2nd gear curiosity

[beegshot]

I'll second this comment

...a engine lift helps out a bunch...And a extra person to help...

I flipped my XJ by myself with just an engine crane. It took two hours in both directions. I could have saved myself 3.5 hours if I'd had two extra stong backs in addition to mine. I didn't drop it and I had no mishaps.

***Note - Take a good look at your frame tubes. These frames are made with longitudinally welded tubing (not seamless tubing). My left side tube had split along the seam due to loads placed on it by the side stand. I welded a reinforcing piece onto my tube while I had it upside down.

Robert

[TopCatGr58]

This one is now starting to have problems going into 2nd gear when downshifting. It will go from 3rd to neutral & will not downshift to 1st. Have to shift to 2nd and then I can downshift to 1st. I won't be able to fix myself and would like some advice as to what is the problem. Want to have some sort of idea about what to expect when I can find someone to repair. Can anyone help?

Hey Ken,

Don gave some good advice, I would just also add that when folks have trouble downshifting, it's often because the return shift spring has gotten weak/worn, and sometimes when you depress the shift lever it won't bounce back up to reset the pawl to grab the next pin on the shift drum. You say you are shifting back up to 2nd and then down to first. When this happens, once you're in neutral, gently pull up on the shift lever, not so far as to actually shift into 2nd, just enough to allow the shift pawl to reset, and then you should be able to downshift into 1st. IF this shows true, then you have diagnosed your weak return spring, get and install a new one.

T.C.

[KA1J]

A lot of good suggestions and I'm going to have to plan on doing this in the spring, just too cold in the unheated garage to do it in the winter. It'll be a challenge to get the bike over, most of my friends are the same age as me & no kids to help out. 2 geezers = 1 young buck so 3-4 of us otter get it done.

After some comments suggested to me I'm wondering if I might be better off taking the gears to a machinist to have cut & then have them re-hardened, it'll be more precise than dremel by eye. Can't help but think precision & gears go together. Need to see what the cost of that will be.

Also, while the countershaft is out, what's the reason for switching the washer to the other side of 2nd gear?

And just to be sure, the washer in question is #24 on this parts blow-up?
http://www.yamahapartshouse.com/oemp...e/transmission

Thanks!

[jetmechmarty]

After some comments suggested to me I'm wondering if I might be better off taking the gears to a machinist to have cut & then have them re-hardened, it'll be more precise than dremel by eye. Can't help but think precision & gears go together. Need to see what the cost of that will be.

This is a decision you'll have to make for yourself. Opinions on this will vary. Plenty have had good luck with the Dremel, and others might not be willing to try it.

Turning the bike upside down is not a tough as you think. Three geezers should be easy. Just take all the stuff off that might get broken.

[jetmechmarty]

Also, while the countershaft is out, what's the reason for switching the washer to the other side of 2nd gear?

And just to be sure, the washer in question is #24 on this parts blow-up?
http://www.yamahapartshouse.com/oemp...e/transmission

Thanks!

Moving the washer provides a tighter engagement between those dogs and slots. #24 is the one.

[BA80]

Having the gears cut by a machinist and rehardened is totally a personal choice. Everyone I know has just reshaped the dogs and lands with a dremmel and put it back that way. I don't remember hearing of that fix ever failing.

Yes, #24 is the washer we're talking about. Just move it to the other side of #23 and it will move the gears closer together and gives the dogs a bigger bite on the lands.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Greg,

Your meds must still be kicking in, it's affecting your memory! Just this past month we had a fellow post about a set of gears he had dremeled, and later on the dogs actually sheared off of the gear! But that was the first time that I've heard of that happening. I've heard a few folks having to go back in because they didn't grind off enough or have a steep enough angle, and they started skipping again. OR they only worked on the 1st gear, and then 2nd failed shortly thereafter.

Well, machinists around here are getting ~$50.00 /hour, so you could quickly and easily spend as much or more $$ on getting them professionally ground/cut to where you might be able to buy the new gears!

T.C.

[BA80]

Yeah, I recall that now TC. That seems to be the exception though. Probably ground WAY too much off.

I've kinda built up a resistance to the meds. They still handle the pain but don't knock me out like they used to.

[KA1J]

OK, washer #24 gets shifted to the other side of 2nd gear. I'll do that.

What about washer #17 between 1st & 4th, does that get shifted to between the middle drive & 1st?

http://tinyurl.com/klsaz6t

Seems like if it helps on the 2nd gear fix, perhaps it has value for the 1st gear fix?

[DGXSER]

Like others have stated, moving that washer about doubles the amount of the dogs on 5th gear that engage the slots on second gear. Which should lessen the likely hood of this failure occurring again.

I have not seen anyone ever move washer 17. I think Tod might have actually, and it did not work out well IIRC.

[BA80]

Yeah, Tod tried moving the washer for 4th gear and destroyed a transmission in just a few miles. The second gear washer swap is the only one that works.

[madmax-im]

When I had the 2nd gear issue in 2009 I opted to buy New factory backcut gearsets made by Yamaha through Bike bandit...at that time they still made them...definitely alot more expensive but rather than dremelling i just swapped out the1-4 and 2-5 gearsets...and yes i flipped the XJ on its back...I did have alot of help from Randy and later TC...Randy came to my home in NJ and later when I was still having troubles getting it 100% right I brought it to TC's in VA...in Aug 3 hot sweltering days in his garage...Thanks guys that was some memorable times...wish I still had the XJ...somewhere in the bowels of this site there is a complete thread on it...

[madmax-im]

When I had the 2nd gear issue in 2009 I opted to buy New factory backcut gearsets made by Yamaha through Bike bandit...at that time they still made them...definitely alot more expensive but rather than dremelling i just swapped out the1-4 and 2-5 gearsets...and yes i flipped the XJ on its back...I did have alot of help from Randy and later TC...Randy came to my home in NJ and later when I was still having troubles getting it 100% right I brought it to TC's in VA...in Aug 3 hot sweltering days in his garage...Thanks guys that was some memorable times...wish I still had the XJ...somewhere in the bowels of this site there is a complete thread on it...

correction...2008

[trbig]

Yeah, Tod tried moving the washer for 4th gear and destroyed a transmission in just a few miles. The second gear washer swap is the only one that works.

Yup.. Found a company that had washers that size exactly half the thickness and tried moving first/fourthth just half the washer distance closer. In 4th gear, 1st and 4th would chew on each other.