[Arkfarmer]

Have Honda 300 fourtrax with intermitting problem of wont start. Oil light blinking, wont start. Checked oil level and it is ok. One day you turn key on and light is constant, engine starts and runs fine. Next day you turn key on and light blinks and wont start. If you continue to turn engine over it may after several tries start and run and then again it may not. Not real knowledgeable about this unit, but do have some mechanical back ground.
Am 69 years old and would appreciate help from some one that might have experienced this problem. Thank you. gw

 

[mud99]

Welcome to the forums. Someone should be along to help shortly.

 

[Billy250X]

Welcome to the forums.Talk to Helmut.He's real good with the 4x4's.

 

[Helmut]

This one has me puzzled. I don't think the oil light blinking should have anything to do with it starting, because I've seen them run with the oil light on. The light is just supposed to come on when the engine oil gets too hot. Usually when the light comes on, you can just shut them off and let them cool down and they will be fine. You may have two different problems. When it won't start, does the neutral light come on, without blinking or anything. Maybe the wire that powers the oil light has shorted to another wire or ground somewhere. I would try unplugging the wire from the oil light sending switch and see if it will start. It is located on the right side of the engine at the bottom, near the foot peg. It should have a metal plate over it with one small bolt holding the plate on. The oil light switch and the neutral light switch is located under that plate, side by side.

 

[Arkfarmer]

Thanks Helmut

This one has me puzzled. I don't think the oil light blinking should have anything to do with it starting, because I've seen them run with the oil light on. The light is just supposed to come on when the engine oil gets too hot. Usually when the light comes on, you can just shut them off and let them cool down and they will be fine. You may have two different problems. When it won't start, does the neutral light come on, without blinking or anything. Maybe the wire that powers the oil light has shorted to another wire or ground somewhere. I would try unplugging the wire from the oil light sending switch and see if it will start. It is located on the right side of the engine at the bottom, near the foot peg. It should have a metal plate over it with one small bolt holding the plate on. The oil light switch and the neutral light switch is located under that plate, side by side.

Thanks Helmut, we are having a bad snow storm at the present but will check what you suggest as soon as possible and get back to you....thanks a million in the meantime....gw

 

[Bickford]

what year is the bike

 

[Arkfarmer]

year

Bickford, I think it is a 2000. It could be 99 but almost sure it is 2000. thanks.

 

[Russ Johnson]

I have a 2000 honda 300 fourtrax and it has some of the similar conditions. I have never had a problem with it starting or running, but sometimes the hot engine/oil light will not go off after starting it (and it is cold, never started yet for the day/week). After a couple of minutes the light will go off and it runs just fine. Other time the light goes off right away (or if I wait 10-15 seconds before starting it after turning the ignition on it goes off. This winter when I'm plowing snow if I have a lot of heavy snow the light will come on and if I back off a bit it will go off then. I have heard the cooling fan come on but I have noticed that when the light does come on the fan is not running. I it possible that a control chip/card/box should be replaced? Helmut, any experience with this? Russ from Minnesota

 

[Helmut]

I have a 2000 honda 300 fourtrax and it has some of the similar conditions. I have never had a problem with it starting or running, but sometimes the hot engine/oil light will not go off after starting it (and it is cold, never started yet for the day/week). After a couple of minutes the light will go off and it runs just fine. Other time the light goes off right away (or if I wait 10-15 seconds before starting it after turning the ignition on it goes off. This winter when I'm plowing snow if I have a lot of heavy snow the light will come on and if I back off a bit it will go off then. I have heard the cooling fan come on but I have noticed that when the light does come on the fan is not running. I it possible that a control chip/card/box should be replaced? Helmut, any experience with this? Russ from Minnesota

Did you add the fan, because a 300 Honda never came out with a fan to my knowledge? They're just air cooled and don't even have an oil cooler.

If you didn't add the fan, maybe it came out as an option or something, but I've never seen a 300 with a fan and I've seen a lot of them. I would try changing the thermal sensor that controls the oil temp light. If it does have a fan, the thermal sensor probably controls it, as well. Also, check for a relay in the fan circuit, that might be bad.

On second thought, the thermal sensor controls the oil temp light, so it shouldn't control the fan. If it did, then, that would mean that the fan wouldn't kick on until the oil temp light came on. The fan would need to come on before the oil temp light comes on or it would be getting hot anyway, and there would really be no use for the fan. It would have to have another sensor somewhere else to control the fan and I don't know of any other place it could be. Are you sure it has a fan? This is a Fourtrax 300 utility ATV we're talking about, isn't it?

 

[Arkfarmer]

Proper sequence

My 300 does not have a fan or cooler. What is the proper sequence when you turn key on, netural light on....(should the oil light be on or off)? When I turn my key on the netural light is on and normally the oil light is also on until engine starts and then it goes off....is this correct operation?? But as I stated above in previous post, if oil light is blinking engine will not start. Turns over good just will not fire...

 

[Helmut]

My 300 does not have a fan or cooler. What is the proper sequence when you turn key on, netural light on....(should the oil light be on or off)? When I turn my key on the netural light is on and normally the oil light is also on until engine starts and then it goes off....is this correct operation?? But as I stated above in previous post, if oil light is blinking engine will not start. Turns over good just will not fire...

