[RadRacer513]

What's up everyone? Just joined the forum, as I recently picked up an '03 Rancher 350 ES. Only downside, is it's broken! It's stuck in reverse right now and won't change gears at all. Hoping to learn more about it and get it back in good condition using this forum.

 

[fishfiles]

Welcome RadRacer , you will find lots of threads on ES shifting problems , seems the simplest things it could be is the angle sensor or removing the motor , cleaning the shaft and re-greasing it

 

[RadRacer513]

Welcome RadRacer , you will find lots of threads on ES shifting problems , seems the simplest things it could be is the angle sensor or removing the motor , cleaning the shaft and re-greasing it

Yeah, I've seen lots of them. What's the general consensus on converting it to a manual shift? I grew up on a TRX400EX, so I'm no stranger to a foot shifter. It seems to be a toss up on if converting it is recommended.

The previous owner claimed to have replace the shift motor, and I believe it. It's the only shiny thing on the bike, lol! I threw the battery charger on it, and the dash is flashing 3 times, which is for the angle sensor. But, I can't manually shift it out of reverse, so I'm thinking it's a shift gate problem. Either way, for the price I paid, I'm willing to put a few hundred more into this quad to get it running good :grin

 

[fishfiles]

having a good battery is very important on an ES bike

 

[RadRacer513]

having a good battery is very important on an ES bike

Right now it has a bad battery, but I will be replacing it. I tried charging it, but nothing. I hooked the charger up 200A mode (should be plenty for a quad) and the headlights work, along with the 3 lights on the dash. The actual display doesn't though; but I've read how-to's on replacing the Zener in it to repair it. But I still couldn't make it shift either manually or electronically.

 

[jdp]

Welcome When its all back together and the shift motor is off, change out the stiff factory grease for all purpose white lithium grease, it'll shift much smother and also pull one of the valve covers and look for sludge. If you find some I'd change to synthetic oil and change it every 6 months or so.

Welcome Radracer

 

[shadetree]

welcome to the forums. first, get a service manual !. second, pull the shift motor off the front of the motor, then try using the emergency shifting shaft to see if you can manually shift gears while rocking the atv ?. if you can't shift the gears with the emergency shifter shaft ?, then your problem is deeper inside the motor than what your think !.

 

[_Wilson_]

Welcome to the forums! These guys will get you fixed up, great advise here in the forums.

 

[RadRacer513]

Any comments on converting it to a manual shift?

 

[shadetree]

Any comments on converting it to a manual shift?

sure...can it be done ?..yes. is it worth it ?..maybe ?..maybe not ?. there is more to it, then just removing the electric shift motor !. the wire harness has to be changed,the c.d.i/ecu/ecm/ has to be changed, the display goes by-by, prob a few other things I am forgetting ?, sooooooo..after all this, it would be wiser,cheaper..just to buy a manual shift atv !..lol. now..if your gonna '' half-azz '' it ?..then yeah, it can be done, but not correctly !.

 

[RadRacer513]

Any comments on converting it to a manual shift?

sure...can it be done ?..yes. is it worth it ?..maybe ?..maybe not ?. there is more to it, then just removing the electric shift motor !. the wire harness has to be changed,the c.d.i/ecu/ecm/ has to be changed, the display goes by-by, prob a few other things I am forgetting ?, sooooooo..after all this, it would be wiser,cheaper..just to buy a manual shift atv !..lol. now..if your gonna '' half-azz '' it ?..then yeah, it can be done, but not correctly !.

Well, for the price, no I couldn't have gotten a manual shift one, lol. So, removing the shift motor and gears and changing the shift shaft isn't all it takes? Why is a harness change necessary? And I've read of people doing it and keeping the display (no biggie, mine doesn't work anyway).

 

[shadetree]

Any comments on converting it to a manual shift?

sure...can it be done ?..yes. is it worth it ?..maybe ?..maybe not ?. there is more to it, then just removing the electric shift motor !. the wire harness has to be changed,the c.d.i/ecu/ecm/ has to be changed, the display goes by-by, prob a few other things I am forgetting ?, sooooooo..after all this, it would be wiser,cheaper..just to buy a manual shift atv !..lol. now..if your gonna '' half-azz '' it ?..then yeah, it can be done, but not correctly !.

Well, for the price, no I couldn't have gotten a manual shift one, lol. So, removing the shift motor and gears and changing the shift shaft isn't all it takes? Why is a harness change necessary? And I've read of people doing it and keeping the display (no biggie, mine doesn't work anyway).

because the harness is set up for an electric shift model, the ecm/c.d.i.'s are nothing alike .

 

[shadetree]

in other words, there are a few sensors that are on electric shift models, that tie into the c.d.i./ecm/ecu's that make the atv run, soooooooo..they use a different wire harness.

 

[RadRacer513]

I pulled the reduction gear out for now, and the transmission shifts fine again, so I don't think I need a new shift plate after all! But, now I have to figure out what's binding it. The motor spins freely by hand, so it's hard to believe it's the problem. Once the reduction gear is back in place though, the entire thing is locked up and won't shift at all.

