Another UT400 shift problem

[Dreadnought]

I've searched the forum but don't think I found a solution.

I just bought a used 2022 UT 400 with only 31 miles on it. Often I have to rev the motor just a little to get it to shift into forward or reverse. The original owner told me about this and said it needed the cable adjustment that you so often read about. It also jumped out of gear a few times and did grind a little but not very often and only under heavy load like going up a steep dirt road. After reading lots of posts I figured it must be the short shifter throw so I did the shifter extension modification. It didn't help at all. I thought, should I increase the idle speed? The tach reads about 1600 rpm at idle but it doesn't sound that fast to me. It doesn't seem like cable adjustment because it clicks right in gear with just a few more revs. Any ideas?

Thanks for any wisdom.

 

[Dan_Lockwood]

Sorry you're having your shift issue, especially on such a low mileage one.

My fix you showed in the picture above, did "fix" my issue.  But as someone else said just recently, he had to totally tear down the engine/transmission and replace some parts.  I'm guessing that you don't have worn out parts, but maybe a bent part inside the shift area.

Even with the additional length to the stroke of the cable, as shown above, mine still on occasion has to be nudged into gear with a tap on the throttle to get things moving inside in the shifter/gears to align.  But in general, I've had no further popping out of gear as I had before I lengthened the shifter lever.

Maybe you have "some" warranty available as you have such a low hour/mile UT400.  Don't know if warranty is transferable from owner to owner though.

Good luck with your problem.

Dan

[Dreadnought]

Thanks for the reply Dan. It's just one of those nagging things that bug you, ya know? It's not supposed to be like that, (I don't think).

It certainly is still very useable so for now I'll just use it as is. (It doesn't bother me enough to start tearing into it).

 

[Rainman]

On 5/12/2023 at 9:29 AM, Dreadnought said:

Thanks for the reply Dan. It's just one of those nagging things that bug you, ya know? It's not supposed to be like that, (I don't think).

It certainly is still very useable so for now I'll just use it as is. (It doesn't bother me enough to start tearing into it).

 

Just tossing this out there ... could the shifter cable be stretched or defective rendering too long? Maybe see of there s a way to get the correct length and double check it with yours. Just my thoughts ...

[Dan_Lockwood]

Thanks for the reply.

My thought would be that the cable is intact.  BUT... if it were to have "slipped", it would be loose at either end of the shift stroke.  The "shift problem" is usually quite consistent in feel and position of the cable ends.

When I had my cable off under the bonnet, I did a push/pull test and the cable "seemed" tight without end play etc.  Having the extra throw from the modified shifter lever is not going to hurt anything and in most cases will probably fix the shifter popping out of gear or going not all the way into gear.

Just my $0.02 worth of info.

Dan

[Rainman]

I have a 2021 and when I first got it, you had to really push up on the shifter to get forward to engage, plus it would occasionally pop out of gear when slowing down with your foot off the gas pedal. Reverse was a little easier going into gear, but would also pop out of gear.

Today I adjusted the cable according to Coleman and things got better, but still not great. I made some additional adjustments on the cable once everything was back together and as of now, reverse works good, but on occasion, forward will start slipping out and starts to grind until I push the lever back up.

I'll have to make some slight adjustments a little at a time from here and see if it helps before installing any mods. I just don't want to ruin the drive train if the gears keep clicking, especially if I'm going up hill with any pressure on the system. It doesn't seem to actually pop out of gear, but starts to grind likes it's slipping out.

I'll update once I get to do some more adjustments.

UPDATE: Played around for a couple days adjusting and fine tuning the adjustments. Got it to a point that it worked good for a couple hours, then parked it and took it out again and - BAM - started popping out in F gear again. Makes no sense, but now it's time to apply the mod ... we shall see.

[Dan_Lockwood]

You're robbing Peter to pay Paul with the adjustments.

You CANNOT adjust more throw into the cable.  All you can do is give more F, or more R.  You cannot get both with a cable adjustment.

Someone actually cut the slot for the shift lever longer and then modified the detents and that seemed to help him, but the downright simplest solution is to remove the lever assembly and have it lengthen 3/4".

And yes, every time it jumps out of gear, the very corners of the gear dogs are rounding off just a bit at a time.  Before too long, the gears will be worn enough that they will need to be replaced.  A fix sooner than later, is the key here.

Good luck, Dan

[Rainman]

34 minutes ago, Dan_Lockwood said:

You're robbing Peter to pay Paul with the adjustments.

You CANNOT adjust more throw into the cable.  All you can do is give more F, or more R.  You cannot get both with a cable adjustment.

Someone actually cut the slot for the shift lever longer and then modified the detents and that seemed to help him, but the downright simplest solution is to remove the lever assembly and have it lengthen 3/4".

And yes, every time it jumps out of gear, the very corners of the gear dogs are rounding off just a bit at a time.  Before too long, the gears will be worn enough that they will need to be replaced.  A fix sooner than later, is the key here.

Good luck, Dan

Yes, I agree. I'm just hoping the original owner that put the first 23 miles on it didn't do much damage. I'm still ticked I was told by Tractor Supply that this unit was new when I bought it. I only wish I knew how to work the dash to check the hours/miles properly, but I did get it at a good price, even for a used UTV. Thanks again for recommendations.