[ethantrotz18]

Hi! I have a 2007 Honda Foreman 500, it's not a 'real' manual (doesn't have a clutch), but you do still have to shift it with your foot. Anyways, I was having trouble with the idle, so I cleaned the carb and turned the idle up. Sounded and ran fine after I started it, but I didn't ride it right after doing that because it was later at night. However, I did ride it the next day and as soon as I started it, to get it out of my shop, I had to back it up. Right away I thought it was a little bit harder to shift than it usually was, but I didn't feel like I was really forcing anything, so I pressed down a little harder and shifted it into reverse. Every time I shifted after that, I knew it was harder to do than it normally was, but I thought maybe it had something to do with the idle being set higher. Anyways, after riding it for about 10 mins, one time while shifting the whole lever came loose on me. It happened when I was in first gear, so I just drove it back to the barn and parked it. The lever is so loose I can move it up and down with my pinky finger, and the gears don't change. With it being stuck in first, I can't even start it until I can get it in neutral. Any ideas of what I broke, what I need to take apart, or what I need to fix it? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ethan

 

[mrbb]

first off welcome to the site
and when you say the whole shifter is moving, do you mean where it bolts onto the shaft(splines on shaft and also splines on the mounting area of the foot shift lever)

the shift lever has a slop in it, to allow you to tighten it up on the shaft, BUT if you run things loose they can become stripped and then NOT hold
so, please state more on if its the shift lever that slipping on you and NOT shifting gears, or
whether it just is TIGHT on shaft and you just cannot shift gears with the lever
and if so?

have you tried adjusting the clutch on this to see if that helps, for shifting!

 

[ethantrotz18]

The whole lever is very loose, I can move it up, down, and a little bit in and out (sideways/ left and right), it does not grab any gears what so ever. I haven't taken anything apart yet, but nothing feels tight.

 

[fishfiles]

if the threads in the shifter strips the bolt holding the shifter onto the spline shaft , it will cause it to get loose , if you ride it loose it will strip the splines of the shaft , if that is the case , first thing to try is a longer bolt and a self locking nut , if that does not work cause the splines are stripped too bad , you can either take the engine apart and fix the stripped shaft or put a tack weld on the end of the shifter and shaft and worry about fixing right if you were to even need to open the case covers

 

[mrbb]

another thing you can do, is, take the shift lever off, use dermel and cut a slit in it, or a wider one and drill out the hole, add a longer bolt and then you can squeeze it onto the shaft better, giving more room for it to collapse onto the shaft then