Yeah, the neutral light should come on and stay on and the oil temp light should come on for about 2 or 3 seconds and then go back off. Your problem really sounds like a short, because the oil light isn't supposed to blink. It could possibly be a short in the key switch. I would say that maybe the oil temp light sensor is bad, but it should still start. It should run with the oil temp light on. Usually when they get hot and the oil temp light comes on, they are still running. Maybe, whatever tells the oil light to stay on for 2 or 3 seconds and then go out when you start it, is bad. Unfortunately, I don't know what tells it to do this, as I have never had to deal with a problem like this. Maybe someone else will know. I will ask around and see if anybody that I know would know the answer to this. I know a few people that does a lot of work on ATVs. The more I think about it, the more I think it could be a short in the key switch. This one has really got me puzzled.

 

[Helmut]

OK, I asked on another forum and I was told that the alarm box is what controls the oil light and fan. It seems that the fan was a factory option. I've just never seen one. I was also told that the alarm box could cause the light to blink, but shouldn't cause the 4-wheeler to not run. It is possible that you could be having two problems at once, but I would check the key switch.

As for your problem, Russ, based on what I was told about the alarm box, I would look toward the alarm box as being your problem.

I wish I could be more certain about these problems, but I have never dealt with this problem before, so I am learning something here, also.

 

[Helmut]

Arkfarmer, when the oil temp light is blinking and you have the no start condition, is the neutral light staying on steady? If it's not, then, it would sound more like a key switch problem. You could also have an alarm box issue, but based on what I've just learned, it shouldn't keep the ATV from starting. I would check the key switch, first, and make sure it's not shorted. The key switch just snaps into the plastic housing. There's a little notch it fits in to keep it from turning. After a while, this notch can get wore and let the switch turn. If it starts turning in the housing when you turn the key on and off, it can pull the wires on the back and eventually damage the key switch. It can even pull the wires loose from the back of the key switch where they solder on. I've had that problem, before, I've just never had the oil temp light issue.

 

[Russ Johnson]

Wow, such quick and great replies. This is Russ and as a newbie to this concept of forums, I have made a mistake in haste of posting my problem. When I got home and checked my Honda ATV, it is a 2000 Foreman 400 4x4. So, Helmut and the others who so graciously replied, with that knowledge and the fact that I've added nothing to the ATV except a snow blade and winch, and even in the summer (not so hot in Minnesota) I've had the sporatic problem (annoyance unless it overheats my engine) the oil temp light problem is the same and intermitent. But 80 percent of the time the light goes off in 5 seconds or immediately after starting the 4x4. If the light does come on and the oil is hot the I would expect that the fan would be already running. So maybe it is a bad sensor and that may the be first item to be replaced?

Russ

 

[shadetree]

when you turn the key on..you should get both lights at first..then the oil light should go off after a few seconds..and no..that model never had a cooling fan..now..from what your saying..oil light is blinking when your trying to start it..as in cranking it..this isn't normal...from the way your explaining it to us..it sounds like your oil temp sensor box is bad...and i'm not talking about the oil temp sensor on bottom right side..this sensor sit's up under the front fender..it looks just like the cdi box..but it should have a green color to one side of it..this controls your cdi..if your having oil temp problems..not saying your having oil temp problems here..but if this oil sensor is going out..or is out..this will keep it from firing.

 

[Honda4trax]

I have a 2000 honda 300 fourtrax and it has some of the similar conditions. I have never had a problem with it starting or running, but sometimes the hot engine/oil light will not go off after starting it (and it is cold, never started yet for the day/week). After a couple of minutes the light will go off and it runs just fine. Other time the light goes off right away (or if I wait 10-15 seconds before starting it after turning the ignition on it goes off. This winter when I'm plowing snow if I have a lot of heavy snow the light will come on and if I back off a bit it will go off then. I have heard the cooling fan come on but I have noticed that when the light does come on the fan is not running. I it possible that a control chip/card/box should be replaced? Helmut, any experience with this? Russ from Minnesota

this is my common sense talking here so dont flame me if it sounds rediculous


you both said its snowing, and very cold right? oil gets uber thick when really cold. your oil lights could be blinking bc of the cold... cold oil is harder to go through the pump until the oil itself gets a lot warmer. there fore tossing the oil light at you. if the light goes away after it warms then there is half your issue. in the winter time i would go with a lower WT oil like 10w30. thinner is better in the cold imo

 

[Helmut]

when you turn the key on..you should get both lights at first..then the oil light should go off after a few seconds..and no..that model never had a cooling fan..now..from what your saying..oil light is blinking when your trying to start it..as in cranking it..this isn't normal...from the way your explaining it to us..it sounds like your oil temp sensor box is bad...and i'm not talking about the oil temp sensor on bottom right side..this sensor sit's up under the front fender..it looks just like the cdi box..but it should have a green color to one side of it..this controls your cdi..if your having oil temp problems..not saying your having oil temp problems here..but if this oil sensor is going out..or is out..this will keep it from firing.

He's talking about the alarm box when he says oil temp sensor box. That's what Honda calls it anyway.

 

[shadetree]

not to mention..he found out it's not even the bike we thought...lol..i know this much.i would start with the oil temp sensor where it plugs into the engine..replace that first..before i'd rush out and buy this alarm box.