Angle sensor, yes the angle sensor

[Jemmons467 179]

So my Foreman has been driving great since the debacle months ago. I've driven it through tons of water and mud with no issues. I have also pressure washed it several times without issue as well. So a few days ago I washed it with just a regular garden hose, let it dry and when I went to drive it, would not shift. I manual shifted it into the garage changed out the angle sensor and it shifted fine. Weeeelllll, yesterday I used my pressure washer (1700 psi electric) to clean the mud off it, I planned on painting somethings on it, it was dry and what do you know, it's not shifting again. I bet it's the ! sensor again.

 

Now that I burnt your eyes and brain on the long story, what can I do to keep that from happening? I use dielectric grease and I don't hold the pressure washer on the thing either. 

[retro 3,802]

Neither the Honda ES system components, nor the wiring harness connector plugs are waterproof. So when performing the one-time ES system prep it's imperative that every harness connector on the ATV be packed with dielectric grease and every ES component be disassembled, lubed, cleaned and then sealed with silicone gasket maker.

 

I hit my Rancher with up to 3200 PSI (pump is rated 3600 PSI but thats marketing, not reality) while blowing red clay off of it quite often and have never blasted water past any gaskets or o-ring seals yet.

 

https://atvhonda.com/topic/570-how-to-properly-prep-your-honda-es-shift-system/

[retro 3,802]

By the way, you can renew a wet angle sensor by soaking it in 91% rubbing alcohol, then dry the alcohol out for a couple hours over some heat. Alcohol flushes renew many old and failing angle sensors too. :-)

 

[Jemmons467 179]

I did the grease and gasket last time but not this time. I'll redo it and clean the other one as well. I don't have a skid plate on it but plan on making one that covers the sensor a bit better than what is there, hopefully that helps as well. As always thank you

[Fishfiles 17,866]

Jemmons , you read my mind , I have the skid plate off my 450 , never did put it back on yet cause I was thinking of going with a full cover skid plate like Richocet or making my own out of aluminum plate , the OEM plate is so lite of metal it is all bent up and sprung when I took it off 

[Jemmons467 179]

@Fishfiles, yah I have a piece of 1/16 aluminum diamond plate but I am thinking it's to thin and feel it won't slide well.

[Jemmons467 179]

@retro I'll have to try that, I went tried three sensors, the one that was on it when I bought it, the one from Amazon and the one I bought from Honda, and it still won't shift.

[GeorgeT 36]

Did you perform the Initial Setting Procedure after changing the angle sensor?

 

[Jemmons467 179]

Does the 2000 model have that? I know the 02 and up has a reset to do. I disconnect the battery when I change them out.

[GeorgeT 36]

On 6/9/2021 at 12:51 PM, Jemmons467 said:

Does the 2000 model have that? I know the 02 and up has a reset to do. I disconnect the battery when I change them out.

 

My 2001 Foreman has it,. 

[Fishfiles 17,866]

On 6/6/2021 at 3:27 PM, Jemmons467 said:

@Fishfiles, yah I have a piece of 1/16 aluminum diamond plate but I am thinking it's to thin and feel it won't slide well.

Put the diamond plate facing up , I don't think that 1/16 you got  is thick enough  -------   I would like to be 1/4 inch , 3/16 at the least ----this pic is the Ricochet skid plate I have on my 300 

[Misterclean 400]

On 6/6/2021 at 10:03 AM, retro said:

By the way, you can renew a wet angle sensor by soaking it in 91% rubbing alcohol, then dry the alcohol out for a couple hours over some heat. Alcohol flushes renew many old and failing angle sensors too. 🙂

 

When I worked off shore in the olden days we could bring capacitors back to life by submerging them in Naptha overnight. I tried this procedure on an old air cooled yz 250 years ago. Didn't have naptha so I used gas.....it worked!

[Jemmons467 179]

5 hours ago, GeorgeT said:

 

My 2001 Foreman has it,. 

I know I can't bring up codes on mine but I'll check the manual.

