retro

Yeah the PCM/ECM controls the coil and it's a good thing that I looked in the manual because I was thinking it worked differently than what the manual says. Anyway, since you have initial battery voltage at the coil, I think a Peak Voltage test is the next logical thing to do. If I remember right I sent you a homemade PVA a few years ago.... do ya still got that lil' bugger stashed away somewhere? There are two leads coming out of each end (total of 4 leads - they may have alligator clips on them) of the homemade PVA, with one end labelled "to Meter" or something to that effect. If you can find it try this with your multimeter set on DC Volts mode: If you don't get a measurement on the first attempt try reversing the PVA leads where they attach to the Green/Yellow and ground, just in case PVA polarity is backwards... If you still don't measure any pulses perform the same test on the CKP/Pulse gen:

I'm a results-centered guy.... doesn't move the needle for me....

Which year is your TRX250? Sounds like the float valve and float seat in the carburetor need attention. Helps to know what ya got before advising on a repair though.

There are several grounds... there is a ground cable between the motor and the frame too, held down to the frame with a bolt. There is also a wiring harness ground bolt. All of them may need to be removed and shined up.

Try turning the screw clockwise a couple turns first, then turn it counter-clockwise until you feel a slight resistance. As Jeep said it helps to clean the threads up by turning the screw in and out a few times so it turns easily enough that you'll feel that initial resistance point. You may have to lubricate the threads if it doesn't turn easily.

Y'all plumb just like I do. Hahah....

Smarter than the average Bear, eh Booboo!!! Neighboring businesses and households gonna be eyeballin' and taking pictures of your stuff now, I imagine. Pity the fools who have no men with skills working for them.... yet!

Welcome both of you! Paging @AKATV....

You'll need a '04-'07 400AT front differential (preferably complete with the three sub-harnesses and plastic clutch cover) and a '04-'07 400AT front driveshaft. It is a bolt-in swap (you'll have to notch for diff clearance in the frame as shown in Jeep's guide), the only other parts you'll need are a 400AT/Rincon/Foreman throttle assembly with a selectable switch and sub-harness, which you'll swap your stock Rancher throttle assy. top cover onto. If you convert your Rancher post it up for us!

This is not gambling advice, just sayin'..... Y'all knew that nothing is ever left to chance, right....? Just asking for a friend..... who thinks that we oughta bankrupt the criminal gambling industry this weekend. I ain't a player though. Besides, there are four teams remaining, this lil' "slip" might have been intentional. Know what I'm sayin'....

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Have fun, hope you hang around.

Make a mental note where each bearing come from so you can put them back. Then you reinstall each of the bearings by gently tapping them down into their bores while keeping them straight. You can use the end of a plastic screwdriver handle to tap them down until each one is flush with the bottom of the narrow 45 degree chamfer that is machined into the top of each bearing bore. The key thing here is to drive the bearings in straight. If any one of them is cocked sideways in a bore even just a tiny bit, the reduction gear will bind against and rub against the cover which will cause excessive friction and a no-shift issue. Keep us posted on your ES prep.

You can put the cover in a pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Then fish the cover out of the hot water and rap it sharply on a piece of soft wood or something soft. Those bearings will all fall out of the cover..... then you can push the broken gear stub out of the bearing. Wear gloves when handling the hot cover and attach a short piece of wire to the cover before you dip it, so you'll be able to pull the cover out of the hot water without risking a burn. Immediately after the bearings cool down lay them down on a flat, clean surface and force synthetic bearing grease into each bearing until they are fully packed using your finger to push grease past the metal shields. The metal shields have a narrow gap in them where they will accept grease. Packing them with grease immediately will force all of the water out of the bearings and prevent them from immediately beginning to rust. So have your synthetic grease ready.... Congrats on finding the problem! Stay warm!

When the change clutch is properly adjusted there should be 1/4 turn of the adjusting screw counterclockwise, where initial resistance is felt. The initial resistance that you'll feel is the adjusting screw making contact with the clutch release hardware. If you were to continue to turn the screw against resistance you would be releasing the clutch with the screw which is a bad thing to do - you would be making the clutch slip. If you were to back out the screw from the initial resistance more than 1/4 turn clockwise you would be providing too much slack in the release mechanism - in that case the clutch may not fully release during shifts which may cause shifts to fail. So it is imperative that you only allow 1/4 turn of slack in the adjusting screw for proper clutch operation. Turn the screw in and out a few times to get a feel for finding the first contact of the screw against the change mechanism.... you should be able to feel the screw making contact without forcing it at all. Then back it out 1/4 turn exactly, hold the screw still while you tighten the locknut down. Put some grease on the threads of the screw and locknut to prevent those threads from rusting and seizing up.

I can sympathize with that.... I prepped my Rancher ES during the winter with 2 feet of snow already down.... no shelter. I took the parts indoors to complete the work, but I had to wash the tiny bearings in the front cover, pack them with grease and reseal the shift motor cover outdoors. I spent two days on it if I remember right. If you have a good multimeter you can check the Angle Sensor resistance (manually shift up and hold - shift down and hold - to measure resistance) at rest and each direction of sensor rotation as the service manual instructs. Let us know if we can help.

Why did you put a ES shift bypass kit on it? Were the symptoms the same before you plugged in the ES bypass? Please explain. Here is the clutch adjustment instructions from the service manual, you'll need to adjust the clutch after you follow the ES prep guide completely AND return the ES system to stock. You haven't properly prepped it yet, so you can't expect the ES to work...... wash out the old hardened white grease and make sure that the reduction gears are not rubbing on the case or cover and make sure that the tiny support bearings are not cocked in their bores. Use synthetic grease liberally.... pack the support bearings full of grease and coat the gears & gear teeth good and thick. Everything is in the guide.... Keep us posted and have fun!

