Honda Rancher 350 ES Four Wheeler shifting problem FIXED

These issues seem to be common on Honda ES four wheelers, so I thought I'd record a video on fixing what happened to my four wheeler for you guys.

[@oscarhokensoke-jn4lz]

You fixed it! This is the first video that I’ve seen that took the engine front cover off. Great job! I think I might weld a little tab on the bottom part so the Y part can’t get out of place again…

[@nybergsgarage]

that sounds like a good idea. I still don't know what could've forced that part off and caused the whole problem in the first place, but I was sure glad to discover that it wasn't a horribly complicated repair.

[@shanemorgan3173]

Best video ever thank you for explaining I have the same problem. ❤

[@СвятПушкар]

big thanks from Ukraine! I had the same problem on military TRX.

[@nybergsgarage]

glad you got it sorted out!

[@rusharley2080]

​@@nybergsgaragewow, you helped out the Ukraine military in a real time of need.

[@nybergsgarage]

@@rusharley2080 somehow I missed that connection. wow.

[@Kookamungawerewolf]

I bought an ATC 110 that would not come out of 1st gear. I bought a repair manual and took the primary clutch cover off and quickly discovered the screw that held the shift drum stopper plate had loosened up and would not allow the transmission to come out of gear. Locktite solved that problem. The 110 also had the triangle clutch bearing in it so they carried that design over to the four wheeler engines also.

[@nybergsgarage]

well, that makes sense then. glad you got your problem fixed.

[@ExcellenceInAgriculture]

Boy I somehow have missed all these videos you’ve put up. This 4 wheeler is working great. Although gas is leaking again. I need a carb rebuild or replacement I think

[@nybergsgarage]

yeah, I was a little worried that might happen. probably a rebuild kit and fresh fuel tap will put it good as new!

[@mathewkeith5669]

Best explained video ,thankyou , I'd like to know what oil you used pleas

[@nybergsgarage]

if I recall, I just used some average 10w30 that I had on hand. For the best results you should use whatever oil honda suggests for your specific engine, especially if it has a wet clutch, but unofficially you can get away with using almost any oil in the world in these hondas and they run like the day they left the factory.

[@petercannava3236]

Thanks I have the same machine. awesome explanation and fix.

[@nybergsgarage]

glad I was able to be of assistance.

[@shaneoreo4362]

Great video Man .👍👍👍

[@DaSmuscrat]

You the man!

[@nybergsgarage]

well, thanks. 'twas an enjoyable job however, so it was easy for me to do.

[@chrisparslowdg7586]

Was the fork part replacement easy? I am in the process of doing the same thing.

[@nybergsgarage]

not hard, just slip it back in place and put the cover back on. just be careful nothing falls out before you have the cover bolted on tight.

[@andrewlenander7937]

Have my 2003 Rancher ES 4x4 torn down to this same point. I’m curious at the 10:45min mark in your video of you were able to get the machine to go into gear with the 12mm wrench on the shift shaft? I see you going either direction but can’t tell if you engaged gears 1st or Reverse when you pushed to wrench back and forth. When I turn my shift shat it feels as if I’m hitting a wall after about 1 inch either direction and the quad still rolls as if it’s in neutral. Wondering if Im having bigger problems or need to also engage the clutch to be able to get it into gears at this point. Any info would be great!

[@andrewlenander7937]

Disregard. I’m able to manipulate the gears back-and-forth now (Phew) My “Y” bar coming from the clutch wasn’t jumped off of the shaft like yours was. Not sure which problem I was having although the bearing roller plate you show was laying in the bottom of the case cover as I pulled it off but I didn’t see if it fell when I pulled it. Guess I’ll just throw it all back together now and cross my fingers that it works properly haha. Thanks for the video! Was a great help for the project.

[@nybergsgarage]

@@andrewlenander7937 thanks for the comment! yeah, the way you described it not going into gear was exactly the problem I was having. glad you got it fixed!

[@lukekincaid946]

I have a 2001 Honda 450 foreman ES. It seems to be stuck in fifth gear. It will not shift electrically or manually, what are your thoughts?

[@nybergsgarage]

I'd guess you could have this same problem. I would check under the front engine cover to make sure your clutch components aren't damaged or stuck.

[@KedneyContreras-cw5pt]

I have to do all that too to my honda it has a bad ECU I replaced that and now I have power to the handle bars controller I hope this info help some ones I put the old ecu back and no power again on handle bar controller I guess is call gear shifter computer to make it sample for ya I fix was not shifter nothing it all only manually with the 12 wrench now shift but not going down and start to flashing on the screen

[@rusharley2080]

Great job! I subscribed.

[@nybergsgarage]

thank you. much appreciated!

