[ATVtech]

Rincon transmission troubleshooting guide 1 Rincon transmission troubleshooting guide 2

 

[Harley Dog]

Thanks ATVtech for that valuable information.

 

[cajunmudbug]

You know, I think I might make a troubleshooting section in the Wiki and stick all this in there even if I have to retype it myself.

 

[cajunmudbug]

I'm making these tech articles all stickies.

 

[dirtrider2590]

thanks for the info my is in the shop as we speak because of shifting problems and bad waterpump with 4hrs on a new bike!

 

[CJ_rincon03]

this is a good post, my rincon is slipping in all gears.sometimes will go and sometimes not, i always thought it was the clutches needing replaced(around $750 to replace from what i've gathered so far for labor/parts if i do not do it myself)

BTW i have an 03, and i've heard these are notorious for o-rings causing these things to slip.

 

[03rin]

Probably the orings. Have it pressure tested. Also make sure you have the right oil in it, for wet clutches to keep it simple.

 

[Oilcan]

Yup pressure testing its the only real way to determine the O ring problem.



The O-ring replacement at a shop that actually works on Rincons should run ya just under 3 hours.

And $750 wont replace all 3 clutches. the 1st gear clutch is not so bad to get at, but the other 2 require the cases to be split and that alone is over 1K in labor around here.... I would double that estimate and then some to be on the safe side...

 

[CJ_rincon03]

Ok my transmisson problems seemed to be solved, its like they just healed them selves, (praise the lord) turns out (after careful consideration of all angles of why they could be acting up) that my only problem was the valve body having trash in it. here is how i gathered this,

i bought it not running. he told me all i would have to do is put a battery on it and fix the clutches.

1) the guy i bought it from did not take care of it AT ALL.
when it over heated, he would just scoop up a beer bottle fill of river water and pour in the rad.
2) after getting it, i cleaned mud out of the carb, case, rad., diffs, pipe, changed all the fluids and rode it.
3) clutch was slipping terribly and it was overheating. it had a cracked head letting coolant into the oil.

and all at once it hit me like a ton of bricks!!!! WHAM!!!

the river water for coolant had trash in it, a cracked head means coolant,(river water) is getting into the oil supply, which is making the clutches slip, changed the oil a million times and it finally just cleaned itself out!!!
the only thing i can figure is a little peice of trash got into the valve body and clogged it up causeing the oil psi to drop and the clutch failure.

it will now stand up (sometimes touch the back rack), spin the tires, run 55-60 or so with the 27's on it. where before it would only run like 25 mph. you know do all the things you expect your machine to do!!! i am finally having fun with it.

 

[pettitt]

Fellas - Hope you can help me with a similar problem. I have an 03' Rincon w/ 2,000 miles. 26" Mud Lite's and wheels. Has been a great machine other than the lack of low gear performance. However, my transmission is causing me problems. Sometimes it will work fine, but lately it will not shift through the gears or when it is in 3rd gear and I'm up to speed it will just slow down and start reving up. I've had it in once to the dealer and for $200 they changed the oil, checked the transmission pressure and said it was fine. BS, it wasn't fixed and now it is worse. I'll let it warm up for 1/2 hour on cold morning and still doesn't help. I've read a lot about these o-ring troubles on the 03's - is this something that a guy who has some mechanical capabilities and a manual can do themselves? The dealer already told me min. $600 to get to the O-ring. I'm very disappointed that Honda won't replace this problem on good faith. Is there something more simple that I should be checking for? This has me in a bind because I use my ATV for everything from plowing snow to ice-fishing, yard work, hunting, and of course pleasure.

 

[03rin]

Welcome to the site Madatrincon. Do a search for o-rings and tranny slipping. Someone here made a pressure guage to test their own. You may want to start there. I think the TC has to come out to get the o-rings??? How long has it been slipping? Has it ever been run with the wrong oil in it?

 

[03rin]

Has it ever been swamped? Has it ever been run for an extended period low on oil? You do know that the dipstick isn't screwed in to check the oil right?

