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freebo86

04 Foreman 450ES - Clean up, Repair, Maintenance & Enjoy

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6 hours ago, retro said:

Zip ties eh? 🙂

 

check this out, retro,  some idiot put a hose clamp on my 97 before i got it, that just bothered me too much, so it had to go, thankfully that was the only issue it had when i got, well that and the font brakes, but she's been very faithful, no issues .. 

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7 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

do i see zip ties in place ? guess that would work. instead of the rubber bands.

 

Sharp eye! But yes, the rubber bands are also in place and holding it, the zip ties were extra protection lol. Not needed?

 

 

6 hours ago, retro said:

Zip ties eh? 🙂

 

🙈

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53 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

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I don't like the looks of those brackets, I think they should have had more meat on them , at least enough to cover the head of the bolt and not even have that second unused hole ---- I think I would rip that shock clean out that mount the way I ride --- 

 

did that shock slide right in and the hole line up perfect with the a-arm hanging all the way down  , or did you have to raise the a-arm up or pry the shock to retract it for the bolt to line up 

 

also in one pic , it looks like the shock bracket is rubbing against the tube of the shock 

 

The brackets do look flimsy, I do agree. But prior to ordering this I read numerous reviews and forum comments on this kit and that it's quite sturdy and folks took a beating on them without issues. The bracket does flare out a bit more and has meat over the bolt. The second hole is for the second setting to provide a lower lift & firmer ride.

 

The bracket hole to a-arm lined up flawlessly. The shock had to be slid up with a small prying to retract to get it to seat and then let it get to its resting place and the bolt went through. The bolt holes did line up once I trimmed the bracket a bit back if you look at the below photo. There is also washers on the inside of the bracket between bracket and shock mount. I reached out to @jeepwm69 as he has quite a few of these kits installed on his machines to see what he thinks of this install.

 

Where do you see it rubbing?

image.png

Edited by freebo86

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39 minutes ago, freebo86 said:

 

The second hole is for the second setting to provide a lower lift & firmer ride.

 

 

 

Where do you see it rubbing?

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I can't see the shock lining up with the second hole , doesn't look like there is enough room for the bushing holder to fit 

 

the place I wonder if it is hitting is above your red circle where the shock tube is close to the bracket , might just be the angle 

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1 hour ago, Fishfiles said:

I can't see the shock lining up with the second hole , doesn't look like there is enough room for the bushing holder to fit 

 

the place I wonder if it is hitting is above your red circle where the shock tube is close to the bracket , might just be the angle 

 

It doesn't, you are correct the shock mount won't clear the bushing, so the second setting cannot be used with my ATV. The reasoning behind is this that this kit is for a RX 500 Rubicon 2001 - 2004. 

 

It's not hitting, just the angle. The bracket only had interference at the bottom there where I trimmed it back a bit, not hitting on the shock tube.

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Well buttoned things up tonight. Appears this lift kit didn’t really give me a lift. The rear end, yes but the front no. The rear was close to 1.75” the front 1” if that. 
 

Not sure why that’s the case. the rear looks jacked up now vs. the front. 

Also, noticed tonight the High Oil Light when I turn the key to ON isn’t quite consistent anymore again. Where it lights up strong for an second then turns off instead it’s dim. Looks like failing fan control unit.. 

 

 

 

 

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I put a 450 Perfex on an 05-11 500 Foreman.  I would have thought the 01-04 Rubicon would have been exactly like the 450's....Weird.

 

And you don't get a tremendous amount of lift out of the perfex.  A little bit, but it's more for the ride quality. 

 

 

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I have heard  truck guys describe  that stance as , a cat in heat !!! 

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Well finished things up tonight and wired in the rest of the gear. Fired right up even after sitting for 10+ days. 

relocated winch solenoid to the rear box, was getting too crammed below the seats and the wires were getting mangled. 

 

one of the floor boards was cracked so I drilled some holes, used zip ties and then JB Plastic Bond. For the time being until I can source a decent one used for a fair price. 


I also took the time to check the rear two wires where I questioned what it’s for and they in fact get energized when either lever is pulled or the foot brake. So it’s for a rear brake light. 
 

My question though, on the rear brake lever, now that the light would indicate braking I noticed the lever doesn’t get pulled back once it’s pulled. The spring shown there (rests against the reverse switch post) almost doesn’t havent the tension it needs to pull the lever back into position to depress the little contact switches. I looked at partzilla but couldn’t determine if this is how it’s installed but looks like it’s the only way really. 

 

Anyone have some insight?

 

 

 

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rear bakes might need to be adjusted up, or it could be the cable trying to drag / lock up, when you apply the rear brake from the hand brake lever, do the rear brakes stick ? 

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1 hour ago, _Wilson_™ said:

rear bakes might need to be adjusted up, or it could be the cable trying to drag / lock up, when you apply the rear brake from the hand brake lever, do the rear brakes stick ? 


I replaced the rear brakes as well as a new rear cable. I don’t think they stick, but I guess tightening the nut in the rear would pick up slack in the cable?

 

 

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how much free play on the rear adjusting nuts ? yeah it that should do it i keep mine tight enough that there's just a tad bit of tension on the brake arm. when you apply the hand brake, then let off, and turn the bars does the lever go all the way forward ? and is the new cable routed the same as the old one ? 

