bigfoot tranny issue

[trevorakm1]

just finished drive train refurb so now looking at the tranny. there are times that i have trouble shifting the gears from nuetral to either low or high. it will grind the gears. i have to pull the choke out to reduce the rpm to shift smoothly. doesn't grind all the time but tends to do it after the engine warms up. i set the idle low enough to get smooth function when first starting but later starts to act up and i have to adjust idle again or choke it. if i set the idle any lower it won't run unless given throttle until the engine heats up. this is not an option either so looking for some feed back from others.

thanks trevor

[lewis]

Try going to reverse first and then shift to high or low range and check to see if your belt is not to tight. You may back off on the belt a little and see if that helps.

[JohnF]

Set your idle for when it's warm and then use choke until it is.

[trevorakm1]

it definately shifts easier if i go to reverse and the over to high or low, like it says in the manual and i'll check the tension on the belt, that's the first i have heard of that. it does seem more practicle to set the idle to the warmer temp, but is there a penalty for using the choke that long? i'll have to pay attention to how long it takes before it starts acting up. has anyone dealt with this shifting issue to the point of clearing it up permanatly? is there anything in the clutch, flywheel, that could need replacing? trying to remedy myself as there aren't any dealers close to me, last resort travelling. as a side thought about heat build up in the engine compartment and it affecting the carburation due to temperature, had anyone thought of or installed a small inline fan to expell more air through the exhaust box. cooler inside air denser air to the carburator to a certain extend, idon't know. i just installed the winch, bilge pump, 12 volt plug and a terminal board for 12 volt items and have a few terminals still open. thinking if the fan idea was worth while could be easy to wire. just thinking out loud

trevor

[lewis]

Watch the drive clutch and see if the belt is still turning or grabbing this will place more tension on the gears, and make sure you have the right belt width on it also. If you are the first owner then you probably have the right belt. If not. someone may have used to wide a belt. Just some things to look at.

[Rock Doctor]

Depending on hrs, you might have lost a little tension on your Primary Clutch Spring. You can replace it or just put a shim under it to increase the engagement RPM. Personally I like a bit higher engagement RPM, so I put a shim under the spring even when it's new.
The thing with the Argo Trans, is that when it's in Neutral, the Secondary is very easy to turn, and even if the Primary is NOT closing up a bit and spinning the belt, just the friction from the belt riding on the Primary Clutch Shaft is enough to start the belt spinning, and then, of course the Secondary will start spinning. Getting into the habit of flicking it into Reverse before back to Low or High works very well.

Also, setting your idle a bit lower and running with the choke on a little longer till it starts to warm up a bit will not hurt anything.

One of mine still grinds a bit sometimes if you don't do the Rev thing first, but have the other dialed in to the point where it works very good.

RD


RD