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2017 Rubicon first 20 hr. service

26K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  alloutdoors 
#1 ·
Manual states first 20 hr. service to check and adjust valves.
The dealer shift charges 175.00 to do the first service, which includes valve check/adjust.
Has anyone did the valve adjustment/check? Is this necessary?
 
#2 ·
I suspect strongly the majority of people have not followed the manual regarding valve adjustment, especially at the 20 hr mark, self included. Valve adjustment is not complicated, but technical, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwx_3drOCuw I am confident the majority of ATV owners overlook valve adjusting for years/miles/hours and personally would not do it at 20 hours unless I felt it was needed, i.e., valve clattering and likely wait until the second oil change or another 50 hours or so.
 
#3 ·
But I'd still change the oil at that 20 hour point. Read your owners manual and don't put just any old oil in your wet clutch bike. The oil must be "JASO MA" rated for wet clutch engines.

Also use extreme caution when reinstalling the oil filter. Take notes, shoot a picture with your phone - whatever - but you have a 50-50 shot of putting the filter in backwards and starving your engine for oil . . . thus destroying your motor.

Rick
 
#4 ·
Doubt the valves will need adj @20hrs. New oil and filter you can do yourself. They put that in there to CYA, valves are easy to check & adj though.
 
#6 ·
Agree with everyone above. Unless the valves are making noise I wouldn't adjust/check them until the next oil change. That's what I'm doing to my Rubicon. I doubt at 20hrs the engine is even fully broke-in yet.
 
#8 ·
also keep in MIND< warranty , if you have a LONGER than Factory one, or?? you will NEED to prove these basic
s were done if anything goes wrong and they ask for them
having HONDA do the service, takes care of this, and why some do so

NOT having PROOF< of an oil change at "X" hrs/miles, or what ever, is the LOOPHOLE< many company's live by! to save them repair bills

so food for thought!
 
#9 ·
It's interesting people talk about the dealer doing the all maintenance and how you are "protected". Nothing wrong with them doing it at all. I will have them do my 600 mile service. But if you have an internal engine failure and there is a hint of water in there I bet you could kiss that warranty goodbye. I have all the receipts, old filter and a few pics of me changing the oil. If a dealer told me something wasn't covered due to lack of maintenance I would be calling Honda and then the FTC. There are laws that protect you from situations where your warranty could be denied. Just like adding aftermarket parts doesn't void your warranty.

And here's something interesting, my dealer told me not to worry about changing my oil at the 100 mile/20hr mark. He said you can go up to about 200-300 miles. He also told me not to worry about the valves until the 600 mile service. I changed my oil at 102 miles and I'm glad I did. I was surprised at the amount of shavings in it. Which I'm assuming is NORMAL!?!?!
 
#11 ·
I am going to say your WRONG on a few things here, first if the dealer TELLS you NOT to follow the owners manuals SET times for PM"s , HONDA will tell you , your screwed, HAVE the dealer PAY for things if things go wrong, a dealer cannot superseded HONDA"S Spec's for when HONDA requires things done
and GOOD luck getting a dealer to SAY he TOLD you NOT to follow what's in your owners manual?
that's asking for a a HE SAID< SHE SAID conversation , you will end up loosing out on!

NEXT, as for Aftermarket parts NOT voiding a warranty

ANY time you ALTER the design by the maker, you can VOID your warranty, as you did NOT allow it to be used as OEM designed it

NOW will many dealers NOT fix something if you have larger tires on it or a pipe,
NO, MOST will turn a BLIND eye to it

BUT if they wanted to be sticks in the mud YES they most certainly CAN

the burden of PROOF< is tossed around a LOT on the web
some say the OEM must PROVE that the "X" part cause "X" problem
and legally as far as MY understanding goes, NO
it would NOT
all they would have to prove, is it was NOT in OEM condition

you would have to PROVE it DIDN"T cause"X" failure
and that will fall on you to PROVE, can very easy cost you more to do so that worth doing, and OEM"S know this

