Stuck in forward

[Jack Lanham]

I am having problems with a friends Atomic 4. It has been hard to shift into forward for some time. Finally it wouldn't shift until we manually pulled the shift lever mounted on the transmission. Now it is stuck in forward. I took the shift cable off to make sure it wasn't a cable problem. Still the lever wouldn't move. I have taken the cover off and the lever seems to be trying to move the shifting yoke. Do you have any ideas.

[msauntry]

Under the cover there is a notched collar that is held by a set screw. Adjusting this will make it easier to shift into forward. Its easy to do. Search here for Adjusting Forward Gear and you'll come up with more complete instructions that I can remember right now.

A one notch adjustment ought to be enough, since two can cause clutch slipping.

[SEMIJim]

It sounds to me like perhaps somebody over-tightened the forward forcing cone adjustment. Possibly the excessive force needed has damaged the shifting cable assembly. For the reversing gear (aka: "transmission"): I'm going to make the same recommendation I always do when people are faced with reversing gear issues: Buy a copy of Don Moyer's reversing gear video on either DVD or VHS tape. Even people like me, who used to wrench on engines extensively, will find it well worth the money, IMO. The shifting cable assembly is another issue.

Jim