05 rancher 350 es shift problem

[mozy444 5]

Could it be the clutch adjustment?  The #14 spring doesn't seem "springy" at all.  Or is there something else I should be looking for?

[mozy444 5]

Stretched out #14 spring a little.  Put cover back on and torqued down.  Still shifting great.  Will finish reassembly tomorrow and try the electric shift motor but am sure it will be fine now since the shift shaft returns to center on its own now.

[mozy444 5]

I finally had time to work on this again.  Here is where I'm at.  Shifts great with manual shifter.  Install electric motor and will not return to center.  If I shift it electrically it doesn't return, but I can pull the shift motor and it immediately returns to center.  Basically it will not return to center with the shift motor installed.  I replaced the shift motor with brand new one and same problem.  Now what?

Edited February 3, 2023 by mozy444

[jeepwm69 7,719]

37 minutes ago, mozy444 said:

I finally had time to work on this again.  Here is where I'm at.  Shifts great with manual shifter.  Install electric motor and will not return to center.  If I shift it electrically it doesn't return, but I can pull the shift motor and it immediately returns to center.  Basically it will not return to center with the shift motor installed.  I replaced the shift motor with brand new one and same problem.  Now what?

 

New OEM or new china/amazon?

 

Have you cleaned up, inspected, and lightly greased the gears that the shift motor actuates?

[retro 4,071]

The tiny reduction gears support bearings might need some work. Sometimes one or two of those tiny ball bearings is installed improperly at the factory which results in the bearing left cocked sideways slightly in the bore. Whenever a bearing is cocked in it's bore there is excessive friction because it allows a reduction gear to be pinched and that gear rubs on the cover. The return spring cannot overcome the friction caused by a binding gear, so ES fails to complete a shift.

 

Take the reduction gears/shift motor cover off and remove the gears so you can inspect those support bearings. If any are slightly crooked tap on the high side of the bearing race with a plastic screwdriver handle (or small plastic hammer) lightly until the bearing is perfectly straight in the bore. Then push some synthetic grease into each of those bearings using your finger until the ball bearings are fully repacked which takes about 10-15 minutes to accomplish.

 

Odds are good that you don't need that angle sensor bypass harness at all and never did. Follow this ES prep guide entirely (don't skip anything!) then remove the bypass harness to see if you've solved your problem.

 

 

[mozy444 5]

The reduction gears were the first thing I checked after installing the bypass.  Shift motor had no power before the bypass was installed.  Once I had power and it was shifting but not returning to center, I cleaned the reduction gears, greased and reassembled.  Didnt help. I came up with a temporary fix.  I pulled the front cover again.  Removed the large spring from the shift plate.  Over extended the spring to give it more strength then reinstalled. Then I bolted on a shim that causes the shift motor to tilt down slightly which has relieved the pressure on the gears.  Still don't know why if had that much pressure in the gears, but with the spring stronger and the shim in place, it shifts fine now.  Would still rather fix the problem instead of the shim, but at least it's working.

Edited February 4, 2023 by mozy444

[Lgbutram 0]

On 2/4/2023 at 12:43 AM, mozy444 said:

The reduction gears were the first thing I checked after installing the bypass.  Shift motor had no power before the bypass was installed.  Once I had power and it was shifting but not returning to center, I cleaned the reduction gears, greased and reassembled.  Didnt help. I came up with a temporary fix.  I pulled the front cover again.  Removed the large spring from the shift plate.  Over extended the spring to give it more strength then reinstalled. Then I bolted on a shim that causes the shift motor to tilt down slightly which has relieved the pressure on the gears.  Still don't know why if had that much pressure in the gears, but with the spring stronger and the shim in place, it shifts fine now.  Would still rather fix the problem instead of the shim, but at least it's working.

I know this is over a year old but I have the exact same issue. What do you mean when you say you overextended the spring? I am trying to fix this for my daughter and it’s been a nightmare trying to figure it out. I didn’t realize it wasn’t returning to center at first and I replaced the clutch and shift motor both. If you could explain to me what you done to the spring I think it would be able to get it going. Thank you. 

[mozy444 5]

I stretched the spring slightly.  But I do have an update.  I no longer need the shim I put in there.  The clutch must not have been fully disengaging and the shim helped with that.  in the beginning, I had adjusted the clutch with the bolt adjuster on the front of the engine but it didn't help.  Then I read somewhere online a description of the adjustment with one difference.  Most instructions say to loosen lock nut, turn screw counter clockwise until you feel resistance, then clockwise 1/4 turn then tighten lock nut.  The difference that worked for me had to do with the level of resistance.  The instructions said to turn it until you feel GOOD resistance, not just contact. Then the 1/4 turn back.  My rancher shifts flawlessly now.  Absolutely no problem.  So adjust the clutch but go for more resistance on the adjustment screw than just contact.  Use just enough resistance for the clutch to disengage.  It may take a couple tries.  Mine worked the first try.  Still shifting flawlessly today.

[Lgbutram 0]

4 hours ago, mozy444 said:

I stretched the spring slightly.  But I do have an update.  I no longer need the shim I put in there.  The clutch must not have been fully disengaging and the shim helped with that.  in the beginning, I had adjusted the clutch with the bolt adjuster on the front of the engine but it didn't help.  Then I read somewhere online a description of the adjustment with one difference.  Most instructions say to loosen lock nut, turn screw counter clockwise until you feel resistance, then clockwise 1/4 turn then tighten lock nut.  The difference that worked for me had to do with the level of resistance.  The instructions said to turn it until you feel GOOD resistance, not just contact. Then the 1/4 turn back.  My rancher shifts flawlessly now.  Absolutely no problem.  So adjust the clutch but go for more resistance on the adjustment screw than just contact.  Use just enough resistance for the clutch to disengage.  It may take a couple tries.  Mine worked the first try.  Still shifting flawlessly today.

Thank you very much for replying. I didn’t explain what I was asking very well after re reading it I was trying to ask which spring you were referring to. There’s one not far from right under the shift drum and then there’s one behind everything next to the star shaped gear 

[mozy444 5]

   

 

#14 on this breakdown.  But try the clutch adjustment first, before wasting time pulling the crank case cover.    

[BlueJay 38]

I was having problems shifting with my 2k 350 Rancher and I finally followed every step in the ES Cleaning tutorial mentioned above, adjusted the clutch screw, readjusted it again, and finally got it shifting properly and consistently. It does take some tweaking. I have given up on finding a new meter (burned out gear area - AKATV said it couldn’t be repaired reasonably $) and now it works just fine “listening” like the old days. That tutorial was worth it’s weight in parts!