retro

Your IN/OUT winch switch and contactor relay (if equipped - some old Warn winch installations did not include a contactor, but had a high current capacity rotary switch on the handlebar) should be connected into a switchable, fused circuit such as the accessory circuit, which is provided for add-on purposes. Check your add-ons..... you left a clue that your winch may be wired up incorrectly, directly to battery positive....? While the ignition switch is turned OFF the winch should not operate.

Another common issue I see quite often is hacked up wiring harnesses and add-on accessories that are wired into the harnesses on the wrong power supply circuits, and I often just find wires stripped bare and twisted together and taped up with electrical tape. I work on a lot of Honda's that are owned by cattle ranchers. Most of them are cobble-job artists who have no business working on their own equipment. So if you are not the original owner of your Foreman, it'd be a good practice to go over your harnesses and fix any connections that are cobbled or connected into the wrong circuit (check your winch wiring or add-ons if ya got any). All add-on wiring connections should be soldered and waterproof sealed up. Right, an open or shorted diode has nothing to do with how the motor runs, it only functions the moment you release the starter button. You can check the diode after you remove it from the fuse box by setting your multimeter to Continuity mode, or Resistance mode. Then touch each of the two diode terminals with your two multimeter leads and note whether the diode conducts or not. Reverse the two multimeter leads on the diode terminals to note if the diode conducts or not in the opposite polarity. A good diode should conduct current flow in one direction only. So if your diode conducts in both polarities the diode is shorted (depending on the ATV model a shorted diode may result in a no spark - no start condition). If it does not conduct in either polarity the diode is open circuit (which allows flyback voltage to discharge into the CDI and/or shift ECM if equipped). Only if the diode conducts in one direction, but does not conduct in the opposite direction, is the diode a good one.

Three common reasons why OEM CDIs fail are: The Diode in the fuse box fails in an open circuit condition, which allows flyback (high) voltage to discharge into the CDI. Water gets into wiring harness connectors causing corrosion of the terminals - open circuit condition. An OEM electrical part replaced with a china part. Speculation is generally a waste of time though, until diagnosis of failed circuits is complete. Refer to the wiring diagram.... for "why" questions. Short answer: there are two power circuits controlled by the ignition switch, not one.

While you are replacing china parts with OEM parts you may as well check the Ignition switch for an intermittent function issue. If the ignition switch has been replaced with china you'll have to correct that with OEM too.

Removing the light fuse disconnects battery voltage from the ignition switch. See the wiring diagram.....

@Mully, that is definitely a Mitsuba genuine Honda starter motor. I haven't seen that kind of wear on a Honda starter armature shaft and chipped tooth damage to the driven gear, except on the old '86-'89 TRX350 Fourtrax models. My best guess is that the driven gear tooth broke off (it is much softer metal than the armature shaft is) first, then the armature shaft got destroyed by the chipped tooth driven gear. The broken tooth is in the oil sump now, so best practice is to find it and get it out of there while you are replacing parts. You'll need a genuine Honda replacement starter motor, you might find a used one at Powersportsnation.com that you can prepare for a long life by replacing the brushes with OEM brush kits.

If I were you I would unplug that china CDI immediately and remove it. That china junk can start a fire and burn your Foreman down, along with the building that it is parked in. Also, if any of the other parts on your Foreman are aftermarket, you'll need to remove those as well and replace will genuine Honda parts. We cannot help you until all of the aftermarket parts have been replaced with Honda parts. Let us know how it runs when you get it sorted out.

