250es will not down shift into reverse

[frauke75]

Help please...250es ('85) will not down shift into reverse.

I had been pulling the wife and kid out on the lake in a snowmobile sleigh.
It's fun when on ATV matted down trail but ruff or impossible on the deeper unpacked stuff. Anyway... was getting stuck a lot last night and having to do a lot of reverse / forward to get unstuck.
Then one time I couldnot get it in reverse and in trying to... shifter lever came loose. This was the first time I had a problem getting into reverse. (I have never used the button... I just got this and it would go into reverse without it... and I liked that... so never looked into it) It just feels like I am hitting something when I push down from neutral. I tightened up the lever and moved it higher than before just in case it had shifted down with all the pounding I was doing to it, and was bottoming out on something. (cuz that is what it feels like) but it did not help.

It now shifts fine (maybe better... more of a “clunk”) through the all the other gears and back to neutral but it stops hard there and will not move down at all.

Before this, the only things I can add is that the shifter did not always (& not too often) return to allow the next shift. I was going to look into a spring that I read on this sight might be this issue for this but it was workable so I just kept riding it.

Please let me know what you all think this might be.
I really hope this is an easy fix... if not, I will probability be be with out it for the rest of the winter.
I need to move it into the shed tonight as we are expecting up to 20” of snow over the next few days and need the garage space... but would like to fix it first because I do not know when I would be able to get it out of again and can't work on it out there.

I thank you all for any and all advice.

[Hair Bear Bunch]

Sounds to me like the reverse cable was seized, allowing you to select reverse without the button. While you were giving it some grief either the cable freed off or broke and locked it out of reverse. Without the engine running, see if you can select reverse by holding up the lockout lever on the gearbox.
Can't help with diagnosis any further, just my thoughts.
Rob.

PS. please don't take this the wrong way, but you are releasing the left brake, then pressing the button, and re-applying the left brake to select reverse? If you've never had to use it and it's freed off - just a thought...

[Dirtcrasher]

Probably just a cable or adjustment, not much goes wrong inside if it already worked. If the other gears act funny, then under the left cover may show you so stuff.

Otherwise, it's more of a linkage/cable thing for the most part.......

[frauke75]

Thanks!!! That was it. I over reacted and didn't think about the simple solution first.

I am glad it was EZ because I got a poker run next weekend. (still don't know if I will make it... it has been slow going lately but with another 20” coming I think I will be SOL.)

I needed to use the never before used reverse button. ... and I needed the instruction on how to do that because I never did it before.
I think this all needs some adjusting. The button will not go in with the brake fully out but if I pull it in a bit it will go down.
I then tried to pull the brake in but it would not move. So I squeezed hard and felt nothing move but tried reverse and it when right in.
It must be still frozen up because I can again just shift it into reverse without the button.

I am wondering... when I was repeatedly trying to shift it I noticed something that I did not notice before.
If the bike is off I could only shift from 1st to neutral and back... would not go into 2nd. But start it up and not moving I could go through all but reverse (before fix).

...and when it is running it really engages... I can feel it through the bike when I just shift, don't know any way to say it but it's like a twisting bearing down feeling. Feels like power and cool just don't remember this before.

Any thoughts? Is this normal?

[ailll1]

Your cable needs some lub. Mine is doing the same, feels like its not moving when pulling it and it wont go back by itself (will go back with vibration though). I'm having some more issues with tranny but wont investigate until snow melts. :P

When your rocking your trike back and forth will it engage in other gears?

[frauke75]

I was going to lube the cables but couldn't find cable lube (have looked hard, only in auto areas of the super stores).
How do you apply it... disconnect cable and drip it on the wire and just work it in with movement? both ends?
I ask... for all the other cables more than this one. I think I am going to try to lock it out somehow so I do not need it because I would rather not have to push the button with heavy gloves and how often I would need to, to get unstuck. I don't think I am worried about the "safety issue".

I did not try shifting it when I rocked it.
So this not normal... I should be able to go through all the gears with the engine off?
I had never thought about it before and do not know if it would go through its gears with it off before. I think it did.
What would that mean? What would be moving if it is effected by rocking... are we still on the cable or are you thinking something else?
It will go threw them all fine when it's running (and not moving) but with it off only neutral and 1st?

[bcredneck]

if you can shift into reverse with out using the leaver the cable could have been pinched like my old clutch cable i had to shake my bars wile giving it gas to shift into 1st kinda scary cause i didnt know when the cutch would grab