Does anyone know a way to make it easier to shift a dewalt transmission? We are using the servos as said in “Nothing But Dewalts”, but it is really hard to shift it and so far, we cant. Does anyone know how to modify the dewalts so that it will shift easier?
Thanks,
Oz
We really need some information, even if you are kinda sure about it or you know a link to some info about it, please help us out.
There is a **detent spring **that you should remove that will make the shift go much easier. If I remember correctly, you will have to take the clutch housing apart to get at it. You’ll need a Torx bit to take off the three screws on the front retaining plate. I also remove the 5 anti-rotation pins that locks the output shaft when the drill is used with a keyless chuck. You’ll find them behind the “D” thrust plate on the outside of the transmission (output side). Lightly press outward two white retaining plastic tabs to gain access. Your drive wheels will lock up if you don’t remove these pins when you reduce power or stop. 
That is the thing. We did take out the pins and we could only find one spring in there and it was taken out in the begining and it is still hard to shift and again, so far we cant shift…
You probably have some binding somewhere in the case. How are you mounting the transmissions?
Also, have you checked to make sure your back-up battery is fully charged?
My experience with them was fairly painless. They went together well and didn’t really have any problems. I can’t think of any other reasons why them may be hard to shift, sorry.
Bengineer
a little hint for 599 being given away here… but its ok.
if they are the new dewalts, they updated their design this year, then there are certain parts of the rotation that allow it to shift better than other spots. Basically its beautiful shifting on the fly, but if your still, shifting will be harder sometimes.
enjoy
In addition, your cutting ofthe white and yellow plastic cases may be out of square. If you tighten the 6-32 screws to seat the transmission end against the mount plate, you are probably distorting the case. To solve that problem, we make a ring that takes the place of the internal ring gear that you remove with the first stage. It’s length sets the sun gear pinion to the correct depth for proper engagement, and squares up the whole assembly axially. The ring OD is equal to the internal Diam. of the white case and seats against the internal transmission shoulder, and the ID is about.010" larger than the OD of the “Top Hat” to help retain internal grease. The ring thickness is about .310". This ring then seats into a .020" counterbore we machine into the CIM mounting plate. With this arrangement, you don’t depend on the edges of the transmission case to square things up.
PS: We reinforce the 1/16" shifter rod with a 1/8" roll pin so when the servo pushes the shifter arm, it won’t bend. The roll pin has an internal diameter of about 1/16", so the rod will fit right through, and will be extremely stiff. Hope this helps. We have used these transmissions for several years, and have not had one failure. PM me if you need any more help.
This 2nd post was done to correct the “white” transmission case color, instead of yellow:o :o
Thanks everyone for your help. We experimented a little more with what you guys said and we did get it fixed! Thanks for all of your help and we hope to see you guys at competition.
-Oz
What did y’all end up doing to get it fixed, out of curiosity? That might help some folks down the line who run into similar problems.