Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 I was told by nice person on another site to ask here for any ideas on what could be wrong with our Rancher - We just bought a used 2019 Rancher with 698 Miles and the fully automatic transmission. Everything was fine when we test drove it other than it seemed like when you put it in drive or reverse it would take a couple of seconds to engage in gear and go, that seemed a little off to me but the previous owner said it was that way since new. Everything seemed fine for a couple miles after we bought it, the transmission shifted good once it engaged and it felt really strong. Then we loaded it on a trailer and took it to the farm, went to unload it and it wont move. It will go into what it says is drive, and I feel a very very slight pull and then nothing. Same for reverse. No flashing lights or error codes on the dash or anything like that. I did check shift motor and angle sensor and they were ok. Then we thought maybe it had the wrong oil in it (the oil was really clean) and perhaps the clutches were slipping so I changed the oil and that's when we found chunks of aluminum in the oil filter. I did refill with Rotella T6 5w40 and a new filter, made sure the oil was full and tried it again - still wont move (The engine sounds great). It will be 4 weeks before the Honda dealer can look at it. I am just wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything like this before or any ideas what is wrong with it. Its going to drive me nuts waiting a month to have a mechanic look it, thanks for any ideas or tips what it may be! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 Glad you made it over. I'll add, OP is using T6 in the engine, so good JASO MA rated oil. Have you tried running it in 4wd to see if it will pull? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Thanks jeepwm69! It will not move in 2wd or 4wd. The indicator on the dash screen says it goes in and out of 4wd like it should, but nothing changes as far as helping it to move. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 11 minutes ago, Johnie1982 said: Thanks jeepwm69! It will not move in 2wd or 4wd. The indicator on the dash screen says it goes in and out of 4wd like it should, but nothing changes as far as helping it to move. Well that definitely puts it in the engine then. First thing we gotta do is make sure the oil level is full, or a hair over full. You mentioned via PM that you let it sit for an hour. Try warming it up, then let it sit 2-3 mins and check it. Again, if you don't have oil pressure/ completely full oil, these won't pull. I ran the wife's just a hair over full, and do the same on my buddy's Rincon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 Something else to try, just out of curiosity. Put the machine in ESP mode, then shift to 2nd gear and see what it does. Given that it doesn't pull in reverse, I'm guessing you'll get nothing, but want to try it just in case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 I did check it a few minutes after I warmed it up and it was full, I then checked an hour later to just make sure and still full. I was wondering about it being the oil pump or something like that. I'm not sure how these systems work, but the engine sounds really good, no funny noises or anything like that. I did try gears 1-3 on esp mode and still wont move in any of them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 Then we get into testing for oil pressure. If you look at the top of the forum, you'll see a tab marked "Service manuals" Click on that, then on the link in that post. Go to Honda, Utility, and then find the newest 420FA manual we have and download it. This is testing the solenoid. Next will be checking for oil pressure. Then you get to the point where you might have to crack it open. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Awesome, Thanks man! I will try that tonight hopefully! I will keep you updated if I figure anything out as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 Oil pump is driven by the crank balancer, so it's likely turning. That said, the bits make me wonder if something might have found it's way into the oil pump and snapped the driving end of the gear off. Are the bits you found in the filter definitely aluminum, or are they steel (check with a magnet). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 So how handy are you with a wrench? Whatever is going on with your machine, if it is indeed mechanical, is most likely under the front engine cover, and not in the transmission gears themselves, so you might be able to stand the wheeler up on the rear end, remove the front cover, and fix the problem that way. Keep us posted as you go through the processes. Finding the problem is usually harder than fixing the problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Definitely Aluminum, I used a magnet to check. I am pretty handy, but I don't have a lot of free time and if its internal I would honestly feel more comfortable just paying someone with more experience than me to fix it. At this point I don't really care what it cost I just want it fixed and fixed