Most of you will remember my problems with overheating last summer and fall. Well they are back. After 5-6 trips to the dealer and 2 whole months without my $7000 atv with an overheating problem the dreaded light has returned. I haven't ridden much since I got it back from the last trip to the dealer back in the fall but the light never came on so I figured it was fixed. Well it is back. So far it has had a new cam, coolant system flushed to remove any air, new thermostat, and new oil temp sensor. Honda has been good so far and I was told by Honda that if I ever have any problems with it because of the overheating issues that they would cover it and they have so far, but I is getting old quickly. Well I am taking it back to the dealer Monday for round seven and hopefully they will figure it out. I love the machine and it runs great. Well I will keep you informed of my progress. It has to be fixed by April for our trip to Hatfield McCoy. There wouldn't be anything worse than having Festus tow me back with an overheated atv. For now I will have to ride my sled.
Return of the Temp Light!!
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Keep us posted Buttnaked, Mine is in for the third time now as well for the the temp light and overheating problems. The dealer supposedly has replaced the thermostat and checked everything but cannot find the problem. Obviously!
I have ordered a pyrometer so I can determine certain temp conditions myself and to compare side by side with my other Rincon (which is identical and not had any temp problems at all and always rides together in the exact same conditions). Hopefully I can eliminate some things and diagnois the problem better so the dealer can actually fix it. What a bunch of crap that the owner has to do the dealer's work. Honda better get with the program & hold their dealers accountable.
I have ordered a pyrometer so I can determine certain temp conditions myself and to compare side by side with my other Rincon (which is identical and not had any temp problems at all and always rides together in the exact same conditions). Hopefully I can eliminate some things and diagnois the problem better so the dealer can actually fix it. What a bunch of crap that the owner has to do the dealer's work. Honda better get with the program & hold their dealers accountable.
Thanks for the suggestion I am open to any but the problem is this has been going on since it was brand new. It had less than 100 miles on it the first time the light came on. I think we are dealing with an internal problem. The other day I started it up and let it warm up for about 5 minutes and then took off. I drove about 5 more minutes and my cooling fan was on, the only problem was that it was 22 degrees outside. There is no way my atv should be hot enough at that temp and that short of period to turn on my fan unless there is something seriously wrong. It will be interesting to see what is really wrong with it. It has been going on since May of last year.
have they checked to see if the water pump impeller is actually working,i have only seen this once on an auto but it can happen.you could take off the radiator cap(when cold)start the quad ,watch the water in the neck of the radiator,if it is not flowing when the hot light comes on,i would think either it is not working or the thermostat is stuck closed..take this for what its worth,even if they said they changed it,if you didn't see them do it or get the old part back,it may not have been done..i am around mechanics all day and i see how alot of them act and think,you need to check to make sure..thats why i do all my own work and buy the shop manual as soon as i get a new vehicle..just trying to help..
Well Honda is clueless on what is wrong. Our local rep was in today and he has no clue so they are going to throw more parts at it. This time it is getting a water pump and new radiator. I guess they are going to rebuild it piece by piece. It was purchased in April and only has 400 miles on it. Any time I ride it more than 1/2 hour the temp light comes on. The dealer finally got the light to come on up there. It was about 30 degrees outside when they got the light to come on so you can't blame it on the weather. This will be their sixth try at fixing my problem that has been going on for almost a year. So far the dealership has had my machine 2 1/2 months out of the ten I have owned it. It looks like I will get a new machine one way or the other. So far it has been piece by piece.
It was probably the third time I took it up they told me they couldn't do anything about it because they couldn't get the temp light to come on, so they checked it out and sent it home. So the first time I rode it when I got it back it came on within 25 minutes. This time I took a digital picture of it with the light on and gave it to them.
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Sounds like they have a bunch of clowns working there. I would take it to another dealer. Cooling systems arent that complicated. Is there water? Is it moving unrestricted? Using these two questions, you can fix most cooling problems. Replacing parts is a idiotic method of repairs. My guess is that the waterpump is bad, an air bubble is trapped, or there is something plugged somewhere.Tranny problems are hard. Electrical problems are hard. Cooling problems are not.Tell the dealer to get some mechanics.
