Bent shifter shaft on 03 blaster

[sicivicdude]

That might be able to be filled up and then turned down to keep it together. That's not as bad as some of the shift shaft blows I've seen.

One member from South Africa had his chain fly off at high speed and took the whole left side case off below the shift shaft. He can't reliably get replacement parts from over there so he was going to look into have it welded back.

For the trouble it is to take the engine apart to repair that, you might want to look into a replacement left side case. If you can find one reasonably priced (the dealership retail is not reasonable) it would ease your mind to replace it as a whole instead of repair.

After you're done working on it, you might want to check into blasterfreek30's case saver. It includes a shift shaft piece to stop exactly that type of damage...

 

[Banshee Boo]

That's cool. Yeah, ultimately we'll pull the engine and replace the left side. I know people said JB Weld isn't very good or reliable, but we've got plans to go to an ATV campground in NH in a couple weeks, and REALLY want to get this last weekend in before they close. We're going to TRY the JB Weld b/c we don't have the time to tear it down before then. Don't expect miracles. We're just looking for a quick, decent fix so we can make it Fri night-Sun morning. It's my 11 year old step-daughter riding it, so she won't be beating on it. Hopefully it'll hold enough.

 

[sicivicdude]

From the looks of it, it has radial cracks. You could try to clamp it back together using a screw clamp to pull those cracks back together some and then JB weld any leaks. Of course, the seal will need to be reinstalled but because the shaft is wobbling around inside the seal it will probably ruin it. Just be prepared to fork over a few extra dollars to the dealer for a new shift shaft seal (I know it's not much but trying to reveal any hidden costs)

Other than that, keep an eye on the fluid level inside the transmission. Even if it is leaking a little it shouldn't run the transmission dry before you have the opportunity to check it again. Keep a quart or two of transmission fluid on you and top it off every now and then.

 

[Banshee Boo]

Thanks. The clamp is a great idea. We actually already picked up the seal. Thanks for the tips. Yeah, we always carry a backpack with tools, fix a flat, etc in it. We'll definately throw in an extra quart and just keep an eye on it.

 

[sicivicdude]

Tell her to take it easy and she'll be fine for a weekend. Like I said earlier, the transmission case is to hold the fluid in to lube the transmission only. No crankcase pressure, only gravity to worry about there so JB weld will usually hold the fluid back well enough. The trick comes if she cases a jump or something and comes down on the shifter instead of the foot peg. Normally the shifter will take that type of abuse (at least once or twice) but one that's already weakened won't and if you're way back in the middle of nowhere and she busts the case out, you're pulling the blasty all the way back...

 

[Banshee Boo]

lol Yeah, that happened to us when it initially broke. Luckily we had the tools to remove the chain, but we had to tow her and the blaster back to the campsite. Worked out ok - no problems with the towing, but still a bummer. Thankfully she's big enough to be able to cruise around in 1st on the banshees in a pinch.