speedoflife

Ha! You’re definitely right. Jeep and Shadetree, y’all are awesome thanks for the advice and insight. I’ll keep hounding Honda for a bit and if that won’t work I’m confident that with yalls help I can fix this. Wrenches don’t scare me lol

Here’s a quote from someone in another forum. By the time I lose a day of potential work and the fuel on trailering my new atv all around the world I can just have this fixed. I’ve called 2 additional dealers and this is a losing battle. They are there to make money not help me. If you have the passion and spare time, I’m happy to let you call more dealers and waste your life on this issue. We just got done spending nearly $10k on my first ever new ATV and have a newborn and toddler to deal with. “Bought a brand new 2023 500 SXS, less than 100 miles and it has the same problem. Get a loud clatter sound from the rear differential. The sound is most frequent when topping a hill, or when applying a bit of throttle while traveling downhill. Mostly when the differential Isn’t under load. Spent a ton of time talking to Honda USA and was told that it was normal and not to worry about it. Unless there are metal shavings in the differential gear oil, Honda said there was nothing to fix. Dealer tried to help me turn in a warranty repair request to Honda and they were turned down. Had several discussions with the repair department of the dealer that sold me the unit. First he said they have had multiple customer complaints about this problem relating to 700 and 500 SXS. They said that the most likely cause was that the pinion gear in the differential wasn’t shimmed correctly at the factory, was moving around, and not correctly lining up with the ring gear. The dealer said it was a relatively inexpensive fix (few hundred bucks). Rather than continue to fight Honda in a losing battle, I paid the dealer to re-shim and align the pinion gear. That fixed the problem! based On the diagnosis and fix this was a factory defect that should not have happened and Honda should have fixed. It most likely would have lead to a rear differential failure at some point in time. Shame on Honda for not correcting these errors At the factory!”

Sorry and busy aren’t the same thing. What would you tell the other dealer when bringing the machine in? The other one offered to take it apart but no guarantees the work would end up under warranty.

Ouch ok thanks for the advice. That dealer is 2.5 hours away and the next ones are 3.5 hours away. This dealer said they check the fluid level before it leaves (then why was it still wrong…?). They will take it apart but if they find nothing broken they are worried I will end up footing the bill.

Here is there response after I reached out, got a response, replied with additional info, and was hoping for a solution. Needless to say this isn’t a good look for Honda. I chose this brand SPECIFICALLY because of a reputation for durability and quality. And here I am wasting my precious time on my new $9k bike. Thank you for contacting American Honda Powersports Customer Relations. We understand you are seeking technical support for your 2024 TRX420FA5. American Honda Powersports division relies on our authorized Honda Powersports dealers to be your technical resource. It would be in your best interest to get an official diagnosis. Please utilize the 'Find a Dealer' feature located on the top right of our webpage to find an authorized Honda Powersports dealer nearest you. Sincerely, Aurora American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Powersports Customer Relations

My plan is to get an extended warranty (5 year total) and ride it. What else can I do?

I added 3oz of gear oil to the differential. The manual calls for 4.2oz total. The ratting noise still occurs but is much quieter. Interesting stuff.

Looks like there is little to no oil in the differential? The manual says it should be filled to the bottom of the hole.

Ok I will look - thanks. How do you like the Bearclaw HTR’s??? Those are the tires I want. Will they stand up when they lose air?

I took it in. Service advisor and supervisor could hear the noise. Said it sounded drivetrain related. Described it as “faint” (they could only drive it a few hundred yards - it certainly can be loud: louder than the exhaust). Advice is to drive it until it breaks. Mentioned something about a newly released “product improvement plan” for TRX420FA5’s, but my VIN wasn’t in the range. This “product improvement plan” involves “replacing the engine and driveshaft.” Maybe that Yamaha wouldn’t have been a bad idea lol. First new ATV I’ve ever bought….

Thank you for your opinion and advice. I’ll be trailering it to the dealership tomorrow. Here’s another video for fun. Going downhill at 25-27mph in 5th gear. I let off the throttle 6 seconds in then at 8 seconds you hear the rattle start. It’s loud. https://imgur.com/a/gKKNb1l

If anyone is interested here’s a video of the driveshaft. Maybe this is normal? Can’t imagine so. Less than 100 miles on the machine. https://imgur.com/a/UfODilN

Hmm. It’s easier to feel and hear it in person no doubt. If this isn’t a common issue I’ll just take it to the dealership. It doesn’t feel or sound right. It’s not an exhaust shield. It feels like there’s some side to side play in the driveshaft coming out of the transmission. In the u-joint or one of the bearings. The loudest noise in the video is the problem. You can hear exhaust, gravel moving against the tires, and a loud intermittent rattling/clanking sound. Maybe it’s normal but no other quad I’ve ridden has made a vibration/clanking/rattling like that.

Hello. I have a brand new 2024 Rancher Auto DCT with IRS. It has about 80 miles on it. Ever since new, I have noticed a weird rattling noise at the bottom of 5th gear. In auto it will shift into 5th at 21mph or so, for reference. At 17-30 mph in 5th it will rattle a good bit with light throttle. This might happen a little in 4th but it’s very noticeable in 5th. It does not happen during deceleration, and it does not happen during harder acceleration. Only when the load is light and throttle is gently applied. Also it does NOT go away when the rear brake is applied. It could be a bolt loose or rattling panel or something but it seems like… too much lash in the drivetrain or play between gears? I’m not sure but it sounds and feels mechanical. Maybe just paranoia. It’s very much under warranty. The dealership is over 2 hours away, so I’d like to do a little research before I take it in. Just seeing if anyone has heard of this issue and I’ll update as I figure out what’s going on. Thanks in advance for any help. Video of sound. IMG_3821.mov