toodeep

Yes, there is a shaft/arm in the motor that stops the shift drum from rotating into reverse until the the lever is pulled to release the lock. It won't hurt anything with that safety removed as long as your not going at a good speed and accidentally shift past neutral into reverse. The chance is there to hurt something but if you know about it the chance should be slim.

When mine did that it was the CDI that caused it. Since the connectors for the neutral switch are so easy to get to I just grounded the neutral wire (light green/red on the harness side) when it messed up and drove it for years like that. When I finally sold the machine I installed the new CDI so the safety feature (can't start in gear) worked again.

That is low and I would say the fuel pump. Did you replace it with an OEM pump or an aftermarket one? It could be a flow issue also if there is an obstruction in the line. If you used an aftermarket pump and didn't change the filter it could be that.

Did you replace the spark plug with the BKR5E-11 (correct plug for the machine) or did you update to the iridium IFR5L-11 spark plug? I've had better luck with the iridium on the hard to start machines. Another thing is to try different fuel. I have a few customers their machines refuse to start in the cold months (I know we are not there yet) unless they use the 10% ethanol blend. Straight unleaded and it's like what you are describing. Another thing is valve tappet adjustment if it's never been done. It never hurts to do but if they are off they can cause it to start hard.

The newer Rubicon is the only IRS machine that is offered in a manual shift. Everything else is the automatic. I have a 420 auto with power steering and I am use to how it shifts so that doesn't bother me. As far as a plush ride, it's smother than a SRA but the lack of suspension travel I wouldn't call it plush. If you go to the other brands you'll find better power steering and the plush rides but that's the dark side.. lol

Welcome to the forum. With Honda there is no ETA on coming off of back order and usually that means your in for a good wait time. If it was my machine and I needed it, I would weld it up carefully and get the part when available. Both parts are shot so besides having to cut it to remove it your not out anything.

The electric shift part is not getting the correct readings from the components and it's putting itself into safe mode, that's why I said we will worry about the manual part of it first. I think once we can get it to shift manually through all the gears, your electric shift will work fine.

We will deal with the mechanical side for chasing anything electrical on the shift issue. I'm guessing the machine is in neutral and the reverse lever is not pulled when shifting down. Have you tried shifting it into reverse? Have you removed the shift motor and reduction gears and tried to shift it?

Left rear is pretty simple but it should give more of an up/down play than a wobble. I would check and make sure the hub didn't come loose. Back to the bearing just remove the tube and drive out the old bearing and install the new. They are a double bearing in there.

Have you tried pushing on each individual wire with a pair of needle nose to see if just one single wire will make the fan come on?

Starter brushes for the starting issue. If you can't get it to shift manually you have mechanical issues there and the most common thing is a cracked shift plate. The front cover has to be removed to inspect that. If the shift shaft is froze up then the shift reduction gears might giving issues but I'm going to guess the shift shaft is moving and trying to shift.

Fuel pump relay is back by the battery at the bottom of the box (kind of under the fuse panel). I relocate all of mine just so they aren't sitting down in the debris that collects there. That was going to be one of my suggestions as long as the local dealers was using original honda parts when they replaced the fuel pump (it should be the complete sub fuel tank assembly and not just a pump even though that's what people will call it). Some dealers will use aftermarket stuff is the reason I mention that.

I was going to mention new seats are still pretty reasonable in price. Seat covers (sewn to fit) can be bought for around $20 and like mentioned the material can be even cheaper. You want a good staple gun to do that. The 400 and 450 seat can interchange but you have to force them into place to get it to latch and the 400 seat has a lower foam height compared to the 450.

I would guess the valve itself is wearing into the seat or the seat in the head came loose and wearing itself into the head casting. The valve wearing would be a more common issue but with the years of wear, the only way to know is to tear it down.

If you can't get it to shift manually, it's a mechanical issue. Does the shaft to shift it manually move freely? The won't budge at all comment can be taken a few different ways. I've never worked on one of these so I'm not sure how "copied" they are as to the Honda.

You scored gold with it having both side covers. Download the service manual, ohm out the ignition switch and you'll probably find that issue. Possibly a little contact cleaner sprayed in it and working it can revive it, if it is that. Decals usually don't stick very well to those plastic tanks. Once you get it sanded down you'll probably have a red tank again. Just a razor blade will scrape off most of the damage.

For $250 it would be hard to pass up even in very rough shape. In good shape they are getting some good money out of them and it seems to increase more every year. .

Besides being Chinese junk that listing is for the sport model (250X).

Have you checked your fuel filter? The pumps do get louder and run constantly when they have no fuel. That might, might have been a problem and now is causing the fuel pump to go bad. It's just some points under the black cover of the fuel pump and they do wear out over time, even faster if it's over worked.

I can't remember if there is enough room on the 400 but you might be able to remove the shift components with just taking the nut off the change clutch and moving it forward enough.

I've been using super atv kits for years on many machines (my own, customers and friends). They are the way to go and pretty cheap arctic cat brake pads when you do need to replace the pads. The highlifter are good kits as well but (I think this is still the only big difference) the slotted brake disk is something I don't really care for.

On most of these older machines it's the CDI that gives the issue. I have an 89 350 that I tap on the CDI a couple times a year just waiting for it to die completely. What year is the parts donor machine? Are the parts known good from the donor machine?

Sounds like your almost there to check the shift plate (#12). If one side cracks (about mid section) it will still work yet it won't and can cause the issues your having. The bolt that comes loose on the shift drum will have to be removed to get to that shift plate so you will know if it comes out easy or if it takes a little pressure to break it loose. Remember to use loctite on that bolt when going back together.

@Mike G there is a service manual in the download links on the top menu bar, unless you prefer a paper one.

Does one of the other machines have a winch on it? If so secure the 420 to a tree and use the other machine with a winch to pull the rack back out straight. You can use just a strap and reverse the 420 to pull it out but you have less control. Once you get it back in the correct place see what needs to be fixed. If you happen to have a porta power they work great to push everything back in place.