Hey, when it comes to Honda mechanics and dealers, it's a clown convention. My dealer fed me the "couldn't get the light to come on" crap too. I strapped the Rinny to my Truck's bumper and spun the tires right there in the parking lot for about five minutes and "bingo" the light came on. turned it off.....let it cool down and made them ride it to the corner and back and voila'......the light is on again. Now they say "It shouldn't do that"! Brainiacs!! I also put fingernail polish on all the bolts to the thermostat and the waterpump and the valve covers. (I don't think they do anything they say they did, including adjusting the valves). Like to see if they actually touch any of the parts, much less replace them. I almost wish I could have gotten a better price to NOT have a warranty so I could just fix it myself and save paying them for a warranty they are not competent to honor!!! Getting really pissed off. I'm ready to get my attorney to file against them for lemon law replacement. ------Time to cool down.....I really do like the Rinny though.....Wouldn't change it with any other.
Guess what! After 2 weeks at the dealership Honda has no idea what is wrong with my atv. I have talked to Honda direct and the rep has also been in to look at it. NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG! I am going to need anger management classes before this is done. So far my 10 month old machine has been at the dealership for over 2 months. I was just informed that another Rincon was brought into my dealership with the same overheating problems while mine is there. I am going to keep the pressure on Honda.
Buck,
Went riding Sunday and after three times to the dealer for the temp light, the temp light came on again about an hour into riding. This time I had a digital pyrometer with me and we checked it against my other Rincon, which is identical and riding in the same manner & conditions and never had the light come on. The temps at every point we compared were almost identical. Therefore we concluded nothing was overheating and continued riding. We rode over 12 more hours and it performed great. We even towed a Polaris for over 5 miles. I really didn't care if it seized up. It's under warranty & I was going to tell the dealer it couldn't be from the temp light....."They fixed that" Ha! So, my new attitude is to just ignore the temp light. (I might check the sensors myself) That's why I hate idiot lights. - Bill
Went riding Sunday and after three times to the dealer for the temp light, the temp light came on again about an hour into riding. This time I had a digital pyrometer with me and we checked it against my other Rincon, which is identical and riding in the same manner & conditions and never had the light come on. The temps at every point we compared were almost identical. Therefore we concluded nothing was overheating and continued riding. We rode over 12 more hours and it performed great. We even towed a Polaris for over 5 miles. I really didn't care if it seized up. It's under warranty & I was going to tell the dealer it couldn't be from the temp light....."They fixed that" Ha! So, my new attitude is to just ignore the temp light. (I might check the sensors myself) That's why I hate idiot lights. - Bill
I am glad yours isn't really overheating. My is. It will start to boil back out of the overflow bottle. I talk to one of the my friends who is a lawyer and he is about ready to send a friendly letter to Honda about my intentions. It has now been to my dealer this time for 2 weeks and no progress.
We are now working on week number 3 without my Rincon. The word direct from Honda is we have no idea what is wrong with your atv. They did a flow test and it is flowing but is it flowing quick enough? Now they are talking about tearing the head off. So here I set without an atv and they have no idea what is wrong. According to Honda customer service I have the only Rincon that they have run into with kind of problem. They have had some others with temp lights on but it has always been the sensor or ecu.
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I am posting this message for my best friend who has a 2004 Rincon, but doesnt have a computer or access.
His light comes on also after around an hour of easy riding, sometimes sooner.
Mud isnt clogging anything, and coolant is not overflowing.
I rode it yesterday all day, and by turning off the key then turning it back on to let the fan cool it off, the light would go out and not come on for another half hour.
I have read the posts here and the stories about people going to a dealer...but I have an idea to throw out..
Has anyone who has went with bigger jetting had overheating probs? My guess is that it is jetted way too lean and the motor is running like a blowtorch.
I am curious to know if anyone who has rejetted (properly) has any overheating probs.
His light comes on also after around an hour of easy riding, sometimes sooner.
Mud isnt clogging anything, and coolant is not overflowing.
I rode it yesterday all day, and by turning off the key then turning it back on to let the fan cool it off, the light would go out and not come on for another half hour.
I have read the posts here and the stories about people going to a dealer...but I have an idea to throw out..
Has anyone who has went with bigger jetting had overheating probs? My guess is that it is jetted way too lean and the motor is running like a blowtorch.
I am curious to know if anyone who has rejetted (properly) has any overheating probs.
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