2000 Foreman S 400 tranny problem

[spliffy]

I was riding my 2000 foreman 400 s the other day up & down a small hill to pack down dirt, I would crawl up it & then let it roll down, I turned it off to go get a beverage & when I came back & sat on it, I couldn't find nuetral to get it started. I & a buddy messed with it for about a hour trying to find nuetral, but couldn't, we tried pop starting it in gear & rope pulling it also, nutton is working. I tried a google search & came up with another guy with a similar problem is a whole diff forum but I tried everything he tried & now he is bringing it in to a dealer to look at. Anybody have any ideas or heard of this before? its wierd, cuz I can roll it backwards, but not forward.. if it was in gear it shouldn't roll at all right? I've done the Honda rock & even tried shifting it when it was rolling & nutton... wth is with it?:confused: :confused:

[YZ400EX]

If it is stuck in a forward gear you will be able to roll it backwards, but not forwards..This is because of the centrifical clutch (bad spelling). when you roll it forward the engine may or may not turn over..if the wheels are just locked up you should have an adjustment on the right side of the motor that looks like a screw with a nut around it..if you turn this it will put pressure on the clutch thus disengaging the tranmsmission like on a manual type vehicle. more than likely the problem with this is that you have either broken a spring that controls part of the shift mechanism, you have broken the shift mechanism, a problem with the shift star itself, or it is just hung in gear and the engine somehow needs to be turned over a little to get the gears unhung up and you should be good to go again..More than likely this has nothing to do with you going up a hill and coming back down it in the same gear..thats why there is a clutch inside. Anyways let me know if when you push it forward if the wheels are locked up or of the engine turns over. Also of they are locked up and you cant get the motor turning try pushing down or lifting up on the gearshifter when trying to move..this will engage the clutch and will allow it to me moved freely. Let me know..

[spliffy]

When I push it forward, the engine turns over & the tires turn, you can feel the compression on the engine, then gives way & moves forward abit until you hit compression again, then does it again.... pushing in reverse it just rolls fine. This is screwy..... Thanks for the reply 400exguy. Any idea?

[YZ400EX]

Yea like I said it will roll backward fine, but when you roll forward it will trun the engine because the clutch is disengaged..Like I said try pulling the shifter up or pushing it down while pushing it forward..this will engage the clutch and should allow the machine to roll freely..Try pull starting it behind another vehicle this will allow the motor to start..you should be able to get it out of gear once it is started unless like I said there are problems with the shift star or a spring in the shifter mechanism..when pull starting it behind a vehicle hold up on the shift so it rolls free and then when you get up to speed left off of the shifter so the motor will turn over..the reason why it will not start when in gear is because the sensor is saying it is in gear and nothing will work (starter) when its in gear, but if it is pulled it will still be getting gas and spark so it will start if pull started..Try this and let me know what you find out..

[spliffy]

Yep... just as I feared.... That didn't work, there must be something busted inside the tranny, to weird that it just happened when I turned it off. I dunno I guess I start looking for a Clymer manual for it & rip it apart & see what I can see. Thanks for trying to help though.

[zlam27]

i have a 98' foreman S and the only tranny issues i have ever had were with the clutch (auto-clutch). when i first bought it, it felt like the clutch was slipping really bad and by the end of the day it wouldnt even move. i adjusted the clutch via the screw with the nut around it and that solved the problem.

it seems to me that when its in gear it wont roll either direction, and i dont know if you can pull-start an auto clutch machine.

i would start by checking the clutch adjustment, then making sure the shift-shaft is moving properly. if all that checks out, maybe check any electrical connections that could be faulty.

its a start anyway, if i think of anything else ill post it. if you happen to fix it, let us know what the problem was.

zach

[YZ400EX]

I know that you can start an auto clurch by pulling as long as the clutch doesnt slip when pulling..I do it all the time to my cousins because his battery is dead and the rope starter broke..anyways I really do not think that the prbblem is anything major or broken....I think if you got it started the tranny would unstick and you would be ok..it could be a drive shaft too, but that shouldnt make the gears stick at all unless it is hung pretty good...anyways yea when you get it fixed let us know what it was ..Thanks and good luck

[spliffy]

Thanks for the replies.. I think we are going to try to work on it more this weekend, the shifter shaft doesn't seem to be moving for chit....its to weird that it was working good then went to chit by turning it off:confused: but who knows... I will write back if & when we figure it out.