How to tell trans is in correctly?

Discussion specific to the 1995 - 2006 KDX200 (H Series) and 1995 - 2005 KDX220R (A Series) models sold in the USA
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Tyl3r
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How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Putting the bottom end together and can't quite seem to get the trans in there correctly. When I drop everything in and put the shift forks in, the gears turn one way for a bit then jam up. Turn back the other way and it jams up. I can see the shift drum is in the neutral position, so the gears should spin freely with the shift forks and rods in, no? I thought at first that maybe the other case half needed to be installed for it to work correctly. I didn't put my LH crank bearing in, so I slipped the cases together. Nope, that's not it either. I tried shifting through the the gears and nothing changed.

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I am thinking the grooves and slots in the gears need to line up a certain way, and right now they aren't. Is that a correct assumption? If so, any tips/tricks to get them lined up correctly? Could I have done something else? The only thing I messed with that touches the trans is the output bearing. I have confirmed that it is fully seated. :hmm:
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How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by SS109 »

Had the same issue with my 220 when I rebuilt it due to the output shaft bearing failing.

Slide your left side case half on, install the main shift rod and slide your shifter on it where you can operate it by hand. With the cases sitting approximately in it's normal running position (it's not critical obviously) now try to shift the trans making sure the shift rod does not slip outward on the clutch side of the case. From my experience it might or might not shift in to the gear. Now, while holding the shifter in the position it won't go in to gear with one hand, use your other hand to rotate the output shaft. It should now shift in to the gear you were trying to get while rotating the output shaft. Repeat the procedure through all gears to make sure everything is good.

I hope that made sense and helps!
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Yea, I get what you're saying, but that's basically what I tried already. Did the gears turn, then jam like mine do when you case halves were apart? I can't tell if its supposed to be doing that or not. I'm going to try line up the ears/grooves in all of the gears a little better and try again this evening, paying more attention to the details you mention above.
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How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by SS109 »

I couldn't get it to shift at all unless the two halves were together. It seemed like to me that the trans shafts and the shift fork shafts just moved enough that everything would bind up.
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Gotcha. Thanks for the tips, I'm going to play with it after work today, I'll let ya know how it goes.
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tedh98 »

Yep, the gears are going to bind up if you try to rotate things with just one case half.
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Tedh98 wrote:Yep, the gears are going to bind up if you try to rotate things with just one case half.
Exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks!
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Ok, so I had some time to mess with this over the weekend. When I would put the case halves together to test, the transmission shafts would lock up. Turns out, I was putting the washer that goes behind the clutch, on the transmission shaft before dropping it into the bearing (i.e. I was putting the thick washer on the wrong side of the bearing). Once I got that figured out, I was able to assemble and run through the gears.

Since I am new to this, I noticed three things that had me worried, I didn't know if they were normal or not. Could someone please let me know if these are OK, so I can finally button this thing up?

1. As I got went through the gears, I noticed there was more play (or slop) in the two shafts (like excessive backlash in reference to a ring and pinion for a car), increasing as the gears got higher. Is that normal?

2. The shafts both had some play along their axes (in and out of the cases). I figured with the clutch and outer cover installed, that would go away. Is that correct?

3. It didn't always go into the next gear when going up or down. Sometime it would jam up, would need to wiggle some things back and fourth, and it would fall into a gear. Is that normal? I think this is what SS109 was describing in an earlier post, I just want to confirm this is the same thing.
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How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by SS109 »

1. Yes, that is normal.
2. There will be some play but it shouldn't be excessive.
3. Yup, that is what I was talking about. The trans doesn't like to shift unless the input shaft is rotating. That's why when the bike is not running you sometimes have to bump the bike when trying to shift to neutral or another gear.
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Re: How to tell trans is in correctly?

Post by Tyl3r »

Awesome! Looks like this thing can finally go back together!
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