[@amprice0909]

Dumb question... Is there no gasket on the front cover? (Ok I watched more and answered my question) I think I overfilled it by about a quart of oil and ever since then i have to rev it way up to go anywhere. Could it be that easy to clean it up and put it back together and all be good? It was perfectly fine before I put too much oil in it.

[@nybergsgarage]

if overfilled oil is giving you problems, just pull the drain plug and let some out. also make sure you have the proper oil, since it's a wet clutch improper oil could lead to slipping problems.

[@Shanem4524]

I need to talk to you on phone I’m having the same problem. Mine fell off and I don’t know how to get it to stay on motor and line up on case

[@jasonlewallen7146]

Mine sounded like something came loose inside that cover while running. Shut it off and fired it back up, no noise so I shifted into 1st, started off then shifted to 2nd the noise came back again much more violent. Shut it off,shifted to neutral and pushed in into the shop. Checked fluids and such. Shifted through gears with engine off, went back to neutral and started it up again. The noise was awful so I instantly shut it off. Thought it over a bit, killed fire to the coil so I could spin it over without it starting. It spun over maybe twice and locked down as if something is wedge in the case and possibly the shaft leading to the rotating assembly itself. Wish I had a way to spin engine over backwards to see if something could be dislodged. But it really doesn’t matter about that cause obviously it has to be taken apart. Maybe something has broken on the clutch assembly, a spring/bolt. 🤦‍♂️ idk. I’m no mechanic on atvs but fully capable of learning as I go. Thanks for the video, gives me a better understanding of what I can possibly expect. 👍🏼

[@nybergsgarage]

here's hoping it's nothing major. good luck on the fix!

[@jasonlewallen7146]

@@nybergsgarageflywheel bolts backed out. It’s a mess, but thankfully all replacement parts have arrived and now time to see about getting it back together this weekend.

[@yeahright302]

nice work!!!

[@nybergsgarage]

thanks, hondas are a joy to work on. (mostly!)

[@tadaskabliukas2797]

Which drive mechanism is more reliable? Electric or mechanical?

[@nybergsgarage]

I assume you mean shifting mechanism? I would say mechanical 100%. I've never seen one of these honda electric shift wheelers that actually shifts properly. But then, I've never had a new one, always 20 plus years old. Electric shift probably works great at first until connectors and circuit boards start to corrode from the elements.

[@tadaskabliukas2797]

@@nybergsgarage 😇

[@amprice0909]

Also, how do you get that triangle ball bearing thing to stay put when you put it back together?

[@nybergsgarage]

I set it in very carefully and hoped it stayed put really. It may require a few tries to get it in without it falling out again.

[@samwittstruck.6685]

Grease

[@deepee9601]

My 2002 honda recon ES suck in 1st gear gear it will run jumping it of the Selenoi switch but want shift.. It is and Automatic clunch do you think this could be the problem? It will only run in first gear

[@nybergsgarage]

it certainly could be if it won't shift. but it could also be a problem with the electronic shifting mechanism, those things have a lot of issues. you should check to see if it has a backup manual shifting shaft sticking off the side of the engine, you can put a wrench on that and see if it will change gears manually.

[@deepee9601]

@@nybergsgarage Yes that's what I use the electronic shift doesn't work I put a sensor in it and still don't work it just runs in first gear it just started when it was working it feel like I had to double shift

[@KedneyContreras-cw5pt]

I fix mine swapping another ecu after check all fuses cuz was not power to the shifter handle bar controller but now going take aparte same way he did

[@4x4quadbike]

Thanks for a great tutoring 😊

[@youngmunnsr]

Did you end up replacing any parts or just put it back in place?

[@nybergsgarage]

just back in place, everything was good to go and it's still functioning just fine.

[@Breens_racing]

Did you fix the es only going half way? My rancher is doing the same thing

[@nybergsgarage]

no, I disabled the electric shift feature. I think it has something to do wit ha control module, and we'd been having trouble with it for so long on multiple ES four wheelers, we gave up on it because we like manual shift more anyways.

[@huntergray1554]

​@@nybergsgaragedo you know if a electric shift clutch cover would work on a foot shift I'm trying to see if I can do a 4x4 conversion with stuff I have

[@nybergsgarage]

@@huntergray1554 sorry, I'm not sure. I do know one thing, though, which is that this honda doesn't have any output for being converted to 4x4 at all.

[@uplandhunter5794]

@@huntergray1554 I was thinking of doing a 4x4 conversion also. From what I have read it can be done. I don't see why that cover wouldn't work either.

[@huntergray1554]

@@uplandhunter5794 thank you sir

[@nickmckinney8405]

What all do I need to do to disable the es shift

[@nybergsgarage]

essentially remove the gears that mesh the shift motor to the mechanical shift mechanism.

