jtreetops2 0 Posted January 7 makes clattering noise when in forward gears Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted January 7 Going to need more info that that. Does it pull ok or is it slipping? Sound ok when revved in neutral and reverse? @Brian Bertram is the Hondamatic expert but he’s not on here a lot. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtreetops2 0 Posted January 8 will lknow more after i pick up from shop today will post then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtreetops2 0 Posted January 11 yes it pulls good and no clattering in netural Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldmxrider 71 Posted January 12 Does the machine move in reverse normal with no noise or clattering? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtreetops2 0 Posted January 12 yes no problem in reverse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,543 Posted January 12 this is an auto, chances are, the transmission is toast, they are a money pit, you can not ( us mostly ) can not replace any parts on them, as they are non-serviceable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted January 12 Ah, don't let old Shadetree scare you. He doesn't like the Hondamatics, and I had the same impression of them for a long time, but we have a member who is on here front time to time, @Brian Bertram, who rebuilds them if they aren't totally grenaded. The early Hondamatics got a bad reputation due to faulty oil pumps. I stayed away from them for that reason, but after watching my buddies abuse theirs for 10+ years now without a failure, I've decided they can't be that bad after all. They are very nice to ride with no shifting and seamless power. If you don't have any noise in reverse or neutral, that's a tough diagnosis. The usual troubleshooting on a Rubicon is to do an oil pressure check as they run off of and require high oil pressure. I would be inclined to think it's NOT the Hondamatic if it doesn't make any noise in reverse, but to be safe I'd email Brian and ask him, maybe send a video of the noise to him. He's been very helpful to me when I've reached out to him with Hondamatic questions. His contact info is in this thread. Please let us know what you figure out. I'm rebuilding my first Rubicon/Hondamatic engine now, and at Brian's suggestion, I left the Hondamatic alone (the oil pump chain had jumped off on mine, starving the engine for oil, so new crank and top end going on) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 19,716 Posted January 12 I'd say , " we live in a disposable world now days " and the Hondamatic transmission is one of those disposable commodities >>>> as long as it works great for you , ride it , when it don't work no more , then dump it and don't let it become a money pit full of aggravation and despair >>> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted January 12 I will say that the 05 and 2012 Rubicons that I have both share fenders, front and rear diffs, airboxes, CV's, brakes, pretty much everything but the engine and wiring haress, with my 05-11 Foremans, so if I have a Hondamatic croak, I get lots of parts for my footshift Foremans. That said, I now have one running Rubicon (the 05, which my wife has laid claim to), one in the process of a rebuild (2012) and another spare engine. If I'm lucky, and these Hondamatics are all good, I'll have a spare on hand just in case. I have a line on a 2014 bottom end as well, but it's in OK and I don't know if I'll ever be able to meet the guy to get it. From what Brian told me, it's VERY rare for the 05-14 Hondamatics to go bad, and the 04's had the newer style oil pump (I believe) so OP's will hopefully be something other than the Hondamatic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 19,716 Posted January 12 * Perfect example , you are put a lot of time in your project and I don't really know how much money if any , when you are finished and if the Hondamatic takes a dump right off the bat , are you ready to drop another $2,000 , plus your time and labor into it ----- a song and a saying comes to mind , saying " sometimes you need to lick your wounds and move on " Song = " Knowing what ( and when ) to throw away and what to keep " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldmxrider 71 Posted January 12 Will it move at all when in the forward gears ? Might be a sub transmission problem ! I only played with one hondamatic it barley tried to move lots of grinding noise. The repair was just the simple sub transmission used parts were bought from eBay and it worked like a new one when done.. I did not pull the engine for the repair pulled the swingarm and rear end was able to do the repair with the engine in the frame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted January 12 6 minutes ago, oldmxrider said: Will it move at all when in the forward gears ? Might be a sub transmission problem ! I only played with one hondamatic it barley tried to move lots of grinding noise. The repair was just the simple sub transmission used parts were bought from eBay and it worked like a new one when done.. I did not pull the engine for the repair pulled the swingarm and rear end was able to do the repair with the engine in the frame. I'm in one now. What did you have to replace, out of curiousity? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldmxrider 71 Posted January 12 Been a while since I repaired this one. Best I can recall is someone had played with the shift adjustment and it started jumping out of gear but they kept pounding on the unit and I replaced some gears that were worn. The machine also needed a few sensors and a initial setting done to make everything work as it should. The machine was treated VERY bad and lived in water and mud. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtreetops2 0 Posted January 15 the mechanic said he scoped the transmission and didnt see any thing wrong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted January 15 1 minute ago, jtreetops2 said: the mechanic said he scoped the transmission and didnt see any thing wrong well you have the Hondamatic itself, and then the geared sub transmission gears under the back crankcase cover. Can you tell which part of the engine the noise is coming from? Any work been done to it lately? Oil change etc? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cmoore 1 Posted May 10 On 1/7/2023 at 5:53 PM, jeepwm69 said: Going to need more info that that. Does it pull ok or is it slipping? Sound ok when revved in neutral and reverse? @Brian Bertram is the Hondamatic expert but he’s not on here a lot. Is there another way to reach Brian Bertram? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,222 Posted May 11 2 hours ago, Cmoore said: Is there another way to reach Brian Bertram? Did you try emailing him? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cmoore 1 Posted May 11 13 hours ago, jeepwm69 said: Did you try emailing him? Yes I did, he responded right away! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Destructo 9 Posted June 13 I as well am trying to reach Brian, could you inbox me his email address please!? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
