Hey all. Rode my first Dyna today, a 36 mile maiden voyage on a 96 FXD I just bought. It came to me converted to forwards, which I do not care for, so I put it back to mids. This involved unbolting the forward shift lever from a bracket fastened to the case where the cylinders meet. I'm guessing this is common when going to forwards? It has the shifter shaft coming thru the plate on the primary cover. It had a chrome cover **** on it.

I removed all the Kuryakin stuff, the shifter lever holding bracket, and the chrome ****. I installed a nice stainless adjustable shifter rod from Bung King. While doing this I noticed the forward shift lever (I don't know what it is called. It is moved fore and aft by the toe shifter shaft, and connects to the forward shifter rod) was sticky in it's movement. I thought maybe it would free up after being worked a bit. So I hooked it all up and went for a ride.

Well, it shifts poorly. Most times the toe lever doesn't return to center, so I can't shift until I nudge it that way with my toe. When I got it home I could see it clearly hanging up against the spring pull to center. I took the new shift rod off, and found that the transmission side was fine. It was all the cause of the toe shift shaft not moving freely.

So what to do about this? Must I pull the primary cover to deal with the shaft? And once in there, what would I find? Do I need to get any seals first? I was planning on getting some primary gaskets anyway.

 

Im not clear on what youre asking. Are you talking about the shift rod that connects the shift lever to the shift shaft? Or are you talking about the shift lever its self?
Posting a picture of the problem would help us to help you.

 

Even looking at the book I am confused what to call each part in the shifter group.

Upon further investigation, I have a primary cover with the chain inspection hole cover that has a round hole in it. The splined "shift lever" shaft passes thru a sleeve in the round hole and connects to the toe "shift lever" on the outside. The parts manual calls them both "shift lever". Thanks HD. This splined shaft is hanging up as it tries to rotate within the sleeve. Diagram shows two o-rings 11117A, one on each side of the sleeve. I want to have a look at those.

Can I access and replace those o-rings without pulling the primary cover? Will the chain inspection cover come off with the primary cover and shifter shaft in place? Can I get those o-rings replaced this way?

Remember, it is hanging up while not connected to the rest of the linkage, so it is none of those other things. Should be simple enough, I'd just like to be prepared and have what I need on hand before getting into it and having to wait for a part or two I don't have.

Then, we get to talk about leaving the slightly taller shifter rod lever on the transmission side that had been for forward controls, but now has mids. But, let's resolve this first.

 

I have a little experience with that shifter linkage, but it was on a newer, Twin Cam Dyna. I looked up the '96 shifter linkage on the HD online parts finder and it looks very similar.

The reason people leave the inner shift lever assembly (#48 in pic below) in place when switching to forward controls is because it is a one piece part and the inner primary cover must be removed for the inner shift lever assembly to be removed. Some say they leave it in there so they can "switch back" to the mid controls if they want. Most I believe just don't want to spend the money, or take the time, to remove the inner primary and remove that one piece.

I suspect some dirt/debris has worked its way into that sealed "tunnel" through the primary case that the linkage uses, and is affecting the fitment of the shift lever assembly (#48) and the shifter lever sleeve (#50). Or, perhaps with years of having that shifter lever assembly bouncing around loose in there, the shift lever sleeve (#50) has been worn to the point of affecting the shift lever assembly (#48) movement.

You should be able to remove the outer primary cover, granting you access to those parts. You could clean them up and inspect for damage. That shifter lever assembly (#48) will only have so much movement and have to be left in place.

For some reason I can't see the path of the "tunnel" through the primary case, in the online parts finder for the '96 FXD.. To me, it looks like the o-rings (#20) go on the sleeve (#50), and the sleeve (#50) with o-rings (#20) may be what seals the '96 primary cases and forms that "tunnel". The sleeve (#50) looks to be affixed to the inner primary case via the fitting (#45) and screw (#5). Again, I'm not positive as my experience is with a newer bike.

Good luck and report back how it goes and if you find dirt/debris or a worn shifter lever sleeve.





PS- I would switch back to the appropriate trans mounted shifter arm for the mid controls, versus leaving the one for the forward controls. That angle can make a big difference in the shifting... Make sure thay actually changed that arm when going to forward controls. If they were too lazy to remove the the shifter assembly (#48), they may not have changed out the trans shifter arm...

 

I have heard it both ways, you can leave the longer forward mount version shifter lever, or you must put the shorter one back in. Since this is my first Dyna, and I am not overly familiar with it yet, all I can tell you is that there is a little forward facing downward slope in the shifter linkage rod the way it is presently. Hard to see how a slight increase in height of the transmission side lever would make much of a difference, especially with the upgraded linkage rod with the Hein joints (or whatever they are called). But, I have been wrong before.

The original lever was fastened down and out of the way, so I don't think it was bouncing around loose at all. If anything, it is hanging because it WASN"T moving for years, but still going thru many heat cycles. I hit it on the outside with oil a few times in the last 12 hours as I worked it back and forth. It is coming looser than it was, at least it is snapping back to neutral from first while on the lift. Taking it for a ride now. With any luck it will improve with use, and give me some time to approach it in less of a pressing time constrained way later. I'd like to pull the inner and outer primary covers and do a full gasket/o-ring job.

 

Pictures would help to see what you're talking about.

 

Picture this. You know the thingy that you move with your left toe to shift? You know how the other end of that clamps onto a toothed shaft? You know where that shaft enters the primary cover hole? Right there. That's where it is hanging up. That's what I'm talking about.

Doesn't much matter now anyway. I have a couple of primary gaskets and shaft o-rings 11117A on order, and when they arrive I will pull the cover and deal with it.

 

The tube pn 50 is removable with the primary cover off and pn 45 removed. Factory made it a service part, o-rings may be squared off or disintegrated. I replaced the o-rings last year or so when i did the clutch pack.

Mines pinned and converted to forwards, but was rattling and seeping.

 

Pulled the inner/outer case/cover. The shifter lever/shaft (#48) was fused to the sleeve (#50) in a big way. It was so bad I had to burn it off with a torch and a hammer. The steel shaft was completely rusted and pitted and rotten inside the sleeve, suggesting a previous water leak somewhere. Small wonder it didn't shift right.



So I got a new shifter lever/shaft and sleeve. The o-rings don't really seem to be a very great way to seal it, but I put new ones in and there is always hope. The parts book says it takes two. First one goes in the slot closest to the lever, and slides into the bore. Second slot is for retaining fork (#45) to hold the sleeve into position. I put the second o-ring in slot three, but I don't see that it functions as anything. This is how the old one came out, with three slots facing inward, two slots outward. I tried it with the sleeve reversed, but the sleeve then protrudes out too far almost to the end of the teeth for the shifter rod. I also tried it reversed back with the second o-ring in slot two, and the retainer in slot three. The sleeve then presses the shifter lever inward up against the engine case and cylinder fins.




It all moves freely now though.

 

It looks like the second #20 O-ring goes onto the sleeve on the outer end (splined end) where it inserts into the Outer Primary cover.

Maybe I misread your last post?
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