Just got this machine today. PTO and diff lock work well and came with FM48 mower.
It has a broken reverse lever that is NLA any place found so far.
Does anyone have a fix for this?
I have ordered other 350 parts (YFM350FWW Big Bear) that are similar and hope to make it shift and hold reverse.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

 

As I mentioned in your opening post. Look quickly on eBay. There is a used one right now. Be sure to ask the seller the condition of the cable where it's crimped to the hard connector. That is usually the cause of failure. Cable get a bit frayed and jams and eventually fails with a breakage.

You also mentioned carb cleaning. First get yourself a service manual. I've seen them on eBay on CD. Same as the printed one. It goes very very deep into the mechanics, troubleshooting of a TP. Your carb probably needs the lower end rebuilt with new parts. Probably gummed up. My first would run with starting fluid then die. Rebuilt the carb and all is well. If your carb is trash. I have one that's rebuilt and in perfect condition. Ultrasonic cleaned I'd sell at a reasonable price. In fact I've collected quite a few TP parts. Good luck and get the manual. The.kid

 

One more item I might mention. There is a cable that goes to the right foot brake that unlocks the reverse shifter. That is probable damaged as well. It's a safety feature where you have to depress the brake to put it in any gear HLR. No big deal but mine was damaged as well. People obviously don't read the manual and snap the alloy detention inside the lower shift lever which disabled that safety feature. As I stated eBay can be your friend looking for used parts. bTW that shift cable is of specific length. Only the TP one will work. Anything else, you are wasting your money. Been there done that.

 

PM me your phone number and I'll be glad to share what I know about your TP.

 

Thanks.
I have read on line about the cable frays but it seems fine to the clevis. ??The lever itself is snapped in 2.
Seems like they either jammed it back together or it was only bent when I got it. Because I was able to shift to reverse and get a light and then push on the lever assembly by hand and got it to reverse. That lasted for 2-3 times and then noticed the lever assembly was completely broken in two.
The PO never mentioned stepping on the brake. he just claimed his son broke it and ignorance on repair. I noticed the brake assembly connection in the parts diagram after looking for the broken part. I will check that out as you advised. He has the manual but is still looking for it so I have winged it so far.
edit: PM sent

 

Update:
Last Saturday installed the Big Bear shifter parts. I used the Big Bear lever and the Terrapro shaft lever plate but heavily modified Bear lever by grinding and filing. The two lever plates have not quite opposite stampings that place the levers too far out to adjust cable so by grinding the ear off the Bear lever and filing the sides to accept the torsion spring prongs straddling it and fitting the Terrapro lever plate as stock with prongs in the slot. The lever plate needed to be flipped over though to position clevis pin hole so I did need to bend the tab on it almost straight to conjoin next to the modified lever.
Not as complicated as describing it is.
Good news is it works perfectly and shifts correctly.
I have reverse, low and high range all in their detent positions and centered correctly in each position at selector shaft.
These are notes for posterity because there is not much on the web about this issue. The cable is good, the reverse lever was broken this was the fix for it. Pictures available although I do not know how to upload on this site, Used 1989 YFM350FWW Big Bear reverse lever modified with 1988 YFP350U shaft plate lever flipped. YFP reverse lever parts are NLA.
Later
Brian
Next up will be rear brakes because they are nonop. With high range working this is now an issue.