edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 Have a 2003 Honda 450s , every now and then the 4w light will keep blinking and put me back to 2w drive. And advise would be appreciated. Kinda scratching my head. Thanks. Maybe I can return the favor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 7, 2023 Hi welcome to the forum --- a flashing 4wd indicator on a second gen 450 means you have a problem with the front electric shift differential actuator / or the wiring going to it , could be the speed sensor , there are two speed sensors , one on the front diff the other on the engine , so that the unit can not be shifted into 4wd while moving too fast and cause damage ---- does your speedometer work ? I had so much trouble with my 2002 450 not staying engaged in 4wd while in the woods , I switched the electric front diff to a full time diff and added a 424 kick out , but the 424 is like a needle in a hay stack these days 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 Thanks for the help, doesn't look like there two many things to change . My boy put 27inch rims and tires on it, thinking it might be messing with the sensors. I start replacing them. Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATC4ever 1,082 Posted July 7, 2023 Could be the tires arent matched up right, air pressure etc, & the sensors arent seeing the same speed with front & back axles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 (edited) My boy said that the biggest tire you can run on them. He rebuild the hole thing, brand new motor. Tires are bad ! but you feel like in second gear, your winding out, 3rd your boggling a little. The tires are and rims are brand new, can't afford to buy new 25inch . My 2001 foreman have same tires just 25, like it calls for. It a bear. I'll keep trying thing until I wear down these tires and buy the right ones 25inch. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Hope I can help you or someone else. Edited July 7, 2023 by edgy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 7, 2023 5 minutes ago, edgy said: Thanks for the help, doesn't look like there two many things to change . My boy put 27inch rims and tires on it, thinking it might be messing with the sensors. I start replacing them. Thanks again. I don't think the 27" tires has anything to do with it .... maybe if you had 25s in the front and 27s in the rear , as long as front and rear are the same height it should be ok Could be as simple as corrosion in the wiring connectors going to the front diff actuator and / or speed sensors ( engine and diff ) .... you could try and unplugging , checking , cleaning , and dielectric greasing the connections ---- there is a free download for a manual , for your model on the top banner of the home page >>> do you have one ? You could ..... run a hot wire to the front diff actuator and engage the diff with a toggle switch , just take care to not engage going to fast , best to stop Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 Thanks bro , just getting ready to go threw it. Was trying to get some ideas before messing with it. Took a lot of time to get the Mudd off, from the last ride. Lol thanks again bro. Anything else you think of , always open for suggestions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,619 Posted July 7, 2023 3 hours ago, edgy said: Thanks bro , just getting ready to go threw it. Was trying to get some ideas before messing with it. Took a lot of time to get the Mudd off, from the last ride. Lol thanks again bro. Anything else you think of , always open for suggestions. Is the light blinking in any particular pattern? On the 500's I know 4 blinks of the 4wd light means low voltage/low battery. I think there are different numbers of blinks for different problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 5,884 Posted July 7, 2023 my money say's the speed sensors are bad ?, or the tire size is messing up the speed sensor readings. moon's ago, i had this very same issue with my '03 trx450fm 2wd/4wd light blinking. thinking it was the control unit ?, brand new, same issue. come to find out..it had to be in gear in order for the front speed sensors to tell the control unit to operate in and out of 2d/4wd. sooo..speed sensors ?, wrong tire size ?, or bad control unit ?. keep in mind, the front drive shaft coming out of front of engine HAS to spin front diff pinion gear !, if it does not ?, the speed sensors can not pick up signal to operate control unit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 Ad , when the light comes on it say blinking. Shad , I know the tires are border line, 27inch, my 2001 calls for 25inch. My boy built it for Florida, now it's in NY. If they weren't brand new, I would have went to 25inch. Sometimes bigger isn't better, kids lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,619 Posted July 7, 2023 Yeah 27's won't cause an issue. The issue would be there regardless of tire size. You'll just have to figure out what the problem is. So the 450's don't blink in patterns for error codes @shadetree? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 I was thinking of trying the speed sensors. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,619 Posted July 7, 2023 Just now, edgy said: I was thinking of trying the speed sensors. Thanks Don't start throwing parts at it without a little troubleshooting. As Fishfiles suggested, first thing to do is unplug and re-plug in connectors, and clean them well while they're unplugged. Could be a loose connection. Those speed sensors aren't cheap, so make sure they're bad before you buy new ones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgy 0 Posted July 7, 2023 Jeepwm69, been threw most couple more to go. My boy did all that when he put the new motor in. The thing that sucks is it does it only sometimes. Just getting in to it, I check all wires . Buying anything is a last resort. Been there done that. Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