 

[pettitt]

03in -
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly --
No, it has never been swamped per se, but I've had it in pleny of clean water crossing rivers and streams up in Alaska. I've never fully submerged it or abused it while doing so. Yes, I have always kept a close eye on the oil and have never ridden it low on oil. It has never leaked oil either or lost oil between oil changes and I've had the oil changed per scheduled changes by a Honda dealer every time except the last oil change when the extended warranty ran out. It has been doing this since late summer / early fall of 09. The first time I noticed it was when I was riding down the road, maybe 3/4 throttle in 3rd gear. It downshifted to second by itself and would not maintain speed. I stopped, put it in neutral and back into gear again. Same thing once hitting 3rd gear. I put it away. The next time I got it out, it didn't do it, ran fine. Then in November when I took it hunting it acted up the entire week so I minimized the time I rode it. Now it is terrible, I took it ice fishing (after the dealer worked on it changing the oil, testing the pressure and removing what they called a milky fluid from the valve ports of all three gears, and test rode.) The trip on the ice was pathetic leaving me miles behind everyone else and their quads. The only way I could get around was to stop, put it in neutral - ride normal for about 100 to 300 yards before it would do it again. One morning I let it run for 1 1/2 hours before venturing out. This was largely in part because it took 1/2 hour to get it started and a battery charger - which is another problem. Again, the more i read about these Rincons, the more I hear about a faulty O-ring that I just cannot believe Honda didn't have enough pride to recall and replace. Should I try cleaning out those ports again? You mentioned that the "TC" would have to come out to replace the o-rings what is the TC? How many 0-rings are there??

 

[Oilcan]

TC= Torque converter

8 "O" Rings and Iwould for sure suspect them.

When in 3rd gear, you start to slow down while the engine revs up..... total symptom of poor pressure. Idont think the stealer did a pressure test.... IMHO.

Classic problem. Once the "O"Rings are changed you will be amazed at whatyou weremissing. Ihave had 6 great years riding after Idid mine.

 

[03rin]

I agree with oilcan. I'd call the dealer and see what is up with that! Ask em how many ports they tested? They missed something there.

You need to invest in a battery tender jr. You can have it direct connected to the battery and run the cable under the seat. That way when you are done riding you can take the seat off and plug it in, and not have to take the cover off the battery.

 

[pettitt]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback. I'll dig more into the o-rings when the snow is done flying and I don't need the "fragile" Honda for plowing. They told me they tested all three ports and did get a lower reading of pressure than normal but said that changed once they replaced the oil. My next move will be to get a manual, try and clean the ports out myself - change the oil and see how it runs. If that doesn't do it, than I'll get it back in the shop and have them test the pressure. If it's low, I'll be investing in a case of beer and a Saturday afternoon to rip into it. I can't see paying a Honda dealer $1,000 bucks to replace $10 of parts that their manufacturer should be responsible for.

With the hard starting - it doesn't have much to do with the battery itself. Even with full charge or the assistance of a charger - it cranks over and over and over when even remotely cold out. Always has and I've just dealt with it. But now it is embarresing when I'm on a trip with 10 other guys and their quads and I'm priming, choking and cussing while they push their start buttons and wait for me to get done messing around.

It must be obvious that I'm a little bitter but I hate nothing more than something I've spent a lot of money on letting me down. It stings.

 

[03rin]

They missed a couple ports.

I turn the key on, pull the choke, hit the throttle a couple of time and press the button. It is started with in a couple of seconds. If the battery is bad it won't matter if there is a charger hooked up or not. Trust me, been there done that with a bad battery.

 

[cjk]

yeah if you are using the primer on the carburator and the choke and your still having a hard time getting it to fire there is a bigger problem at hand weather it be battery or dirty carb something aint right

 

[cwest150]

pettitt,
What was the outcome of this problem?? My 05 is doing this

 

[cwest150]

pettitt,
What was the outcome of this problem?? My 05 is doing this
Thanks!