[@ts7303]

@@nybergsgarageIs this necessary? Or- as long as you don’t attempt to use the ES shifters, the problem should not recur?

[@nybergsgarage]

@@ts7303 I don't think the problem was even linked to the ES system. I only removed the electric shift parts because there's a bit more chance of something failing with more parts than with less.

[@AdamandEli4441]

Was there a front driveshaft that you removed? I’m unsure how to get that off and I didn’t see it in your video.

[@nybergsgarage]

nope, this four wheeler has no front drive shaft. in fact, I don't think this four wheeler can even have a front drive shaft installed, I didn't see anywhere to mount it while I was working. most hondas can be converted to 4WD but I'm not sure this one can.

[@ПётрВоронцов-х5ь]

У меня на хонде 4х4,поменял диски сцепление, а проблема не ушла ,прибовляеш газ до середины потом начинает ехать

[@douglasgreen9556]

When downshifting while not running you must rock the atv forward and back while shifting. Then it shifts out of gear

[@nybergsgarage]

tried that. as you can see in the video, the clutch arm came off of the shifter arm, so the clutch wasn't activating when I tried to shift it.

[@reallythough4591]

Looks like that's where the washer went

[@thomasjahn9275]

How to get front drive line out?

[@nybergsgarage]

not sure, this four wheeler doesn't have a front drive system, it's just rear wheel drive. sorry I can't help, but you could probably find a good tutorial somewhere else on youtube.

[@TheHustler937]

So it's still not able to be shifted by the electric shift. What a waste of time

[@nybergsgarage]

not at all. electric shift was not what needed to be fixed, as it was not being used. the actual mechanical problem was fixed, and the guy who owns this four wheeler wanted to eliminate electric shift, as it wasn't worth the trouble.

[@stevenhanson5782]

Shift angle sensor on the back of the motor would of fixed your shifting issue

[@nybergsgarage]

probably, but my brother in law wanted this to just be manual shift so he wouldn't always have to worry about having enough battery power to work it.

[@stackfire9601]

It's 40$ for the shift motor . 20 minutes and then it's swapped

[@nybergsgarage]

the motor works fine. I'm pretty sure it was the gear position sensor that was having an issue. either way, manual shifting is far more reliable with the fact that batteries have a habit of dying in the thirty below temps we get around here each year.

[@stackfire9601]

@nybergsgarage Roger that , I am from Trapper Creek , Alaska and i still have my original 93 trx 300 4x4 . It out shines all of them!

[@nybergsgarage]

@@stackfire9601 ah, alaska. gets cold there as well! with the exception of the electric shift system, every honda 4 wheeler we've ever had has been dead on reliable, and we've had quite a few. really solid machines.

[@Mooseknuckle713]

Gear position sensor back of Motor small fiber glass piece broken

[@mjblinn9186]

WAGONEER!!!

[@nybergsgarage]

that's our previous snowplow vehicle. sadly in rough shape but we plan to get it going again one day!

[@gunnermorgan-cx5py]

@@nybergsgarage do you have to put a gasket back on the case or no

[@nybergsgarage]

@@gunnermorgan-cx5py I put hondabond oil-safe gasket maker on the case before reinstalling, but before doing that I test drove it for about a week to ensure I truly had fixed the problem, and it didn't leak oil at all. I'd still reseal it with some form of oil safe gasket maker though for sure.

[@perry9492]

Wash the engine before opening it up. Dirt is not your friend.

[@nybergsgarage]

you're right. that's something everyone should do, but not many think to do it.

[@recrdholdr]

OK so it works for the moment but you didn't really fix anything. The problem is still there and will fail again.

[@nybergsgarage]

hasn't failed yet two years later. Somehow the shift mechanism fell apart inside. Hasn't happened again. seems pretty fixed to me.

[@billwilson2514]

Is a 4x4 the same set up ?

[@nybergsgarage]

@billwilson2514 I think so. Haven't had one apart yet though.

[@fourbyfourer]

Driving it the way you did (jumping it) is a real disrespectful way of treating your neighbours machine.

[@nybergsgarage]

not my neighbors. my brother in laws. he and i and my brothers do this stuff with it all the time. I wouldn't be hard on it unless i knew it was okay.

[@samwittstruck.6685]

Buy a Honda model service manual and learn to read.

[@nybergsgarage]

do you have a problem with the fact that I repaired it without requiring a manual?

[@mid-ohioguardian6927]

Why didn`t you talk or show where or how that triangle piece went or why it fell off ?????????????????

[@nybergsgarage]

I think I did, if you're referring to the 'triangle piece' that I think you are. why not watch that section again?

[@MrTruckerf]

He showed where it went, but I am a little fuzzy about what held it on. I guess you line it up and the case will press on it and hold it in place.