Alright folks, NOW we're making progress...

It turns out I didn't need to remove the linkage from the reverse lever... If you look straight at the main "body" of the reverse lever mechanism (a black circular casing about an inch in diameter), you'll notice a protruding circular chamber right in the center...

I assumed that the entire casing was hard protective plastic, but it turns out that it's RUBBER!!!...

Once I pulled back the "protective" rubber casing, I saw that the protrusion in the center was actually a bolt holding the whole thing together. I took a ratchet to the nut, and the reverse lever mechanism came right off! Simple as that ("simple" - yeah RIGHT!)...

Anyways, before I located this bolt hidden behind the rubber casing, I was attempting to unscrew the actual linkage rod from the lever mechanism. I pushed on the linkage rod very lightly and SURPRISE - it easily shifted into reverse, AND back again!

So it turns out that the linkage rod isn't the problem, it's the actual reverse lever. For some reason, when bolted on, the lever itself will NOT shift forward or backwards (I used various torque settings when tightening the nut, so I know that's not the problem).

Go figure though - this "heavy duty" lever won't shift the tranny into reverse gear (or back into forward), but pushing the linkage rod with your PINKY is enough force to easily shift the gear. What the hell?!?!

So now I've gotta figure out why the lever won't move forwards or backwards when bolted on and properly assembled. It's a mystery to me and I can't wait to fix it, but I'm done for tonight. As usual, a 10-minute routine repair turned into a 90-minute ordeal!

Anyone know why the reverse lever might not turn/shift when bolted on? Have any of you experienced a similar problem?

Thanks again for all the advice!

-Mike

 

i think you need to pull the handle apart and take a look to see whats causing it to not go back far enough to engage reverse, if the lever being out of adjustment isnt the problem then thats the only thing left that could cause a problem.

 

I pulled the lever mechanism apart and at first, I still couldn't figure it out...

There's the rod that goes into the mechanism (the one you pull up on to shift into reverse or forward), and it turns a small oval-shaped metal bar that actually shifts the tranny (moves the linkage back and forth). And as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I couldn't get this "shifting rod" to move up or down, AT ALL...

Turns out, it was 'seized' (rusted to the metal of the mechanism body)! I removed the entire assembly from the quad, slammed the top of the shifting rod with a hammer, and it came free. That night (after I removed the entire reverse lever mechanism from the quad) I soaked it in a solvent (gasoline), and cleaned it up really well with steel wool the next day. Then I put everything back together, and it WORKED!!!

It turns out that the metal rod (the one that was seized) "locks" the lever into a specific gear position (either forward or reverse position). But since it was seized in the first place, it wasn't moving AT ALL. And THIS IS WHY it wouldn't shift into reverse - it was locked into forward by the rust build-up!!!

So now, everything's working fine. It'll shift into reverse, then forward, then back again, etc. I think it's all set, with the exception of a minor clutch cable adjustment...

When i first shift it into reverse, sometimes it'll start rolling backwards (very slowly) like the clutch is already engaged, even if I have the clutch lever pulled all the way in. Does this sound like a clutch cable adjustment issue?

Again, thank you ALL for your suggestions and advice!!! Now in the future, if anyone else comes to this board with the same problem, I'll be able to spread the knowledge and hopefully help someone else out... If I had brought the quad to the shop, I estimate they would have charged me at LEAST $100 to fix this, if not twice that!

-Mike

 

yea good deal, in post #15 i mentioned the locking part of the handle possibly causing the problem, glad you got it figured out, i couldnt imagine it still not working with all the suggestions given.

 

I've had the R lever lock bust a couple times - ebay a new lever ( $ 10 - $20). If you sucessfully get the lever rebuilt, reply! I have 2 busted ones laying in a pile.

PS - the lock in the lever breaks when you don't pull up on the T all the way!

PSS - in my experience, Shifting into reverse is easiest when in gear with clutch properly adjusted and clutch handle pulled ALL THE WAY IN!

PSSS- in the winter months and cold climates, when you first start the machine, for the first 5 minutes of warmup, getting OUT of reverse is a BEAR, because the warrior is a wet clutch ( bathed in engine oil), and the oil causes clutch grab ( simulates misadjusted clutch). GOOD LUCK!