[Woodeye]

New guy here.

My wife has a 2014 TRX420 Rancher 2WD with EFI. She rode out into the pasture and shut it off. When she was ready to come back it would start, run for 5 seconds and die. My son pulled it back to the house and we started looking at it. I have an inline spark checker so we connected it and started it. The light flashed for 5 seconds and quit with the engine dying simultaneously. Replaced the spark plug and no change. Replaced the coil and no change.
My wife took it to the Honda dealer where she bought it. They said it has too much compression and wanted to tear the engine down. I told her to go get it back! They still charged her $400 for diagnostics!
So we replaced the PGM FI module and it still starts, runs for 5 seconds and dies. We tried spraying starting fluid in the intake once it was running but it still dies. (I know all about starting fluid and I only misted it for about .5 second.)

I am sure it is an ignition problem as I can clearly see the spark stop inside the tester and then it dies. You can start it as many times as you want as quickly as you want with no waiting period and it starts, runs for 5 seconds and dies.

Has anybody else had this problem and fixed it?

 

[retro]

There is another thread going here with nearly identical issue as yours:
http://www.hondaatvforums.net/forum...1082-2014-rancher-dies-after-few-seconds.html

Welcome to the forums!

 

[retro]

BTW, a $400 diagnostics bill sounds like criminal behavior! Care to share the name of that outfit?

 

[Woodeye]

That other thread is my wife. I did not know she was posting the question and what are the odds that we'd both wind up on this forum!

I had time to work on it yesterday and it is a defective Bank Angle Sensor. The MIL was not showing any codes. I removed the BAS to test for voltage as spelled out in the manual and as soon as I turned the key ON with the BAS disconnected the MIL started flashing the 5-4 code. The voltage tested OK so I shook the BAS (I could hear a ball rattling inside) and I reconnected it and with the BAS in the proper orientation no code flashed and the engine would start, run 5 seconds and die. So I rotated it 90* and the MIL started flashing and the engine would start and run! It looks like a new BAS is required.

My wife will be going back to the Honda dealer to discuss the competence of their "factory trained technicians"!

 

[alloutdoors]

If "starting" consistently, along with a new plug plus some electronic components changed, then I would "guess" it may be fuel related. When it dies, check the plug and see if "dry" and if so, you may have a bad electronic fuel injector....

 

[joeyou]

I think he mentioned trying to keep it running with starting fluid.

 

[Woodeye]

If "starting" consistently, along with a new plug plus some electronic components changed, then I would "guess" it may be fuel related. When it dies, check the plug and see if "dry" and if so, you may have a bad electronic fuel injector....

It starts (always has) and runs fine now. There was no injector problem, the BAS was shutting down the spark. With the BAS rotated 90* from UP the machine runs just fine, even with the MIL flashing the 5-4 code continuously.

 

[alloutdoors]

[/quote] It starts (always has) and runs fine now. There was no injector problem, the BAS was shutting down the spark. With the BAS rotated 90* from UP the machine runs just fine, even with the MIL flashing the 5-4 code continuously.[/QUOTE]

Not sure this helps, but see this post Resetting the Blinking FI Light - Honda Foreman Forums : Rubicon, Rincon, Rancher and Recon Forum

 

[Carolynskii]

Just for future reference for anyone reading the bank angle sensor cuts fuel not spark. This will not solve a no spark issue. It cuts the fuel off and it takes about 5 seconds to run out of gas.