[MattH]

My ranchers front end drops down really bad when I let off the accelerator, as if I just slammed on the breaks. It only does this when the bike is in 4x4. I have replaced the springs with yellow highlighter springs, but the issue still persists. Anyone have any ideas, before I pay an arm and a leg to get diagnosed at the dealer?

 

[mrbb]

well what I think your having is called engine braking, when your in 4x4 mode, the front wheels are under power, so when you let off the gas, the engine braking will work like adding brakes, same as it will on rear wheels, but with being on the front, your momentum is going to cause the front end to drop SOME, due to the front wheels are slowing things down when you let off the throttle

it should do it MORE in first and second gear,m higher gears will have less engine braking due to higher gear ratio's

NOW< you could also be having some drive line issue's too
but your not saying your having any issue's driving it in 4x4, just the nose dive when your letting off throttle, so??
please clear this up, , as if your having noises or binding while driving, you could have other issue's at play here!

 

[MattH]

This issue started about 2-3 years ago out of no where. I noticed it started while I was plowing in a snow storm. The quad has been run into a tree by my little cousin back in 2010. I never addressed the damage but it looks like a few front guard bars that attach to the frame are bent and the headlight is crooked. Also one of the breaks squeaks when turning in reverse. Doesn't seem to drive or ride funny.. except for this one issue.

 

[mrbb]

well a bent frame can cause a LOT of problems, could have bent A arms that are adding a lot of leverage to things when stopping
its impossible for me to say anything more NOT being near the atv to look it over
but if it was in an accident, a whole jar of different things could be the problem here
could be bent and causing binding on drive lines,
MY suggestion would honestly be, have a mechanic have a look at it and give you an estimate on what they find is wrong with it and then let us know what they SAY
most shops will give you an estimate for free I would think or a small fee
doesn't mean you HAVE to have them do the work

but if you have bent frame or parts
the ONLY way to fix will be to replace bent parts, cut out, heat up and or replace frame where damage is at on it!

You should have had your insurance cover things when it happened, that 100 bucks a yr, pays for itself real fast in things like this!

 

[MattH]

What gets me is the crash was a long time ago, this nose dive issue just started a year or 2 ago. I don't use the quad a lot in 4x4, but when I do this issue is pretty annoying. I will stop by the local Honda shop and ask about their diagnostic fee.

 

[hodge5]

What gets me is the crash was a long time ago, this nose dive issue just started a year or 2 ago. I don't use the quad a lot in 4x4, but when I do this issue is pretty annoying. I will stop by the local Honda shop and ask about their diagnostic fee.

You could have had damage from the initial incident, and something has given way 2 years ago. It would be helpful if you could post detailed photos of the damaged area, front frame, front suspension, anything suspect. It's hard to give advice without seeing.

 

[mrbb]

if accident was 2-3 yrs ago and problem started 2 yrs ago??
that ain't much time difference from accident till issue started , NO??
a slightly bend thing might have NOT cause drive line binding, but the longer you used the atv, the more damage to the damaged parts could have happened, or you just didn;t drive it much in 4x4 mode to notice after the accident?

it will be hard for folks here to tell without seeing atv in person and actually driving it I think
your best bet will be to have someone else look at it that knows what there doing

are the CV joint boots all OK
as if you have a binding CV joint from a damaged boot that could cause this SOME what, but it would have to be a pretty BAD joint, and it should cause excessive binding ALL the time while driving, NOT just when stopping!, meaning you would need to be adding a LOT more throttle to make atv go period!

but please update here when you find out what is wrong

 

[MattH]

if accident was 2-3 yrs ago and problem started 2 yrs ago??
that ain't much time difference from accident till issue started , NO??
a slightly bend thing might have NOT cause drive line binding, but the longer you used the atv, the more damage to the damaged parts could have happened, or you just didn;t drive it much in 4x4 mode to notice after the accident?

it will be hard for folks here to tell without seeing atv in person and actually driving it I think
your best bet will be to have someone else look at it that knows what there doing

are the CV joint boots all OK
as if you have a binding CV joint from a damaged boot that could cause this SOME what, but it would have to be a pretty BAD joint, and it should cause excessive binding ALL the time while driving, NOT just when stopping!, meaning you would need to be adding a LOT more throttle to make atv go period!

but please update here when you find out what is wrong

I can post some pics later after work. Everything works fine and drives smooth, good acceleration.. no binding. The accident was around 2010, nose dive started about 2014/2015.

 

[mrbb]

have you tried getting the atv up in the air, all 4 wheels off the ground and putting it in gear and driving it, to see what is going on on the front end?
I would star here if I was you, something isn;t right, but then again I do NOT know what your experience level is, and if the front end dropping down is NORMAL like to things in 4x4 and engine braking again/
all 4x4 atv's will nose drive some when engine braking occur's
, but for anything drive line to be causing it, something would have to have failed or been bent, or BOTH< a slightly out of spec part will STILL work but as time goes by, it will get worse and worse
so, if you bent something a little, as time went on, that can be getting worse and worse and weaker and weaker at what it was made to do! and NOW have an issue

pic's MIGHT help us help you, but honestly, this is an issue that needs to be seen more in action than just pic's, as small things bent out of norm are hard to see unless compared to a GOOD new part

can you post a video of it nose diving, that might help more too!

 

[MattH]

Alright, I was able to get out this morning and take some pics. I know I had some bent metal in the brush guard/grill, but it looks like it has gotten worse. Here are the pics.. let me know what you guys think

 

[MattH]

Could I be so lucky to buy a new front guard like this and fix my issue?

