Some trouble downshifting. Please help.
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,423
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From: Southern California High Desert, here and there....
Some trouble downshifting. Please help.
2000 Electraglide, has an Ultima 6 sp OD gear set.
Several thousand trouble free miles on the tranny, but recently developed 2 problems:
1) trouble downshifting from 6 to 5, such as when pulling up a long grade with headwind and have to drop down out of OD to maintain speed or accelerate. Shift lever moves down a stop, as if shifting, but stays in 6th often. Much less of a problem when slowing down to a stop and dropping down though the gears with throttle blips to rev match. But, this is where the 2nd problem happens:
2) Will shift down 6-5-4-3-2-N-1. No longer shifting from 2 to 1, but goes into N. Have to downshift again to get from N to 1.
Clutch seems to be adjusted fine. Fluid levels fine. Is the Ultima tranny a POS, or do these problems point to a likely and hopefully simple fix? Thanks.
Several thousand trouble free miles on the tranny, but recently developed 2 problems:
1) trouble downshifting from 6 to 5, such as when pulling up a long grade with headwind and have to drop down out of OD to maintain speed or accelerate. Shift lever moves down a stop, as if shifting, but stays in 6th often. Much less of a problem when slowing down to a stop and dropping down though the gears with throttle blips to rev match. But, this is where the 2nd problem happens:
2) Will shift down 6-5-4-3-2-N-1. No longer shifting from 2 to 1, but goes into N. Have to downshift again to get from N to 1.
Clutch seems to be adjusted fine. Fluid levels fine. Is the Ultima tranny a POS, or do these problems point to a likely and hopefully simple fix? Thanks.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,615
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From: Escondido, CA
Hard to say without more info. But I think I would change the tranny oil to a good synthetic like Mobil 1 75/140 and the primary to a good atf like trick shift from B&M and them take it out for a ride. Make sure the fluid levels are correct.
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,423
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From: Southern California High Desert, here and there....
Thanks for your help, but those are all non-issues. It's something mechanical with the tranny.
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 771
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From: Hurricane,WV
You need to adjust your shifter fork on the shifter arm. There is an adjustmnent that allows you to center the shifter at mid point , thus allowing you to shift up and down at the same pressure. Right above your shifter arm, there is a screw with a lock nut . That adjusts the fork that shifts up or down. The service manual should guide you through the adjustment process. If it is too far one way or the other, you will have problems shifting either up or down, depending on which way it is out of adjustment. The type of oil won't cause that problem. If you need more help, just PM me. It is a simple fix..
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,423
Likes: 0
From: Southern California High Desert, here and there....
You need to adjust your shifter fork on the shifter arm. There is an adjustmnent that allows you to center the shifter at mid point , thus allowing you to shift up and down at the same pressure. Right above your shifter arm, there is a screw with a lock nut . That adjusts the fork that shifts up or down. The service manual should guide you through the adjustment process. If it is too far one way or the other, you will have problems shifting either up or down, depending on which way it is out of adjustment. The type of oil won't cause that problem. If you need more help, just PM me. It is a simple fix..
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 771
Likes: 2
From: Hurricane,WV
I would definitely take the top cover off and have a look see. You could have a bent fork somewhere .
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2006
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From: Southern California High Desert, here and there....
Problem finally identified and solved.
Well, it turned out not to be any of the above, but I appreciated all the suggestions as to what the problem might have been, Now it is finally solved, and it was a weird one.
Was coming back from a club run out to Palm Springs, and the problem started to worsen rapidly and severely on the last several miles of a short 400 mile run. Right in front of my driveway, the transmission failed, unable to be shifted out of Neutral. At least it waited until I made it all the way home and didn't leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
To make a long story short, the splined transmission shift shaft was gradually failing over time. The metal was cracking, and the crack was apparently flexing open during downshifts, causing the vague downshifting, failure to down shift, downshifts from 2 to N instead of bypassing N and going directly into 1, and an increasing number of false neutrals, all on downshifts. Finally, at the last 50 feet of the run, the splined shaft snapped at the narrow section of the shaft just inboard of the splines. At 1st when I saw the shift lever (the one that attaches to the splined shaft via a pinch bolt right behind the inner primary) dangling along with the shift rod, I thought the splines in the shift lever had stripped, as that is not that uncommon. But when I got the inner primary off, I was surprised to see that the shift lever was still firmly bolted to the splined shaft, the splined shaft was snapped off! Never saw this happen like that before. While everything was apart waiting for a new splint shaft for the Ultima 6 sp, went through the rest of the tranny and everything looked fine. Shift forks, shift drum, neutral detent spring, etc. All in good shape. Got the new splined shaft for about $56, everything went back together nicely, transmission shifts like it did when it was new. Problem solved. Thought some of you might appreciate the update. Thanks for your suggestions.
Was coming back from a club run out to Palm Springs, and the problem started to worsen rapidly and severely on the last several miles of a short 400 mile run. Right in front of my driveway, the transmission failed, unable to be shifted out of Neutral. At least it waited until I made it all the way home and didn't leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
To make a long story short, the splined transmission shift shaft was gradually failing over time. The metal was cracking, and the crack was apparently flexing open during downshifts, causing the vague downshifting, failure to down shift, downshifts from 2 to N instead of bypassing N and going directly into 1, and an increasing number of false neutrals, all on downshifts. Finally, at the last 50 feet of the run, the splined shaft snapped at the narrow section of the shaft just inboard of the splines. At 1st when I saw the shift lever (the one that attaches to the splined shaft via a pinch bolt right behind the inner primary) dangling along with the shift rod, I thought the splines in the shift lever had stripped, as that is not that uncommon. But when I got the inner primary off, I was surprised to see that the shift lever was still firmly bolted to the splined shaft, the splined shaft was snapped off! Never saw this happen like that before. While everything was apart waiting for a new splint shaft for the Ultima 6 sp, went through the rest of the tranny and everything looked fine. Shift forks, shift drum, neutral detent spring, etc. All in good shape. Got the new splined shaft for about $56, everything went back together nicely, transmission shifts like it did when it was new. Problem solved. Thought some of you might appreciate the update. Thanks for your suggestions.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Lagoa - VNF
"Will shift down 6-5-4-3-2-N-1. No longer shifting from 2 to 1, but goes into N. Have to downshift again to get from N to 1."
nice feature, surely much more easy to find neutral, some local HOGs would love that.
nice feature, surely much more easy to find neutral, some local HOGs would love that.
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