2 questions re Honda Foreman

[RussMan]

I have a 2005 Honda Foreman ES, and overall it has been a great machine. But 2 questions I need help on:

1) A couple of times the ES has not worked perfectly - I hit the button to shift and nothing happens. Someone told me they thought there was a recall on the ES but I was never notified by my dealer - was there a recall?

2) I heard on this forum someone mention a primer of some sort for cold starting. I am not aware of any sort of primer on mine - where is this primer gizmo?

 

[Scooby074]

I have a 2000 450 ES and have had some shifting problems as well. On mine when the problem happens my display shows (--) and its stuck in gear.

I checked my dealer and he said there was no recall, he also said mine was the first he had saw . After checking online it is a pretty common problem with the ES, especially if you drive thru any water .

The fix (according to the dealer) is to replace the shift position sensor on the front of the motor ($90) You can try taking the sensor off and cleaning the plug contacts and drilling a small hole in the inside of the sensor and injecting some contact cleaner to remove any dirt and dry out any water. Then fill the sensor and the plug with dielectric grease to keep out water. This has worked for me for 2 years and im always in the water with my machine.

Another place to look for shift problems is mud in the handlebar shift buttons. Just take the control apart and clean out the mud and dirt. After i did that i filled the detent holes on the side of the plastic with hot glue to keep out the dirt. ( this may not apply to your machine, i heard honda fixed this area on newer machines)

The primer is on the side of the carb, look for a black plunger type thing.

 

[ccsial]

We have an 03 Foreman ES and an 05 Rancher ES.

I have always had an occasion where they would not shift. Usually going slow or stopped. Sometime just rock it a bit with your body weight. If it get stuck between gears it will show the (--).

If you have ever driven the foot shift it is much like a motorcycle. They stick now and then and you have to rock it a bit. The ES uses a solenoid to shift and can have the same sticking problems.

If the problem becomes more constant it may be the sensor. If it is just now and then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[johnk]

I had a 2001 Foreman ES annd I just sold it with almost 1800 miles on it. It probably got stuck in no gear around 4 times where I had to pull the wrench out and manually put it in gear. Usually the rocking will get you back in business. There is also a clutch setting with the set screw but it is a real pain to get to. I just bought a new Rubicon w/ GPS. The 450 ES was a real workhorse for me. Really no major problems I can think of.

 

[BigCrzyRdNeck]

i have a 00 foreman also i bought it in 06 didnt shift when i got i pulled off the cpu and cleaned and greased it seem to fix it but from time to time would quit i would play in the river for 10 to 15 minutes and that would fix it. i ve been through the book and the machine with a tester and every thing points to the cpu. they go for 350the last time i looked. the book says to not shift manully it WILL tear the tranny up but the honda dealer by me is very help and the head mechanic said hes never seen one be messed but by that. they also said they never realy see one with electric problems just mechanical. (probaly the guys who have problems are like me stay in the river most of the time floating adn we do our own work.) they also told me there wernt any recalls on the es stuff. just some models with ball joints.

 

[Haneyrm]

I am in the process of buying a 2007 Foreman 500 and found this site to be very helpful with lots of information.

HondaForeman.com :: Home Page

Mike

 

[johnk]

Thats a great site. I just registered on it. I just bought a new Rubicon w/GPS w/ 3 year warranty. Just picked it up last week and have 80 miles on it now. My foreman 450 ES was a real tank. If the Rubicon is as dependable as the old Foreman 450 I'll be overly happy.