Yeah, that is the Engine stop/Fuel pump relay module. I gave you some test instructions concerning that relay and wiring that connects to it and then you couldn't find that relay, so I was questioning which relay you had replaced. Nevermind those test instructions for now though, we already know that the relay module is junk, our only concern is the circuitry that connects that relay. Let's come back to that later.... Make sure that the junk ignition coil and the junk relay module are both unplugged and do not ever plug them back in. Make sure that the battery is disconnected and stays disconnected. Lets check the Ignition switch first, because the ignition switch was overloaded with excessive current during the short circuit events -- it might be damaged or fried. Remove the front rack and the front fender. Find the 4p connector for the ignition switch and remove that connector from the clip that attaches it to the frame and unplug that connector. See the image below for it's location. Inside the ignition switch connector on the switch side sub-harness, with your multimeter in continuity mode, with the Ignition switch turned OFF, probe one meter lead on the Red/Black wire terminal and the other meter lead on the Pink wire terminal. There should be no continuity between those two terminals. Then probe one meter lead on the Red wire terminal and the other meter lead on the Black wire terminal. There should be no continuity between those two terminals. Report back with those results. Then turn the ignition switch ON and repeat those same two tests. There should be continuity for both tests this time. Then turn the ignition switch OFF. Report back with those results.

My best guess is that your Foreman had a china aftermarket starter motor on it?

Sounds like it still has china parts on it.

Hi LureheadEd, welcome to the forums! It sounds like you bought a spark plug wire (or a complete ignition coil?) and a CDI module for cheap.... first thing I need to warn ya about is to NEVER replace any genuine Honda parts with aftermarket parts. Cheap China aftermarket parts do not work on Honda's AND they sometimes fry other expensive electrical parts. DO NOT PLUG IN ANY PART that is not a genuine Honda part. Put the original Honda parts back on your Foreman if you have replaced any of them. You may have to clean (or replace) the fuel petcock that is attached to the bottom of the fuel tank as they are made from aluminum and they sometimes corrode badly inside which can plug up the passages inside. You can test the petcock after removing it to make sure that it flows liquid (or you can blow air through it) while the valve is turned to the "On" position and "Reserve" position. The plastic filter screen on the petcock may be rotten as well, replace if it is split open or shows other signs of serious decay. If it is good just clean it carefully. When removing the petcock from the fuel tank it helps to use an Impact gun to break the two screws loose, as sometimes the screws become seized in the brass ferrule nuts that are embedded in the plastic tank and the brass nuts loosen and spin in the plastic, which results in you not being able to remove those two screws. The shock that an Impact gun puts on the screws helps to loosen them from the brass ferrule nuts. Let us know how it goes.

Yeah, but first lets figure out which part you replaced, because it doesn't sound like the Fuel pump/Engine stop relay module.

The Diode is an electronics protection component. It prevents flyback voltage that is released from the Starter solenoid when the Starter button is released, from damaging sensitive electronic components such as ECMs and ECUs. Every now and then one fails but not very often. The Diode's function is unrelated to your issue.

I apologize @Mach 1, I have been busy and haven't been on the forums for a couple days so I missed your questions. I have a couple projects I'm working on and one of them, prepping my old Arctic Cat sled for winter, became much bigger than expected once I got it apart and found some rotten rubber boots and rotting fuel line. I only intended to remove and clean the carbs.... routine maintenance stuff. But since I found some rotten stuff I decided to go all in and fix some other things that have been needing fixing too... such as replacing the seat cover that the neighbor's kids two dogs chewed up last winter while I had left the sled at their farm for them to play on... and gonna replace the tail light on it that I broke two years ago when I got it stuck. So I will be around the forums only occasionally for a while. As Jeep confirmed, that is the ECU/ECM in your photo. The Engine Stop relay is part of a module that includes the Fuel Pump relay. It has an 8p harness connector with 4 of those 8 wires controlling the Fuel Pump relay inside and the other 4 wires controlling the Engine Stop relay inside. See the image in the post above... You said that you replaced a relay with an aftermarket part..... let's figure out what that part is Ok? Unplug that part and list the wire colors in it's harness connector so we can identify it before proceeding. I'll be back later....

Yes, the Fuel pump relay and the Engine stop relay are in one module with an 8p connector.

Welcome Chewy, be sure to replace worn/failed parts with genuine Honda parts. Aftermarket parts (china knockoffs) do not work on Honda's, they're garbage. You can use a genuine Shindy carb kit to freshen up the carb though as they are quality parts by a Japanese company. Looking forward to following your project.

Right, you must open the throttle whenever you are doing a compression test, else the cylinder will not fill with air completely, which gives you a false measurement.