TAKING pictures?? sound's great, but vide would be better, as anything today can about be MADE

a HONDA dealer( and NO I do NOT use mine for about ANYTHING)
has certified techs, and blah blah blah, BUT when work gets done there, they get the BLAME IF something goes wrong , 10 times more than IF you do it and something fails
this will really come down to YOUR dealer and HOW Much a jerk or OK shop they are

they can BACK you or NOT, when THEY DIDN"T do ":X" work and problems develop

the thing I think MOST atv owners do is this
they BOUGHT a TOY, they use/abuse it, add what they WANT when they WANT< FIX when and as they wish
and IF problems happen, MOST suck it up as" SH!T IT HAPPENS"
so few fight the warranty deal any ways

but YES aftermarket parts can and WILL void warrantys, read the small print on a warranty some time? LOL

Sorry, just is what it is!
 
#10 · (Edited)
I did the 100 mile adjustment on my new foreman myself and do all of my own maintenance and it did make a difference in performance.

Don't forget the motor is brand new and is breaking in and that it why it is called for at such low hours. Regular valve adjustments are well worth the effort and after you figure it out the first time, it will get easier for you to do.
 
#12 ·
I did the 100 mile service on 2 quads and noted the following:

1) - small amount of metal filings from each quad, maybe 0.1 gram each.

2) 1 valve on each quad was tight by .002. I loosened them. I suspect they were set as such at the factory, and that they were more accurate, since they set under "laboratory conditions", and not in the shop. But I couldn't leave them tight.

3) Putting the filter back in correctly was easy-peasy, but only because the forum pointed out the issue that there is also a wrong way. Had I not known, then I wouldn't even have thought about it, and had a 50% chance of failure. Reading the manual also would have helped, but who reads a book to change oil?

4) Setting the valves was easy, and done with normal tools, including a bent feeler gauge. Interestingly, the "kid" at the car shop didn't even know what a feeler gauge was, much less a bent one.
 
#16 ·
I just followed the manual instructions, kept my own records, and had my valves checked by the dealer. I change the oil myself and keep the receipts and records. So far so good. Just wish my valves weren't so noisy.
 
#17 ·
how do you know it's your valves ?, it could be your connecting rod ?, cam chain ?, valve seat ?, a bearing ?, there are a few parts in atv motors that make a sound like a bad or lose valve ?..lol. many moons ago, I rebuilt a trx350fm rancher, damn thing sounded great when first started ?, then when I blipped the throttle, I was hearing a rattle/click sound ?, drove me nutzs !, cam chain was brand new, so, I put a brand new cam in, because I thought maybe the decompression lever on old cam was bad ?, nope, same problem, changed valves, nope, changed valve springs, nope, well, come find out, the valve spring seat would work its way out of the head when warmed up ?, I talked to my bud at my local Honda dealership, he told me sure enough, the early trx350 ranchers had a defect in the heads valve seats !.
 
#22 ·
I just checked the valve specs on my 2014 4x4 DCT Rancher at about 191 miles and 51.2 hrs because I was getting an occasional ticking noise from the top end. The valves were within specs so I'm thinking the increased noise is because of the synthetic oil that I'm running.

This noise started last year when I changed to the Honda fully synthetic 10W-30 that they sell. I decided to change the oil again this year to see if putting a slightly heavier oil in it(used Rotella 5W-40) would change the noise which it did not. Before using synthetic, I used 10W-30 Honda GN4 and the engine was much quieter.

I have the factory service manual for my Honda so the valve checking procedure was made easier. I wouldn't pay Honda $175 to do this even though it does take some time to do.
 
#23 ·
As many have indicated, I would skip the valve adjustment right now. I realize and understand that you can use other products, i.e., oils, etc., but for myself and while under warranty, I personally purchase the filters/oil from my dealer which develops/maintains a relationship and IF something does go wrong, we can skip "pass" the conversation about OEM/quality products. Again, I realize there are many options out there, but that is how I handle all my new purchases. Today, I run Mobil 1 synthetic approved for wet clutches in the unit, but well out of warranty.....
 
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