you want an honest opinion ..SELL IT !..and buy a manual shift. that is the quick painless way of fixing it !..lol. no..you can't just drop another motor right in that frame, and think it will be ok.

 

Not without cutting, welding, and a complete electrics swap.

 

Alright thanks guys I thought there might be a possibility that the frames would be similar. Thanks for the fast replies!

 

I know our answers are not the correct answer you wanted to hear ?, but really..your better off getting rid of it, and buying a manual shift..my .02's worth anyway.

 

you can check the oil level, and see if it's full ?, this seems to be the best fix these models have from what I know of ?. other than this ?. the auto tranny is pure junk in the older models. can't speak for the new models today ?, but I do know the old auto tranny's suck big time !..lol.

 

Yeah my old 400 at tranny sucked! It slipped and grinded like there was no tomorrow. This new one is ok I just don't like it. Reason I wanted to swap engines was so j could keep my irs smooth ride! cruddy thing is is that I don't have a title since I bought it straight off the pipe line so gonna be hard to sell... Anyways thanks again!

 

the 400AT was underpowered to even pull the transmission, the 420AT actually had a formula 1 inspired racing transmission, they just dumbed it down for general use. if you could program the computer to just change gears above 20% throttle and use tighter springs in the clutches, and shave shift times to milliseconds like the F1 transmissions do, that would be an awesome driveline. unfortunately, we cant do this and i dont think the transmission gears themselves are built that well to handle the shock.

id love to see a frankenbuild but thats more work than i care to know about. you are better off getting a manual shift machine if you want to have a manual shifter.

 

There's always the new Rubicon. foot shift and IRS. If your not disappointed with the 420 you won't be disappointed with the Rubi either.

 

15% gear reduction is pretty easy on the AT. Just have to pull rear engine cover and swap out the 2 secondary gears with those from a 420 foot shift, then shave down the speed sensor a hair.

 

Yeah I have a friend that could do a gear reduction for me. And yeah Mac I like the new rubi and wanted one but I can't afford a new one so that's why I bought the rancher. Later on I might save up and buy one

 

Yeah I know what you mean, I can't afford one either lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Really? I've heard a lot of bad things about the 400ATs but my buddy's 01 Rubicon with the Hondamatic runs like a top and has probably been abused more than 99% of the quads on this site.

 

he 500 rubicon actually had a good motor to pull the hondamatic trans and build oil pressure. the 400at didnt have the motor to pull the hondamatic trans. the 420at doesnt use the hondamatic hydrostat, instead it uses 2 shift clutches out of the rincon attached to two transmission shafts with 6 real gears (1,3,5 on one shaft and clutch, 2,4 and reverse on the other shaft and clutch) and swaps between them when it shifts instead of just moving a swashplate back and forth. the 420at has the motor to pull the transmission, but the springs in the clutchpacks will actually let the clutches slip under heavy loading just like the 650/680 rincon. the only options you have is a gear reduction since the shift program cant be reprogrammed to change the shifting characteristics to overcome heavier springs. the 420at could be a very nice machine, it just has an engineering problem that was carried over from the rincon design.

 

Personally after dealing with Honda automatics I would gladly take a CVT Belt drive over anything Honda puts out. Which is why I bought a foot shift Honda this time, I will never buy another Honda automatic unless it's a CVT belt drive. Which means we will probably see flying pigs long before we see me on an auto Honda again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

the belt drives are the better option as long as they are the dual clutch system (yamaha style) over the single clutch style (polaris/canam). the belt stays under constant tension with the dual clutch style as it uses a wet centrifugal clutch to actuate the belt drive, then the belt just varies through the gears once its engaged. the single clutch style that disengages from the belt then engages its again eats down on the belt requiring more belt maintenance.

personally i prefer the constant mesh of steel gears and dont have to worry about belt slippage or odd performance from something going wrong in the belt drive. the hydrostat that honda used in the original hondamatics was a decent system but could could have been simplified. the rincon/big red/pioneer multiclutch system isnt a bad system either, but the clutches they used could be larger and use a heavier clamp spring for better performance. the same could be said for the 420at dual clutch engine, and the ignition/fuel cut during gear change could be faster for quick smooth shifts.

ultimately though, in my experience you cant beat a manual transmission with a manually operated clutch, and this will be my personal choice over all the other systems. yes they have their own purposes and are easy for the owner to operate, but i prefer being in control of the clutch operation and when the gear is changed. computers can judge the amount of loading and speed is being applied to the gears, but ultimately the operator knows how close the next turn is and how tall the hill is, or if you dont want to go above 2nd gear when towing a medium load.

 

wet clutch constant tension belt systems are great for work and longevity. But for a recreational machine I'm just beating on on the weekends id rather go without the wet clutch. Just for the sake of performance. I don't mind replacing the belt every year as part of regular maintenance. Not that I ever had to do that with my Can-am, but it wouldn't be the worst thing ever.
But like I said, for longevity and low maintenance the system used by Yamaha, Suzuki and Arctic Cat is hard to beat. 10,000kms on my Rhino's OE belt and counting.