right. The problem is I live in the middle of nowhere so not a lot of repair shops around me. I have done a lot of business at the nearest Honda dealer and they have always been very helpful. They also have a mechanic I definitely trust, I just have to wait a month to get it in there...which sucks because we could really use it right now Thanks again for trying to help me figure this out, I really appreciate it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 9 minutes ago, Johnie1982 said: Definitely Aluminum, I used a magnet to check. I am pretty handy, but I don't have a lot of free time and if its internal I would honestly feel more comfortable just paying someone with more experience than me to fix it. At this point I don't really care what it cost I just want it fixed and fixed right. The problem is I live in the middle of nowhere so not a lot of repair shops around me. I have done a lot of business at the nearest Honda dealer and they have always been very helpful. They also have a mechanic I definitely trust, I just have to wait a month to get it in there...which sucks because we could really use it right now Thanks again for trying to help me figure this out, I really appreciate it! Good to know. If it's aluminum then it's not the driving stud on the oil pump. Where are you located (general area)? I live in BFE and the only Honda shop around me isn't great (or even good) so I do my own work. Guessing since you mentioned a farm that you are in the midst of busy season and need your rig! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 (edited) I am in south central Iowa about 10 miles North of the Missouri line. Our Honda shop is pretty small but they have knowledgeable people so i'm ok to wait. We bought this Rancher so another family member could use it for spraying and other chores, mostly on deer food plots. Nothing too serious, other than I will have to donate my pioneer 500 to the cause until we get this one fixed. Edited July 13, 2023 by Johnie1982 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 I'm down in Arkansas, most of my buddies farm. I actually sold the wife's DCT to a South African farm hand a couple of weeks ago. She liked the Hondamatic Rubicon I had better, so she took it and told me to sell the DCT Rancher. The guy showed up and told me he wanted it to use on the farm and I said "Oh no, you want an older air cooled footshift for farm use" My wife rolled her eyes and told me what a crappy salesman I am again. LOL He bought it anyway, said he wanted the IRS and an automatic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 As you can see, the DCT was a neat little machine, but overly complicated for what we use ours for. I have a friend with 3 of the DCT Ranchers and he hasn't had any major problems out of his. The wife's was problem free until she got pregnant and let it sit for a couple of years, and it took me awhile to get it shifting right after it sat for all that time. I finally got it worked out and sold it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Lol! I wanted an automatic, IRS, and power steering and look where that got me 🤣 🤣 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 5 minutes ago, Johnie1982 said: Lol! I wanted an automatic, IRS, and power steering and look where that got me 🤣 🤣 Well, the IRS definitely rides better, and power steering is nice. I just like to keep things simple when I'm dunking stuff in the mud repeatedly. For farm use you'll probably be fine. Our farm is all planted in trees now, so I mainly use mine playing and duck hunting, both of which are hard on wheelers. The SRA does a lot better towning than IRS, and I've found that if I keep my ball joints and tie rod ends greased, the non-PS machines steer easily enough. The automatics I was leery of for a long time (I have two footshift 500's), but the Rubicon I got a while back has been a great machine so now I'm building another one of those. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Yep, we have had very few problems with Honda's over the years, and we could have bought a new foot shift for what we paid for this one. (This one does have a winch, snow plow and 14" wheels and 26" tires) If I could go back I would buy a new foot shift! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,624 Posted July 13, 2023 12 minutes ago, Johnie1982 said: Yep, we have had very few problems with Honda's over the years, and we could have bought a new foot shift for what we paid for this one. (This one does have a winch, snow plow and 14" wheels and 26" tires) If I could go back I would buy a new foot shift! Well hopefully it won't be a serious problem and will be solid after that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnie1982 2 Posted July 13, 2023 Thank you! It may be a few weeks but I will post back and let you know what it was Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,145 Posted July 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Johnie1982 said: If I could go back I would buy a new foot shift! We all make mistakes , the trick is not to make the same mistake twice Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
