BlueJay

One of the things I have done with mowers and now my ATV is to always disconnect the ground cable in between use's to eliminate parasitic drain. Up until Interstate Batteries went to crap the last couple of years I would have batteries last 5 years or more which is good for a mower battery.

I wanted to start a thread about general stuff about Honda ATVs that I had wish I had known about. I have gleaned a lot of knowledge from this forum with my foray into the world of ATVs. I have worked on small engines (mowers, go carts, small tractors, etc) most of my life, and maybe it’s the teacher in me (I teach printing technology at a two year tech college), but there are general things that I didn’t realize before I started working on my 2000 “barn find” TRX350ES. Just some general /tips advice from the experienced that I have learned such as: -Don’t use conventional engine oil with a wet clutch - use wet clutch compatible oil only. -Don’t use RTV to seal up engine halves/covers - use Hondabond or Yamabond only. -Always clean out the crossover tubes when redoing the front brakes (that one I just forgot, dangit!). Please add some “aha” thoughts that are unique to Hondas that you wish you had known about or learned along the way that might not be “common knowledge”. Hopefully a good place for newbies like me to get a jump start. Thanks.

I do have some wet clutch oil now. Apparently engine oil has friction modifiers that cause wet clutches to slip. I plan on putting the good stuff in once I am sure I don’t need to pull the front cover again and take it on it’s maiden trail ride. So far I have been just running around the back yard while I have been working on it.

I am new to ATV engines but have been working on mower engines for years. I saw another post on here about oil sources and someone mentioned “wet clutch compatible only”. I have been working on a TRX350 barn find and have drained the oil about four times for various fixings but I think I have it ready to go for the long run. The last fill I put in 10w-40 ND as per the SM weight specs (it said Honda brand) but it was conventional oil. What is the significance of “wet clutch compatible oil”? Thanks.

Hopefully a wrap-up. I finally got it back together and it is shifting again and seems to be smoother than it was before the gear lockup. Besides giving everything a good cleaning and greasing I did not find anything broken. I did un-seize the rusted clutch adjustment and readjusted it so that may have been the problem all along. I need to take it on a prolonged ride to see if it is truly fixed. At least I know what the inside looks like and made a clutch holder for future use.

Too many times I have used the “redneck torque” setting: tighten it in until it lets go, then back it up a half turn.

I couldn’t find any specific torque values for the front crankcase cover in the FSM. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

I went ahead and put the basic parts back together and it is now shifting correctly with the manual shifter. I haven’t put the front case back on yet to try the electronic shift yet. I am still scratching my head about what was actually “fixed”. I took it apart and now it works again - the most frustrating repair is when I don’t know what I did to “fix” it. Should I apply sealant to the front case mating surfaces (as per FSM)? If so, what kind can I get locally rather than order Hondabond, etc.? Thanks.

Okay a status report: I loosened & pulled the change clutch up far enough to remove the gearshift plate and it was in perfect shape. I plan on putting it back together somewhat so I can check again the shifting manually before I pull the engine and check the rest of the shifting components on the back side. Questions I have at this point: 1) Is there a way to retorque the change clutch nut without buying the special “clutch center holder”? Just “burp” the impact wrench and leave it at that? 2) Should the shifting mechanism move easier when using the manual shift? I tried to move the gearshift cam by hand (tapping a wooden dowel) and it didn’t act like it wanted to move. 3) If I do have to pull the main clutch is it reverse threaded? 4) What should I do next? Thanks for all the replies so far, ya’ll have been very helpful. I’ve worked on mower engines most of my life but this ATV stuff is new to me.

That’s what I planned to do first (loosen change clutch) since it looked like it would move up far enough and wasn’t a “wedge fit” like the drive clutch. A couple of YouTube videos showed doing it that way but some of those aren’t exactly reliable. I priced the puller and it seems a bit pricey for something I don’t plan on using more than once. I appreciate the help!

Yeah I removed the pipe and the arms came off easily. The main shift mechanism in the back had some rough spots that I could feel which may indicate broken tabs but the only way to see it is to pull it. I was hoping to not have to mess with pulling the clutches but that looks inevitable. I am hoping a large gear puller will do the trick once I get the tabs “unstaked”. Thanks for the replies.

Any special trick to pulling the gearshift arm without pulling the clutches? There is a pin/shaft on the gear arm that is keeping it from swinging free and pulling free.

One more update, I tried to get the gearshift arm off to inspect it but the clutches are in the way. Is it possible to remove both clutches without the special tools listed in the FSM? Thanks.

One more thing, it seems that it is getting stuck in third gear when I shift back up (manually) for what that’s worth.

I just pulled the front cover and everything inside seems to be in place. The gearshift arm and the spindle arm are not broken and seem to be in the correct location as far as I can tell. I have the rear wheels off the ground but it will only shift down and not back up when I use the manual shifter and rotate the wheels. Is there something else I should be looking for? The interior of this motor looks factory new, especially to be 23 years old. No metal shavings or parts broken off. What should I try next next? Thanks.