 

[shadetree]

I pulled the reduction gear out for now, and the transmission shifts fine again, so I don't think I need a new shift plate after all! But, now I have to figure out what's binding it. The motor spins freely by hand, so it's hard to believe it's the problem. Once the reduction gear is back in place though, the entire thing is locked up and won't shift at all.

with the electric shift transfer gear out, can you shift gears with the emergency shifter/manual shift shaft through all gears ?, if you can't ?, then the shifting shaft has problems ?, could be the shift drum ?, could be the back end of the shifting shaft ?. if you can shift through all gears ?, then some where at the electric shift area, is where its binding up ?, did you inspect the shifting shaft at the electric shift transfer area for stripped splines on the shaft ?.

 

[RadRacer513]

I pulled the reduction gear out for now, and the transmission shifts fine again, so I don't think I need a new shift plate after all! But, now I have to figure out what's binding it. The motor spins freely by hand, so it's hard to believe it's the problem. Once the reduction gear is back in place though, the entire thing is locked up and won't shift at all.

with the electric shift transfer gear out, can you shift gears with the emergency shifter/manual shift shaft through all gears ?, if you can't ?, then the shifting shaft has problems ?, could be the shift drum ?, could be the back end of the shifting shaft ?. if you can shift through all gears ?, then some where at the electric shift area, is where its binding up ?, did you inspect the shifting shaft at the electric shift transfer area for stripped splines on the shaft ?.

I shifted from neutral through 3rd with no issues. About the time I hit 3rd I was tired of rocking it and went back to neutral, lol. The only gear I removed was the reduction gear; do the others come out easily, or do I need to open it up more to get them out? I haven't pulled the plastics off yet, so I don't have a real good view of the front cover.

 

[shadetree]

I pulled the reduction gear out for now, and the transmission shifts fine again, so I don't think I need a new shift plate after all! But, now I have to figure out what's binding it. The motor spins freely by hand, so it's hard to believe it's the problem. Once the reduction gear is back in place though, the entire thing is locked up and won't shift at all.

with the electric shift transfer gear out, can you shift gears with the emergency shifter/manual shift shaft through all gears ?, if you can't ?, then the shifting shaft has problems ?, could be the shift drum ?, could be the back end of the shifting shaft ?. if you can shift through all gears ?, then some where at the electric shift area, is where its binding up ?, did you inspect the shifting shaft at the electric shift transfer area for stripped splines on the shaft ?.

I shifted from neutral through 3rd with no issues. About the time I hit 3rd I was tired of rocking it and went back to neutral, lol. The only gear I removed was the reduction gear; do the others come out easily, or do I need to open it up more to get them out? I haven't pulled the plastics off yet, so I don't have a real good view of the front cover.

then it's binding at the electric shift parts. if you were able to shift from the emergency shifter shaft through all those gears, and not have a problem ?, then your problem is with the electric shift area.

 

[shadetree]

and no, there is no gears that come out, other than the electric shift transfer gears.

 

[RadRacer513]

with the electric shift transfer gear out, can you shift gears with the emergency shifter/manual shift shaft through all gears ?, if you can't ?, then the shifting shaft has problems ?, could be the shift drum ?, could be the back end of the shifting shaft ?. if you can shift through all gears ?, then some where at the electric shift area, is where its binding up ?, did you inspect the shifting shaft at the electric shift transfer area for stripped splines on the shaft ?.

I shifted from neutral through 3rd with no issues. About the time I hit 3rd I was tired of rocking it and went back to neutral, lol. The only gear I removed was the reduction gear; do the others come out easily, or do I need to open it up more to get them out? I haven't pulled the plastics off yet, so I don't have a real good view of the front cover.

then it's binding at the electric shift parts. if you were able to shift from the emergency shifter shaft through all those gears, and not have a problem ?, then your problem is with the electric shift area.

Yeah, it's definitely something in the electrical part. The motor turns freely and easily by hand, but once I mesh it with the reduction gear, it locks up. I wonder if I have the right motor, or the right gear. The wiring harness for the motor is extremely short as well; as in pulled taught going straight from the plug, under the fan, to the motor, short. There's no way I'd be able to re-route it properly.

I have an emergency shift tool coming, so I can use that for now; but I'd like to get the electric shift going again. I'll have to see where's the best place to get a new motor from, and maybe see if I can find details on how many teeth the pinion should have.

 

[shadetree]

I shifted from neutral through 3rd with no issues. About the time I hit 3rd I was tired of rocking it and went back to neutral, lol. The only gear I removed was the reduction gear; do the others come out easily, or do I need to open it up more to get them out? I haven't pulled the plastics off yet, so I don't have a real good view of the front cover.

then it's binding at the electric shift parts. if you were able to shift from the emergency shifter shaft through all those gears, and not have a problem ?, then your problem is with the electric shift area.

Yeah, it's definitely something in the electrical part. The motor turns freely and easily by hand, but once I mesh it with the reduction gear, it locks up. I wonder if I have the right motor, or the right gear. The wiring harness for the motor is extremely short as well; as in pulled taught going straight from the plug, under the fan, to the motor, short. There's no way I'd be able to re-route it properly.

I have an emergency shift tool coming, so I can use that for now; but I'd like to get the electric shift going again. I'll have to see where's the best place to get a new motor from, and maybe see if I can find details on how many teeth the pinion should have.

bite the bullet, and buy the oem shift motor from Honda. it sounds like you bought a piece of china crap off ebay ?. THEY ARE CHEAP FOR A REASON !..and now you know why.....right ?!..lol.