Question about difficulty shifting (and a lift)

[LeftCoast]

Gentlemen this is what makes this forum great, what a fantastic respectful exchange of info, and this is coming from a guy who is barely able to follow along. I don’t understand it all but I’m learning anyway, thank you.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

There is not a common outlet from the oil tank. The HCM has its own suction line from the oil tank feeding its own oil pump. .

Thanks Billy. I was looking at the wrong tank picture. SE5 tank has the extra hose...and I knew that! Thanks.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Hey Sully - as the proud owner of an SE5, you might be curious about all this:

[Madison Sully]

Hey Sully - as the proud owner of an SE5, you might be curious about all this:

Whoa, excellent, thanks!

I'll dig into it as soon as I can....

[Madison Sully]

Those diagrams were very helpful.
Here's what I did today:
Drained the oil and checked the strainer. Nothing in it, perfectly clean.
Refilled oil.
Took the gear selector switch apart (felt adventurous). Nothing looking wrong. Lost a little ball and a nut, but that should be no problem to replace.
Thought, perhaps there is no priming of that HCM pump, so I removed the dipstick and slightly opened the HCM filter housing to let oil move where it wanted to by opening the top of an air space.
Tightened everything back up.
Started the motor.
Toggled the gear selector internal bits to change from N to 1. Couple tries later, THUD!
Back and forth from N to 1 to N a few times, satisfying THUD! going into first each time.
Everything so far with parking brake on, as the left control stuff is still in pieces.

So I'm left with either:
1. There was an air gap that didn't allow oil into the HCM pump. Note for later: fill the oil, Then install HCM filter.
2. There is a problem with my switch that, due to being disassembled, I can press the detentes further in than the assembled lever would allow.



I'll report back once I get the switch reassembled.
Meanwhile, thanks all for the help, I'm most of the way done.

[Madison Sully]

Alrighty, that was fun.
Got the gear selector assembly all back together, started it up, and ran it back and forth N-1-N-R-N-1-N-R-N a couple of times.
All seems well.
Going to put the panels on now, and go for a ride, hopefully before it starts raining. Again.

So I'm left with thinking (hoping) that the original shifting issues caused by a mostly blocked HCM filter.
And the problem after changing the oil was an air gap at the HCM pump.
Knock wood, we'll see what happens next time the system is hot after an hour or so riding.

Thanks again,
Sully

[Madison Sully]

Went for a ~20 minute test ride, and I'd say it's 80-90% of the way from where it was to where it should be.
By that I mean, it shifts really smooth and easy now. Definitely better than before the oil change.
Tiny niggle though; it missed shifting N to R twice, but giving it perhaps 100-200 RPM worth of additional throttle and it shifted.
We'll have to wait for a long hot ride though; it's about to rain I think.