Oh my that's nasty! Stay warm!

That's a rotten trick eh! Glad that you got it fixed! Make sure to replace those relays with OEM parts to avoid certain catastrophic failure soon. @Melatv, good to see you again, thanks for jumping in, hope all is well and you're staying warm! Arctic air is forecast for ya as the next week progresses.

Hi Mossboss, here is a guide that if followed completely should get your stock ES shift system working again. Generally there is no need for a bypass kit, not until the shift ECM fails. Even then it's always wiser to fix the ES right. Make sure that you put all of the original Honda parts (including the OEM angle sensor - aftermarket parts do not work) back on your Foreman after prepping according to the guide. Let us know how it goes. Have fun!

There are no stupid questions! Here is the wiring diagram for the Canadian version of the '08 TM/FM Rancher 420: In this wiring diagram there is a 14p connector that serves two functions: One function is a Waterproof junction where the Red/Black wire going in to the junction becomes a Red wire coming out of that junction. This diagram may be different from your version since this one shows the Engine Stop relay and the Fuel Pump relay unified as a single relays module, whereas your version has two separate relays. But somewhere nearby the two relays on your Rancher there should be a junction connector, OR the wire junctions may be included in your two relay connectors? Look for the relevant wire colors that could identify those wire junctions (R/Bl, R, W/Bl) going into and coming out of that/those connector(s). If I were you I would not plug those two aftermarket relays in again. Test your two OEM relays, they are probably both good. China relays are known to stick and fry other expensive components, often immediately after plugging them in. Yeah hopefully you'll find the open circuit issue in the Junction connector(s). Gotta run.... this is fun! Hang in there!

Hi Patrik, First thing you'll need to do is put all of the genuine Honda parts back on your Rancher. Then remove the front fender, unplug the ignition switch and test for continuity with the switch turned OFF then turned ON, as shown here: I agree with @jeepwm69, it sounds to me like your Ignition switch is bad. The Ignition switch controls two positive battery voltage circuits. Make sure that both circuits are switched ON and OFF properly. You'll be checking for continuity between the Red/Black and Pink terminals and again between the Red and Black terminals inside the switch connector. Here is the Ignition circuits diagram. As you can see positive battery voltage must pass through the Ignition switch in order to reach the 10 amps Ignition fuse. If you need a new Ignition switch make sure that the replacement is a genuine Honda switch. China aftermarket parts are garbage and do not ever work on a Honda. China parts destroy other expensive parts, never plug any aftermarket part in. I'll be unavailable for a few days... I'll be back as soon as I can. Let us know how it goes.

If I remember correctly there should be intermittent battery voltage sent through the two ignition coil terminals by the ECM/PCM...? So it makes sense that you should be able to connect a multimeter to those two coil wires with the OEM coil unplugged, turn the key on and crank the motor over and measure the Primary voltage pulses. I'm pretty sure that there should be battery voltage between the Black/Red terminal and frame ground while the ignition switch is turned ON, at least. Because if I am remembering correctly the Black/Red is hot all the time while the key is on, and so the ECM/PCM completes the ignition coil Primary circuit (momentarily each revolution of the motor - the Pulse gen signals those events) by providing ground to the Green/Yellow coil wire. If my memory is wrong holler.... I'm hoping Mach 1's ECM/PCM is still good based on the fact that it didn't go into an open-circuit condition while his coil was sizzling. His ECM/PCM continued to supply current to the frying coil until the battery completely drained. So if his stuff can take that much long-term abuse then yours should be fine. As I said this is new territory for me, so I'm gonna learn stuff. EDIT: If my explanation above is correct, of how the ignition coil Primary is controlled by the ECM/PCM, then the Green/Yellow wire that connects to the coil should not be providing a ground while the key is ON, and the motor is not being cranked over by the starter. So with the key turned ON you should be able to connect a test light to the positive battery terminal and touch the unplugged Green/Yellow wire terminal and the test light should NOT light up. But if you crank the motor over the test light might blink on & off (very weakly if perceptible), proving that the PCM/ECM is working. EDIT #2: Honestly now that I've thought about my explanation above for a few more minutes, I think I have everything backwards. I think the Black/Red is hot all the time while the key is on AND I think that the Green/Yellow is grounded all the time by the ECM/PCM while the key is on. The Pulse Generator signals to the ECM/PCM to interrupt the ground that is being provided to the Green/Yellow wire, causing the Primary voltage magnetic field to collapse in the coil, which by induction the Secondary coil windings create the high voltage that jumps the spark plug gap. Whew!

That's what I would do if I were working on it because evidence is lacking (so far) that it needs anything more. I mean, you know precisely what happened to it and why it happened..... it was supposed to happen so your fix should be routine. I would also make that Caltric regulator disappear, because if ya don't it will eventually end up plugged in again, making more unnecessary work for you. But I'm sure that you have a plan for that already, so.... Your case differs from Mach 1's Rancher in that the china barbecue was brief and terminated the moment you turned the ignition switch off. We got no reason to suspect that anything besides the coil fried, so far.... While in his case the china relay module stuck closed while the smoke was let out, so his barbecue continued long after he turned the ignition switch off -- until the battery was drained completely dead. So I have concerns for his stuff where I don't for yours. If the ignition switch survived on his Rancher then the next step will be to plug OEM parts in and find out.

Congrats and thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Yeah, maybe check that the high current coil barbecue didn't take out the ignition switch? I'd guess that's optional though, it's probably fine. Other than that, since your relay module is OEM a 10 amp ignition fuse is probably all you should need. I have never dealt with a shorted/fried china ignition coil on a PGM-FI fuel injected Rancher/Foreman, so I don't know what to expect.... I'm a bit concerned about the ECM/PCM, since all of the short circuited current flowed through it.