Unable to shift after riding a while.

[Gunsmoke928]

Lately after I ride my 08 XP for a while, I am unable to shift gears (high, low or reverse). I have to pull the emergency brake which reduces the idle to be able to shift. Any ideas or suggestions??

[Dirty Dawg Dale]

The machine should Idle at 1150 rpm. If the machine Idles high try adjusting the throttle cable.

[GRAZOR]

DALE knows these units inside and out and if the RPMs are too high then cable stretch or adjustment might be the issue.

Do yourself a big favor and check the fluid levels in all the places. There is no better way of feeling satisfied than doing it for yourself!

Plenty of stories here and elsewhere about dealers who charge the money but don't do the job and change or even check the fluid levels.

Gary

[bogus]

I just had the same problem and hopefully the fix is the same for you. Take the bottom seat cushion off and from the drivers side look at the cable going into the top of the engine horizonally from the back (that's the throttle cable) and it has a rubber cover on it. Slide the cover back and there is a nut under the rubber that is adjustable and mine vibrated way out(which increased the idle speed). By the time I got the answer from Carnivore my idle was 4000 rpm and climbing because it gets progressively worse. All I had to do is tighten it to the engine and it was fixed. If your idle is too low with it tightened all the way down, it has a locking nut which enables you to back it out and then lock it down. Mine was just right when I tightened it to the engine. Good Luck!

[Bigdog800efi]

Does it shift easy with the motor turned off?

[Gunsmoke928]

Yes, it shifts fine when the idle is lowered or the engine turned off.

[Recoiljunky]

Just a thought, I had the same problem of not being able to shift due to high rpms. come to find out, the butter fly in the carb cam out of adjustment causing the motor to idle at about 4500rpms. after loosening the 2 screws that hold it in place and adjusting to center again, it idled fine. might be your problem. worth a check.

[Yamahalic]

My 2007 Ranger 4 X 4 XP developed the same symptom after about 35 hours of occasional weekend use. The fix that forum user bogus recommended in the post series fixed it. The throttle cable locking nut had completely backed off allowing the cable to flex and stretch with heat, the problem worsened as the engine's heat increased. Engine rpms after about 25 miles of use was approximately 3850 and increased to around 4300 rpm by the end of the day. After the fix to adjust cable and Loctite the adjust hold nut my side-by-side now idles around 1080 rpm and shifting is no longer problematic. Engine rpm no longer increases with heat even in the AZ desert at temps of around 100 degrees ambient. Thanks bogus for the advice...It saved me a visit to the local dealer and probably around $200. Brian

[lonemoose]

had the same issue with my 2007 xp, turned out that the gas pedal was loose! just tightened up the screws

With the pedal being loose it caused the cable to be pulled to the right, then the cable would not go back to its normal position causing it to idle to high.

[Russ Chastain]

Hmmm, guess I'll have to keep an eye on that!