@Fishfiles yah I don't thing it's think enough either. I'll find a use for it somewhere 

[retro 3,802]

The shift switches on the handlebar may have gotten wet too? I have soaked mine with the pressure washer before and I had to blow the switches out with compressed air to get them working again, despite the fact that I disassembled & dielectric greased the switches contacts when I prepped my ES.

 

If its not the shift switches it is likely one of the connectors took on water, or possibly the shift motor took on water.

[Jemmons467 179]

@retro I have been thinking about the switches in the handlebars as well, when I get back from our little family vacation I'm going to soak the angle sensors and check the switches. I did not take those apart during my first round of cleaning and greasing. 

[Jemmons467 179]

So I blew out the switches, shift motor, though the wire holes and my sensors. Turned it on and it shifted, so I shut it off pull the sensor out and put some silicon around it and sealed of what I could. Took the kids out down the road and in the dry field no mud, just putted around shifted every gear up and down just fine. Parked it for maybe five minutes started it up and not shifting again. I'm at a lose right now and getting upset. I guess I'll pull everything off and check it at this point

[Fishfiles 17,866]

1 hour ago, Jemmons467 said:

So I blew out the switches, shift motor, though the wire holes and my sensors. Turned it on and it shifted, so I shut it off pull the sensor out and put some silicon around it and sealed of what I could. Took the kids out down the road and in the dry field no mud, just putted around shifted every gear up and down just fine. Parked it for maybe five minutes started it up and not shifting again. I'm at a lose right now and getting upset. I guess I'll pull everything off and check it at this point

Jemmons  ,  I seen this so happen so many times now , es atvs have ruined rides for us by getting  stuck in gear and not shifting , then having to pull them thru the woods dead solider  home >>>  I would buy the by-pass harness and by-pass all that crap and see if that clears it up , for $150 + it is worth a try , eh !!!!  it was made as an emergency thing , if it don't shift then use it   ---    some have no problems , some have all the problems and for some  it seems to never end over and over , some are lucky , I am sure you can get it going , but when is enough a enough , when you think you got it fixed , it slaps you in the face , at least the emergency by-pass will get you home --- 

[Jemmons467 179]

@Fishfiles it really is a slap in the face. I love this machine, it drives great, ride not so much but thats what you get for a 20 year old machine haha, I just put a new winch on it, New wheels and tires. I am going to go through the shift motor and see if it shifts when hooked to 12v and try one of my other sensors but I have thought of the bypass before, it's only $89 for my Foreman. I do appreciate everyone's help.

[retro 3,802]

Water seemed to have been the cause so maybe something is still wet. If water got into the shift motor it will need to be disassembled.

[Jemmons467 179]

@retro I'm thinking I might need to. I was also adjusting the idle the other day before I washed it and I have read the it won't shift if it's idling to high. I don't feel it idles high but I am going to bring it down and see what happens.

[Jemmons467 179]

Ok so a quick update so if anyone else, and I know there will be, runs into this situation. So fourwheeler is shifting fine again and this is what I did. I hopped on it turned it on and nothing, ok whatever I'll figure it out later, out new motors in my son's JD Gator powerwheels and he was having a ball, this is relevant, driving around at Mach 10 with the drill batteries previously installed. So he's driving around and it quits working, he upset cause he's been looking forward to these new motors and gears, again relevancy is all building up, so I take a look and can't figure it out. I get mad, here's where it all ties together for how the fourwheel started working, look at the gator not working, mower with two flats and a bent blade, and I look at my Foreman and say, " I am over your !, I've tried ! everything I'm done and I'm ! selling you tomorrow". The next day it started shifting. So that's how I got it to work again. I hope that helps someone figure out there won shifting issue

 

Oh and here's a picture of my mower blade

[retro 3,802]

I am glad that the ES started working, hopefully it is sealed up good enough now. ES can be annoying for sure when it isn't reliable.

[Jemmons467 179]

8 hours ago, retro said:

I am glad that the ES started working, hopefully it is sealed up good enough now. ES can be annoying for sure when it isn't reliable.

I'll tell you it's never a dull day with this machine. It hits me hard to when the shifting issues happen cause this darn thing runs fricken great, it really does, and now that I have the new wheels and tires on it, it's a fricken tank. I'll keep fixing things as they arise and keep bugging you guys for help.