MULE 3010 GRINDING

   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #1  

desertmike345

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
16
Location
SoCal
Tractor
Iseki Landhope 240
I have an 2006 3010 Trans 4x4. I have a hard time shifting into gear without grinding. Reverse is a little better. I think it is an idle problem. When cold it tends to slow idle and stall 50/50% of the time if you can't get back to gas quick enough. But when warm it idles to fast. Cannot get a constant idle speed. If you tap on the gas pedel enough times it slows down enough to get into gear. Iv'e been to the dealer several times with no luck. They replaced the carburator and looked everything over but could not fix. When tapping on gas and looking at carb there is slack, movement or hangup in the cable that I can see or feel. I played with the cable, carb adj, clean air filter, adjust valve, etc with no luck. Been like this since day one. Anybody else have this problem???

Thanks
Mike
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #2  
Mike,

My brother has had a Mule for 5-6 years. It has had the exact symptoms you described from day one. The good news is that he has never had a problem. It sure seems like a poor design.

Will
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #3  
I have a 2510 mule with the same problem and seems to be getting worse. My solution is to turn off the key and 1 second later back on and the idle speed slows to where there is no grind going in gear. I have owned this mule for 4+ years and it has gotten a little worse over the years. Kawaski has a good site for the mule with lots of info from the posters. The carb system of these machines is not easy to adjust.
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Thanks for the comeback. Since my original post I've searched a lot of forums and posts. Seems that this is a very common problem with the Mules and Kawasaki either can't or won't fix the problem. I'm going to see if I can find a replacement/upgrade carburator that has some adjustments. The original is a MIKUNI # BW26-18.

Mike
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #5  
I have a 2004 3010 Mule and my neighbor has a 2004 3000 Mule. I've adjusted both idle speeds on these machines. It's a balance between too slow and too fast. I'm not sure about the newer Mules, but I have to choke mine all the way and feather it a bit until it is warmed up. Then, I can remove my foot from the accel pedal and it will idle down enough to go into gear without jerking. Actually, now-and-then I do have the engine die as I apply gas, but this is just the nature of a manually choked engine with warmup delay. On a CVT transmission, high-speed idle and shifting is not a good match. Grinding/rough shifting will occur.

BTW: The idle adjustment for our 3010 Mule is a two-step process. You have to adjust the accelerator stop screw over the top of the rear axle (near the frame cross-tube where there is a black sheetmetal cover similar to the one over the carburetor). This screw is loosened to allow slack in the accelerator and then the idle is adjusted on the carb for 850-950 rpm. I prefer the lowest rpm that smooth operation occurs. Once the idle is adjusted, the accelerator stop screw is adjusted to take out any slack in the accelerator cable (until the stop screw just touches the accelerator lever). You can actually slightly vary your idle speed with this screw too. These are the instructions right out of the Kawasaki Mule Utility Vehicle Service Manual, 7th addition of July 2006.
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #6  
I also have a 3010 Mule (2005). Way back at about 50 hrs on clock, it got hard to start and the idle was not dependable. Once I adjusted the valves, it was very easy to start (as long as choked fully) and idle is now very dependable. As Jinman said, you have to find an idle speed that balances dependable idle with smooth gear engagement.

RavensRoost
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #7  
Count me in. I have a 2007 3010 trans 4x4 that would not idle worth a darn. Finally found the right balance between idling enough not to stall and too much idle that grinds when you shift. That has been my only complaint with the Mule. Other than that, she has done everything I have asked. I installed a Warn 3000 lb winch, hydraulic bed lift and full skid plates. I work the ***** hard and she keeps coming back for more.
I like that :D .
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING
  • Thread Starter
#8  
After years of gear grinding I found someone who could fix it. The mixture screws were modified so that it could idle. There were several other things also changed. He also had a transmission apart and showed me what causes the grinding. Basically its two cogs being pushed together with the gear selector. When idleing to fast the tips of the cogs grind and wear the tips off. After to much gringing it starts jumping out of gear. Several hundred $$ which included filters, spark plugs etc the MULE runs great. Has about 4 hrs on it. Has more power than it ever had and the govenor is still on.

Mike
:):):)
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #9  
i have a 2008 3010 trans mule bought used it pops out of forward cable is adjusted all the way out it has 800 hours it had rusty drive clutch and ground gears going in forward when i got it ive fixed clutch
 
   / MULE 3010 GRINDING #10  
I'm not sure about the shifter jumping out of forward. Does it do it in both Hi and Lo? The grinding is normally nothing more than the idle speed set too high. Some people adjust up the idle so the engine won't stall when cold, but that causes grinding. You have to have idle at the right speed and let the engine warm up before shifting into gear.
 
 
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