart. Replace all the gears that have any wear in the mentioned area or you may be back at it again way before you want to. Good luck.

P.S. I don't want to hear any Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word Spam wordSpam word  jokes.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Thanks for all your help guys. Ill be starting the process this weekend.

Now as a side note, Ive only owned the bike about six weeks. Its been in the shop for three of those weeks so ive only ridden it about three times. I know your all gona skin me alive but i havent replaced the gearbox oil since i bought it. I even tell all my mates that the first thing to do when you get a new bike, is to change the gearbox oil so u know whats in it. Ive bought a new litre of silkolene and i was wonderin whether its worth chucking in there and see if the problem will sort itself out. PLEASE dont tell me that this could be the cause of the busted gearbox! haha [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

Anyway, thanks again guys and ill keep you posted on the rebuild. While i have the engine in peices I'll be respraying the chassis, getting the A arms chromed, and a complete detail job. I should have some pics when its done. Any ideas where i might get some silver front and rear fenders and a red hood????? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]