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Goober

03 Foreman 450ES Service

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Well my buddy got a nice looking 03 Foreman ES he asked me to service. It hasn’t been in the shop for many years. 3400 miles; 466 hourd. Just picked it up. Already I see the cables and levers need lubed. He’s never had any problems with it; operated it at least once a month.

you Outlaws got any words of advice for me?

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Edited by Goober
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That's a clean one ---- Maybe do Retro's ES maintenance/ tune up   program  and change the grease on the shift motor shaft 

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with mention of the cables ... I'd have a look at the brakes, also check the reverse cable, looks kind of not right at the handlebar, but hard to make out in the pic. 

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10 minutes ago, _Wilson_™ said:

with mention of the cables ... I'd have a look at the brakes, also check the reverse cable, looks kind of not right at the handlebar, but hard to make out in the pic. 

Yep that reverse lockout lever is kinda limp —it won’t go all the way out

 

I want to regrease those ES bits—I don’t wanna be afeared for working on these lectric shifters

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why is the choke lever on the bars as a knob ?, my '03 trx450fm has a choke lever.

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Something I've started doing which seems to help a lot with "rideability" is to get a grease needle and stick it up under the boots on the ball joints and tie rod ends, shoot grease up in there, and work the knuckle back and forth. 

 

Mine get ridden in mud and water, and then sit, and those ball joints and tie rod ends get stiff and sticky.

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1 hour ago, shadetree said:

why is the choke lever on the bars as a knob ?, my '03 trx450fm has a choke lever.

You got a FM , the ES have a pull knob choke , most likely cause the shift button on a ES is where the choke lever is on a FM 

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3 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

You got a FM , the ES have a pull knob choke , most likely cause the shift button on a ES is where the choke lever is on a FM 

ah..that makes sense !.

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Got the engine and diff oil changes done. Original oil in the diffs i bet—The rear diff oil looked OD green—showing signs of wear?

 

got it disassembled to the point wear i can set the valves, lube the steering head, and clean the accumulation of fine dust over everything.

 

Fuel tank had lots of floating particles in the bottom, so I completely emptied and washed it out. Removed the petcock and fuel gauge so I wouldn’t ruin them.

 

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1) checked the valves they were dead on.


2) cleaned up the tank mounts and put the gauge petcock back on

 

3) started a parts list—rear brake cable is pinched; missing minor hardware
 

4) Got the plow mount And footwells removed. Got it up on the jack so i can look at the brakes.

 

5) both front wheels have tiny Side to Side wiggle (Left) and 1/4” (R). Need to check the manual i think the right is not spec

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Edited by Goober
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Looks like ur buddy found the right man for the job! I do t have anything to add as it sure looks like u have it covered & giving er a good go over. 

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Front brakes look good; fluid was coffee brown but clear. 
here’s how i bleed brakes. I use clear hoses and run clean fluid thru the left then the right wheel cylinders. I pump all the fluid down at first. then use a paper towel and acid brush to remove all sludge from the master cylinder. I remove the rubber and inspect/clean the intake/return ports. i flush out all the old fluid and make sure the levers not spongy. Then i allow residual old fluid to mix with new fluid overnight — then i flush it a second time. It seems like a waste but I don’t want half empty bottles of brake fluid sitting around! 

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What size socket for the rear hub/axle nut? Manual gives thread size.

BTW it’s an 04 TRX450ES
I measured 30mm socket/spanner

Edited by Goober
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bike sure does look good, not even a bashed in center aluminum skid, which is rare, from what I've seen in the in the past. 

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4 hours ago, Goober said:

What size socket for the rear hub/axle nut? Manual gives thread size.

BTW it’s an 04 TRX450ES
I measured 30mm socket/spanner

I don't know the size off the top my head but 30MM is 1 3/16 

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5 hours ago, Goober said:

What size socket for the rear hub/axle nut? Manual gives thread size.

BTW it’s an 04 TRX450ES
I measured 30mm socket/spanner

You need a 30 mm socket to remove the nut

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2 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

I don't know the size off the top my head but 30MM is 1 3/16 

 cool thanks y’all 

i have 3/4 in drive with 1 3/16 but i saw a sale got me a 30mm impact socket for $8.

 

now this here nut where the rear brake panel is right hand thread (lefty loosey) correct?
Which one is left hand thread? The other axle nut?

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2 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

I don't know the size off the top my head but 30MM is 1 3/16 

 

i was drawing a blank there for a few .... that's one 3/4 / 1 drive i never used much ... 

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7 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

 

i was drawing a blank there for a few .... that's one 3/4 / 1 drive i never used much ... 

1 3/16 does come in a 1/2 drive socket , it is a size I use pretty regularly ,  I had to use it just recently on my Dodge truck brakes , the 30mm/1 3/16 bolts hold the caliper mounting brakes to the knuckles ---- 30mm and  1 3/16  are one of them sizes that are just about exact and you can go either way 

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oddly enough on most of the farm equipment i wrenched on, were always rarely used, never could out why that was, my friend Gus, loaned me his 1/2 inch drive set, and size chart in the box had a few sizes that were not sold in the set,.... that was when metric bolts wearnt used as much as they are now.. lol! oh how things have changed over the years. 

 

my pop got his one inch drive set, and i had the 3/4 inch drive set, i think he got that beefy set because it was sell, from s & k tools, still  very expensive.... i chose an adapter and cheeted bar ... lol 

Edited by _Wilson_™
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Front wheel bearings have tiny bit of lateral play.
Right wheel on outside tire edge has 1/4 in

Left wheel on outside tire edge 1/16 in

manual doesn’t say — am I missing it? Seems negligible movement but probably deserves replacement on later service 

Edited by Goober

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1/4 inch front wheel bearing play is just within my unwritten Mudder specs.  I’d Send It.  LOL 

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I found in Manual says check for excessive play—which this is barely noticeable. lol 1/4 inch on a stock tire be like 1/2 inch on a mudder tire Lol so yup I’ll send it.

 

both rear brake cables binding— like a tie down strap crushed the sheaths. Hardly any wear on the rear brake.

 

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Edited by Goober
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58 minutes ago, Goober said:

both rear brake cables binding— like a tie down strap crushed the sheaths. Hardly any wear on the rear brake.

 

 

Have had good luck with the heat gun bringing some old cables back to life.

 

I'm using cable-life right now but any silicone based liquid spray lube will do. I bet you have a cable-luber tool... flood from bottom up if you can.

While the cable is full of fluid heat the area that was pinched and around it with the intention of brining the material up to temperature and back down as gradually as possible.

While you are doing this work the cable back and forth just a little bit to keep it from binding and don't melt it. If you have a scrap cable piece try it on that.

Treat the outside of the cable after the process as well with the silicone spray and leave it on for a bit to soak in. The hope would be to mitigate some of the potential damage.

 

Of course replacing it is the better option but just wanted to mention. Old stuff that can't be replaced this treatment is worth its weight. 

This won't help if it's a bent steel core. I think you already knew most of this just wanted to mention.

 

Agree to send it lol

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