I think Jeep was referring to attachment of the fishing line to the towing hitch, then take the string around the rear tire and then extend the string out in front of the ATV. Here is a video showing the concept of the string wheel alignment method.

You should adjust the valves while you have the carb off. It's possible that the previous owners never touched them.... if the valve lash is loose that could explain why the decompressor isn't working.

The decompressor is on the camshaft and it works by slightly holding the exhaust valve open at starter motor cranking RPMs (resulting in low cylinder pressure), which are usually about 400-500 crankshaft RPMs (camshaft spins at half the RPMs of the crankshaft, so about 200-250 RPMs). After the motor starts the camshaft is spinning at half of the crankshaft RPMs (~1500 idle RPM = 750 camshaft RPM) which results in centrifugal force disengaging the decompressor. There is no return spring on the decompressor cam, so sometimes it can be stuck in the disengaged position while cranking the motor with the starter, resulting in higher than specified cylinder pressure. It's nothing to be concerned about.

You're looking for three wires (Green, Green, Green/White) exiting the main wiring harness with a brass eyelet. The harness ground bolt is located on the left side of the frame in the area where several harness connectors are clipped to the frame. You'll find the ground bolt hidden amongst those several connectors, about 9"-10" behind the left upper shock absorber mount. This is what you're gonna see.... note the ground wires coming out of the wiring harness where the orange arrow is pointing in this image. If you have some dielectric grease on hand coat the frame, bolt and brass eyelet with dielectric grease after you shine up the frame bolt location. Also unclip from the frame and open each of the harness connectors that you can reach to dielectric grease those connector terminals and waterproof sealing areas. All harness connectors should be prepped with dielectric grease to insure that issues won't arise in the future. Honda does NOT waterproof connectors at the factory.

Toe-in or toe-out.... cars and trucks are generally toe'd in 1/16" to 1/8" while Honda 4WD ATVs are generally toe'd out. Personal preference often comes into play on a Honda ATV, they handle decent through a wide range of adjustment. I personally like the toe on my '00 Rancher straight up since I ride in 2WD most of the time, which results in the easiest steering effort. I still see fast front tire wear on asphalt no matter if it is adjusted to zero toe, or toe'd in or out, so I go for the least steering effort in 2WD mode. Your riding environment, choice of tires, or personal preference may differ greatly from the way others like their steering set up.

Yeah, Partzilla is useful for looking up OEM part numbers and they list the other years & models of Honda ATVs that each part number fits. So we reference their site often when helping folks find parts. But Partzilla sells parts way above the retail prices that you can find elsewhere. They're a very expensive supplier. And Partzilla is very slow to ship parts and they are full of excuses. We avoid them except to use as a parts interchange reference. One of the best OEM parts suppliers is Rocky Mountain ATV. They sell at reasonable prices, they ship out orders immediately and they use quick delivery services like Fedex or Priority Mail, with tracking numbers provided. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/oem-parts/Honda For used OEM Honda parts Powersportsnation is the best supplier. They ship quick, provide tracking numbers and they stand behind every part that they sell. Great folks, great service. https://www.powersportsnation.com

Congrats! Thanks for letting us know that you fixed it! Make sure that your ignition coil (and all other electrical parts) is a genuine Honda part, else if it is an aftermarket part it will fry and possibly/likely will destroy your OEM CDI. Have fun!

Sometimes (on a few models, not all) china knockoff parts will work for a few minutes, but they always fail very soon after installation. Often times when they fail (or don't work at all) they short out circuits that pass through other expensive electrical modules, frying them as well. Shift ECMs are an example part that can be destroyed by excessive current due to a short - they cost several hundred bucks each! China knockoffs are the number 1 issue that we experience here on an almost daily basis, by far. We see china knockoffs on dead Honda's so often that we feel like we are mistreating folks immediately after welcoming them, when we gotta explain that cheap china parts are bombs. Sometimes I don't respond to a new member issue right away (this thread for instance), hoping that someone else will provide the bad news. We feel like crap every time, takes the fun outta helping folks fix their Honda.