muddygirl81

You guys have all been a big help. Thank you. It was just the clutches that needed to be adjusted. The transmission is in excellent condition according to the mechanic. 

13 hours ago, oldmxrider said:

I will agree with shrade on this one. Sounds like a clutch problem the new larger tires just brought it to light !   If it works kind of normal in the ESP mode but not in the auto !  The expensive tranny is good !   I brought a beat on severely neglected '05 400 AT back from the dead ran and worked like a new one !    Loved the auto mode !    Now just have a old ES model.    Not everyone  wants a foot shift model !  

I went from 24” Stock tires to 25” Mudlite 2. I looked up the weight and the 25” weighs less than the stock. Could jumping up one size make that much of a difference? I don’t know, I’m not as mechanically inclined as I would like to be. I have 2-400ATs but I’m thinking of getting rid of my other one now. It has been used for hunting and still going strong but I guess they aren’t as “hardly” as other hondas. I love the auto/es feature. 

15 hours ago, shadetree said:

if all else fails ?. BUY A MANUAL SHIFT MODEL !..LOL. you are correct, if the tranny is bad ?, they start out around $ 1,800.00 bucks to replace.

Lol. That’s what my husband told me. He said I’m too spoiled to the ES and auto. I guess if it made it to 14 years on the same transmission they aren’t that bad if you use it for farm work and trail riding. 

21 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

 

That was me.  Lot easier to keep up with stuff on a forum.  Threads just disappear on FB.

 

I rebuilt an 05 350 for my middle kid.  I did the 400AT front diff, 07-13 420 Rancher disc brakes, and modded it to start in gear with the brake lever held back like the newer bikes.  The discs brakes bolt on at the ball joints, and here's the write-up if you want to add a "start in gear" feature. 

 

I'm with you on the newer machines being too big.  I ride 500's (05-11's) but the wife and kids ride older smaller Hondas (300 for the oldest daughter, 350 Rancher for the middle daughter, and 09 420 for the wife)

Is my transmission goes out I might just have to make the swap to my 350. I have two 400AT but I’m seriously thinking about getting rid of one since the transmissions are so expensive. How does your wife like her 420? My husband bought an aftermarket power steering kit for my 400 but he hasn’t put it on yet. I started using it mostly for trail riding and long trails back lead to fatigue. 

43 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

Just realized  you'll were closer to the storm than me , hope all faired out well 

Yes sir. We made it out ok. Some of the areas around us are flooded but we are on higher grounds. Our hunting camp is taking a direct hit by it right now. Cat 2 winds from what I am seeing. Not sure what we will find up there when we are able to go assess the damage. Hope you guys made it out ok as well. 

11 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

Quote " Thank you. I will change the battery first to see if that helps. I thought about bringing it in to the dealership but there are no codes showing and it works in ES. I may just leave it in ES until it goes out and do the swap to my 350. My 350 definitely has more power and it’s my play bike. "

 

 

The dealerships around me in  Slidell , Covington and Picyuanne all have the same policy , they don't work on anything 10 years or older 

 

I noticed your member  marker , that's how I came up with 2 hours north , Houma , so you are still  2 hours just to the south west , been down Houma way many times , use to fly offshore out of Bayou Beouf Heliport in  Amelia 

I didn’t know that they wouldn’t work on something that old. I really want to stick with Honda but I do not like the new style. I feel the oversized plastics on it makes it uncomfortable to see around the bike on trail rides. I love the “feel” of the older ones. We bought a 2020 Rancher for our farm and I do not like it. I don’t use it that much. I guess if the transmission goes out I’ll either have to spend $2,000 and fix it myself or buy a used rancher.

Hello everyone! Here is a little about myself. My name is Rebecca and I’m from Houma, Louisiana. I’m married with kids. I was raised in the country and grew up riding. I love to hunt, fish, camping, play sports, ride 4 wheelers and play guitar/piano. I was in the military and was a paramedic/tactical medic for 20 years before recently taking over my family’s cattle farm. I’m a laid back southern woman that enjoys anything outdoors. I have a 2020 Honda Rancher 420 4x4, 2007 Honda Rancher 400AT 4x4, 2006 Honda Rancher 400AT 4x4 and a 2006 Honda Rancher 350 4x4. 