 

[SamUK]

I'd be tempted to take off the carriers and plastics/fender and measure a few different pints on that front end. You'll know for sure if anything beyond the bumper is out of line.
If a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing properly ;-)

 

[mrbb]

well if your frame is bent, which it MIGHT be
replacing a cosmetic more or less push tube bumper is NOT going to solve any geometry issue's caused by a bent frame
that bumper has NOTHING to do with steering or handling of the atv

you should be able to drive and ride the atv without it on JUST fine and all things drive line and suspension would work just FINE if you follow
so NO< adding a new bumper isn't going to solve your issue

BUT what a GOOD NEW straight one will do is maybe show you where some things are bent, as bolt hols shouldn;t line up if things are bent, BUT then again, if they bent when things were all bolted together, it could LINE up and still NOT mean frame and parts are straight, as they just MAYBE bent together!

to break and bend that front bumper as it is, that had to have been a HARD impact, it looks to me like your whole atv frame is bent, the headlights are off, and many other parts are not level like from these pic's
you should have done more looking at the time of the accident IMO!

you need to get things looked at by a person better informed than you(not bashing you at all)
as if FRAME is bent, or if tie rods are bent, A arm's, or shock mounts or???
it can all add up into problems on ride .handling and such

I would be looking really hard for any cracks in welds all over this front end if it was me, a good washing and some UP close and personal looking at ALL welds

if you can ADD a video of the front end diving, that would help a lot,a s again, it could be some what normal dipping, or it could be something really OFF< we cannot tell by a pic , as we cannot see what its doing as its doing it
thus, a video MAYBE< or taking it to someone that know;s more than you to help ID the main issue here!

also again, have you gotten the atv up off the ground and tried driving it that way,
(get atv's ALL 4 tires up off ground, put in gear and while YOUR off the atv, give it throttle and then back off and see what happens)
so to see if anything is binding when NO one is atv and throttle is let off

does front end still dive? if so, its a drive line issue, NOT a normal deal!

something is bent worn or broken or all of the above!

a way to help pin point issue's
things you CAN do before you take it some place too?

 

[redtherocket]

well if your frame is bent, which it MIGHT be
replacing a cosmetic more or less push tube bumper is NOT going to solve any geometry issue's caused by a bent frame
that bumper has NOTHING to do with steering or handling of the atv

you should be able to drive and ride the atv without it on JUST fine and all things drive line and suspension would work just FINE if you follow
so NO< adding a new bumper isn't going to solve your issue

BUT what a GOOD NEW straight one will do is maybe show you where some things are bent, as bolt hols shouldn;t line up if things are bent, BUT then again, if they bent when things were all bolted together, it could LINE up and still NOT mean frame and parts are straight, as they just MAYBE bent together!

to break and bend that front bumper as it is, that had to have been a HARD impact, it looks to me like your whole atv frame is bent, the headlights are off, and many other parts are not level like from these pic's
you should have done more looking at the time of the accident IMO!

you need to get things looked at by a person better informed than you(not bashing you at all)
as if FRAME is bent, or if tie rods are bent, A arm's, or shock mounts or???
it can all add up into problems on ride .handling and such

I would be looking really hard for any cracks in welds all over this front end if it was me, a good washing and some UP close and personal looking at ALL welds

if you can ADD a video of the front end diving, that would help a lot,a s again, it could be some what normal dipping, or it could be something really OFF< we cannot tell by a pic , as we cannot see what its doing as its doing it
thus, a video MAYBE< or taking it to someone that know;s more than you to help ID the main issue here!

also again, have you gotten the atv up off the ground and tried driving it that way,
(get atv's ALL 4 tires up off ground, put in gear and while YOUR off the atv, give it throttle and then back off and see what happens)
so to see if anything is binding when NO one is atv and throttle is let off

does front end still dive? if so, its a drive line issue, NOT a normal deal!

something is bent worn or broken or all of the above!

a way to help pin point issue's
things you CAN do before you take it some place too?

And thats about it mrbb...!


Lordy.. I thought I was hard on the riggin...


You can see the front diff is not quite sitting in the front cradle plumb...

And the CV boots are all crooked..


How does the front wheels move when not in 4x4?

You do have the same size tires front and back right?

Or you running monster on the back..lol... That'll make it dive..

 

[mrbb]

YEAH Looks like it was rolled more than just ran into a tree too??
hard to get them bends to one side on a straight on hit!

 

[Goober]

Seeing them now that looks like a hurtin dog right there. Rad's crooked I'm thinking the diving is a cracked gusset somewhere behind the front bumper piece probably the chunk mounts

 

[MattH]

You guys are scaring the hell out of me haha. I took the bumper off and the was just a little movement. Took some pics of the front rack and measurements. It's definitely off.

 

[redtherocket]

You need to get yourself a centerline on the garage floor with some soapstone and try and get the bike lined up on it and take a few measurement

Best way to do that is a plumb bob...


If you have pens with lids you can make home made ones... pop a hole in the top of the lid... feed a string through and tie a knot in the the lid and cap the back of the pen...

The clear babies with the blue lid from bic are the best..

lol


Hicks have all the tools..

 

[MattH]

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[mrbb]

you should have been more worried when this crash happened, and then your driver at fault could be paying for these repairs, if you didn;t have INS
as that was a HARD hit to this atv, MANY things are WAY off here
an insurance claims adjuster would have told you what all was wrong and you could have it all fixed already LOL

HOW fast was the driver going when he HIT the tree and HOW big was that tree??
that helps us give guess's as to possible damages??
but again, that was a BAD hit
driving it like this maybe also cause more wear and tear on things too, so, that didn;t help you either here !