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I’m also a recent owner of a 2002 Kodiak 400. Following for similar advice, good luck!

Checking the idle speed is a good place to start, but you can also try turning the engine off and shifting it then. Should be much easier to shift without the engine running if everything is adjusted properly.

Yikes! Makes me scared to see the inside of my carb, but mine runs pretty well so hopefully it’s not like this! On a related note, I’ve found that it’s usually easier to replace a carb in this condition that try to clean it and rebuild it. It’s just too many small parts to get it running consistently after it gets this bad. On the bright side, replacement carbs are pretty affordable these days.

How do you know the starter is spinning backwards? Generally pretty difficult to do that accidentally, but stranger things have happened.

So far not much luck with the cable and linkage adjustment. Must be internal to the transmission. Any tips for removal and splitting the case?

Thanks for the shifter adjustment guide. I hadn’t seen one with the control cable adjustment included so I’ll try that, but I think it’s deeper in the transmission that this. 

Thanks for the reply. I took off the shift rod and the cover where the the shifter linkage goes into the case on the left side of the engine. The position of this rod rotates around into 4 or 5 different positions and clicks into those places. Sometimes it’s more stubborn to move and I have to rock it to get it to change position. Other times it goes right through the gears. Regardless of it moving, it never changes from a forward moving feels like low range gear. No neutral, reverse, or park that I can distinguish. Sometimes it feels like its in neutral or park but if you hit the throttle it will still lurch forward. Have to imagine one of the shift levers or something is broken inside the case, but I’m not sure. 

Just waiting to hit my engagement minimum and I’ll be looking for a manual for my Yamaha machines!

Here she is!

Serial number is JY4AJ03Y720031247 if that helps

Hey guys, 

New to the forum, but I recently bought a 2002 Yamaha Kodiak 400. It starts great and runs well, but the shifter doesn’t have any impact on the transmission. You can hear it clicking around as you shift through the gears but it is always in forward Lo. It tries to go into Park, but if you rev the engine a little it will still move forward in Lo. The shift linkage is all working and I took the cover off the side of the transmission and everything to that point is engaged and moving correctly.

Trying to decide if I have to split the case to do anymore diagnostics and if it’s really worth all the effort. 
 

Questions I have so far are:

Do I have to remove the engine entirely to start any of this work?

Will I have to split the case to access any of the shift forks or internal linkage?

Whats the probability that I can fix the issue even if I can diagnose the problem?

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone know the major differences between the Kodiak 400 and Big Bear 400 from the early 2000s?