7 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

jeep... glad your online... who is the guy who's the automatic transmition expert.  ... i was thinking his handle was Bryan ... but i can't locate him in the forums ...

Thank you. I given this site by someone on Facebook and you guys have been a big help. 

7 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

Glad you made it over here. 

 

There’s a free factory service manual download in PDF format in the tool bar. Start there. I don’t believe there’s a clutch adjustment on the 400. IIRC you have a centrifugal clutch and the Hondamatic,  The centrifugal clutches do tend to wear on the 400AT’s. 

 

I would also suggest checking your battery/swapping a known good one on. The Hondamatic machines tend to get squirrelly if they don’t have a good fully charged battery to power all that electronic stuff.

 

Finally, here’s a writeup on the front diff swap, if you decide to go that route. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you. I will change the battery first to see if that helps. I thought about bringing it in to the dealership but there are no codes showing and it works in ES. I may just leave it in ES until it goes out and do the swap to my 350. My 350 definitely has more power and it’s my play bike. 

1 hour ago, Fishfiles said:

Welcome to the forum , looks like you are 2 hours north of me in Lacombe , I like the black atv ----- do you live up to your name MuddyGirl nickname and like to get down and dirty , cause we sure do down here in the Dirty South , the muddier the better 

 

@Shadetree likes when new members post in the Introduction Thread and tell the forum folks something about yourself and what you ride 

Thank you. I’m actually in Houma but hunt in the Pineville area. Yes I live up to my name. I’m a true country/southern woman. I have many 4 wheelers to ride but this one stays clean as it’s my work/trail bike. Muddy Girl is also a type of camo. I will go post an introduction. 

13 hours ago, bcsman said:

Well young lady I'm 68 so no big deal, we're pretty fun around here.....lol

Lol still young. My dad is 81 and rides his ATV with me. Y’all sure do seem like a great group of guys and I appreciate the help. 

13 minutes ago, bcsman said:

@muddygirl81 oh please don't call me "sir". makes me feel older than I am and I'm old enough.....lol  I'm just plain old bcsman

Sorry bcsman. That’s my parents and the military that has instilled that in me. I’m 39 and I often find myself calling people younger than me sir/ma’am. 

19 minutes ago, oh400ex said:

 

It would be a lot of things before that in my experience.

 

Clutches probably too tight.

 

Also get a new battery if you haven't in a few years. I suggest LifePo4 as they last twice as long

I will check the clutches. I guess I’ll have to YouTube this project lol. I’ll also look into getting a new battery.

7 minutes ago, bcsman said:

Welcome muddygirl, nice to have a lady here, not sure if you are the only one.  I'm sure you will find some advise about your Rancher, bet there are a few here that have a similar setup.  I have an older electric shift but sure alot different than an auto ATV.  Here's hoping you get her fixed up.....

Thank you sir. I also have a 2006 Honda Rancher 350 ES that is still going strong with zero problems. I used that one mostly to play around with. I’m just hoping it’s not the transmission since I heard that are junk. This one lasted me 14 years and 3,000 miles so I guess I got my money worth. I love my 400AT so it might be worth fixing even if it does cost a lot. 

18 minutes ago, oh400ex said:

Welcome!

 

First off, that is a clean looking Rancher in all black! I like it!

 

If the clutch has not been adjusted it could be a very simple fix on the shifting issue.

Do you happen to know if Honda has adjusted the clutches? If so when?

Thank you! I’m not sure if they ever adjusted the clutches. I will look in my service records to see. I’m hoping it’s not the transmission. I know it’s $1,800 Just for the parts. 

Hello everyone. Need some advice. I have a 2006 Honda Rancher 400AT. It’s only been used around my farm and it has 3000 miles on it. I ran it in auto most of it’s life. I always had factory tires on it until recently. It now has 25” mudlite 2.  It seems to work fine in electric shift but in auto it sometimes takes a while to downshift. You have to stop completely before giving it gas or else it won’t have much power. The maintenance on it has always been done by Honda and always done on time. There are no recalls on mine for the ECM flash. I already called Honda. Could transmission be going out? If so can I put the 4x4 disengage and the shifter on my 2006 Rancher 350? I can go buy a new ATV but I do not like the new Honda body style. I’m a small framed woman and I feel more comfortable on this one. That’s why I kept it so long. Thank you in advance.