1985 250 sx shift linkage (internal)

[tri again]

Ok, I've had it.

In a caring, loving sorta way, I need to share.

If your 250 sx or es refuses to shift, relax.

Lay it on it's right side, dead level, left side cover off. after draining the oil and gas.
Prepare to take it apart at least 3x. and TONS of close up pictures.

Get any gaskets listed for it.

Order the pin and bracket for the shifter that commonly go bad.
Everyone has them in stock.
Parts numbers are avail if you use the search key for "shift"
Should pull up everything ever posted about shifting problems.

Research the problem and fixes for days and days and weeks and weeks.

Take it apart and keep the faith.

The pin that breaks or bends, isn't.
The autopsy turned up negative.


In this case, the stud pin that secures the shift drum 'star' doesn't mind coming loose.

But....
on the way out, it bends the standoff cover plate AND itself.

is it bent.?? why doesn't it work.????
How do you tell?

IDK

put it in a drill and the thing had a seriously obvious wobble.

Back together now.

s.o.b. I have Never been thru such tedious brain salad surgery in my life.

To the point that I suggest calling me collect if your sx or es has suddenly opted for the
'mystery shifter' phenomenon.

541 nine 3 five
4 two oh six.

No kidding.

This is my 18th honda trike and I have Never come across this many design
inconsistencies in my life.

If you're having trouble with an sx or es shifting? I just happen


to have all the info ever written about
it in my archives.

For the record, the mud is always knee deep here so we usually operate the shifter barefoot, not steel toed boots.


Hope everyone is having a great summer.

[dustrunner]

thanks, good to know. i had a 250sx years ago that prolly had this problem....

[Flyingw]

Dont be so quick to blame the shift linkage. In some SX/ES trannies I have seen the pins that are cast on the side of the gears mushroom out from the years of impact when the gears sliding into eachother and locking in place on those pins. These pins slide in to slots on the mating gears. When they mushroom out, the gears dont slide together as they are supposed to. I have an SX motor on my bench now that doesnt like to shift between 2nd and 3rd up or down. I am expecting to find one of two things when I open it up. 1. the pins on the 2nd gear are mushroomed or a bent shift fork.

With the ES/SX motors, a bent shift shaft is sometimes to blame. Put a straight edge on your shift shaft. Check it all the way around. Thats the no 1 cause of shift problems. If its straight and everything checks out then its time to pull the motor and open it up.

[RiJiD-WILL]

did you get to drive it? everything shifting well?

[Flyingw]

Ya, I rebuilt the motor when I built my Army trike and it worked fine for a couple of months but in April last year my buddy was riding it at Little Sahara Ok and he said it was fine one minute and hosed the next. It will shift in to 2nd and 3rd but I have to move the shift lever twice to get it to go in to gear and with the SX, those gears are used allot so it got to be a pain. I put together an ES motor and installed it with no issues but this motor is going in to my next SX build this Winter so I want to get this problem fixed as the motor has a bunch of new parts in it. I too have swapped out all the shift linkage parts but the problem always remained unchanged so thats why I think it is one of those two defects I talked about earlier.

[Killbot]

Tri-again. That was funny! I take notes too.lol

[ndavis1280]

Shoooooot. Ughh...FINE!!����. Me thinks I might have this problem...and I'm in..dedicated..I can't stop til I have it running. Here goes nothing!