Edited by _Wilson_™

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Are you referring to the spring on the parking brake lever ??  All that spring does is move the parking brake lock lever away from the brake lock position ----

 

If the brake lever is not returning after being pulled , then it could  be a few things , the brake arm is sticking in the backing plate ---  the spring on the brake arm is weak , broken or even missing ----  the spring on the end  of the cable at the brake arm is weak or missing -------  the foot brake is sticking -----  you have the two cables ( front and rear ) maybe  not properly adjusted together -----  you might have gotten  the wrong cable ( as you said you replaced it ) -----  the hand lever itself could be  sticking ------ or the cable is in a bind from improper routing of the cable  

 

 

post a pic of you brake drum and arm 

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i think this one had a cracked backing plate, and the cam on the brake looked rough also. I don't if he ever replaced ether of those, i think the pics are on the 1st page ? 

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14 minutes ago, _Wilson_™ said:

i think this one had a cracked backing plate, and the cam on the brake looked rough also. I don't if he ever replaced ether of those, i think the pics are on the 1st page ? 

I remember seeing that now , the backing plate is JBWelded.  Then add maybe the shoes are sticking to possible causes 

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The rear adjuster is loose, I'll have to verify it.

 

The cable is new, looked identical to the one I removed. Routing of it was following how the existing which was the original I would assume done.

 

Yah the cam that's posted on here, was after a quick pass with the flap wheel, I had spent more time cleaning the that cam, greasing etc. It had a much smoother finish when I was done with it. I can always pull it off and inspect inside the brake drum to see how it looks after the few hundred km's done on the machine since it's all been replaced. The JB Weld, not sure how much that would affect this as the crack was way down in the lower portion of the area of that backing plate that had no interference with the shoes? But ya never know.

 

I think the wing nut on the brake cable for the lever worked itself loose personally? 

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5 minutes ago, freebo86 said:

 

 

I think the wing nut on the brake cable for the lever worked itself loose personally? 

I have seen the threaded end  side of the adjustment wing nut get flatten out , it starts with a half moon shape to it , so each 1/2 turn kind of locks , have had to take a rat tail file and bring that back to shape 

 

another thing comes to mind , is the right cable in the right holder ( top /bottom ) , usually you can't go wrong as one end  is bigger than the other , but you never know what the PO did  ---- a couple of other things come to mind , is the arm properly indexed to the cam and are the shoes OEM or after market 

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38 minutes ago, freebo86 said:

The JB Weld, not sure how much that would affect this as the crack was way down in the lower portion of the area of that backing plate that had no interference with the shoes? But ya never know.

 

yep, fish,  had to think for a few, then just went and looked, if you didnt get any on the inside ? i wouldn't think it would be an issue, but like you say who knows. did you twist the bars to see if the cable might be binding up ? fish makes some really great points especially what did the PO do. 

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Well the adjuster nut was loose. Tightened it up and works beautiful. No slack, brake doesn’t catch. 
 

Went riding today to test out the Perfex Kit as well as that new steering bearing. Wow. What a difference in steering feel with the new bearing, steering is super tight and responsive. No play. Also I’m happy to report my jerking to one side has been resolved by the shoot lower shock bushing I swapped. 
 

The Perfex Kit, certainly feel a difference in ride - much smoother. The ATV almost has a floating feel to it. I’m running 27x9x12s tires at 4psi. Mind you the trails now have some hard packed snow but there is still the seaboard waves but it absorbs it much better now. Wish it would of just gave me more clearance in the front.. 

 

New issues, these were happening prior to but it’s gotta get fixed. As I mentioned after riding for a while the ATV is hard to start going to start with a valve adjustment and checking the vacuum that retro recommended. 
 

But when I noticed tonight, when I push the start button it tries to start but the display blinks and goes off/resets and comes back on when it won’t fire. Other times again, works flawlessly fires up on first hit of button. 
 

it cranks and cranks the screen goes blank then comes back ON. Common symptom? Easy solution?

Edited by freebo86

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thanks for the update. feels like a whole other machine now ? the display blinking of and on, hm... sounds like a connection  issue in the wire harness, try this , turn the bars while trying to start it, see what happens then. just a thought .. most likely that will not make a change. also any issue with the lights, if you had said the screen blanks out and she stops turning over my thought would be a battery connection. 

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20 minutes ago, _Wilson_™ said:

thanks for the update. feels like a whole other machine now ? the display blinking of and on, hm... sounds like a connection  issue in the wire harness, try this , turn the bars while trying to start it, see what happens then. just a thought .. most likely that will not make a change. also any issue with the lights, if you had said the screen blanks out and she stops turning over my thought would be a battery connection. 


Like the screen resets itself, starter is turning but no firing. I think I’ll have to adjust the valves I find this thing sounds like a ticking time bomb. 

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38 minutes ago, freebo86 said:

But when I noticed tonight, when I push the start button it tries to start but the display blinks and goes off/resets and comes back on when it won’t fire. Other times again, works flawlessly fires up on first hit of button. 
 

it cranks and cranks the screen goes blank then comes back ON. Common symptom? Easy solution?

 

Yup, thats fairly common. Either your battery is weak, battery terminals loose/corroded, or your motor & frame grounds are loose/corroded, or the positive starter motor cable loose/corroded at the solenoid and/or starter motor. Could also be a contaminated/corroding electrical connector on the ECM, the display or motor harnesses that plug in right/rear on the bike. Honda does not weatherproof connectors so it's left up to the owner to remove fenders, open each one and dielectric grease them. Best practice is to take care of every connection on the bike in one work session rather than chase individual failures as each happens.

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Informative post @retro. Thank you.

 

I’ve pulled each and every connector and added di electric grease already. Guess I’ll have to start from one of the other action items and worn my way down. 
 

this issue also seems to occur after the engine is warm, has been ridden. Now that it’s in the garage tomorrow morning I can go in it’s gonna fire instantly. Wait a week or two - same thing fires away. 
 

start it and go for a drive, take a break.. it struggles. 

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