I have two 2003 Bear Trackers. One of them is having an issue shifting. Both were working great last spring and summer and then before fall came I changed the oil in each with the Yama-lube stuff the dealer suggested.

All of a sudden when shifting the foot lever on one of the machines will stick in either the up or down position and not return to the middle. The other machine has no issues.

The machine with the shifting issue still shifts the same and is driveable but you have to manually return the lever to the middle postiion after shifting it.

There is no external springs, I tried cleaning it and lubing it on the outside and things have not changed. It is not making any wierd noises, and the oil level is good.

Anyone got any suggestions on what to look at next?

SJ

 

I think you already know the answer, unfortunately there's nothing much to say at this point except to start breaking down the engine and finding the source of the problem. It seems pretty obvious that the spring responsible for returning the shifter to the neutral position is broken or missing. I would get a service manual for your bear tracker, or even just look at a parts diagram, and figure out where that spring is, and how you have to get to it. It might be as simple to get to as pulling the right side engine cover, or you may have to pull the entire engine and split the cases to access it. I'm not familiar enough with the bear tracker's engine to say for sure.

I wouldn't keep riding it until you've figured out your problem either. If a spring broke or came loose, that means you've got a spring loose in your bottom end, bouncing around dangerously close to your transmission gears. It wouldn't take much for that spring to get jammed in some gears and make your problem a lot bigger.