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I've got a 2015 Honda Rancher 420 that took in some water in a pond mishap a while back. After being drained and flushed it ran fine, other than it now smokes. I figured it would need a top end at the very least and probably more. I got an estimate over the phone from a Honda dealer who said he wouldn't do the top end without also doing the bottom, and I was looking at around $2800. I finally got it to another dealer close to my home and was expecting a similar estimate. They called yesterday and said their current estimate was up to $5300 and they hadn't even gotten into the transmission yet. Am I wrong in thinking that this is a crazy amount for a rebuild?
 

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If you pay other people to do the work, you're going to pay through the nose, especially at a dealership.

They are likely covering their butts to account for replacing anything and everything they might find in there.

If you sank it the only way to be sure it's right is to clean out the bottom end. Otherwise residual dirt that came in with the water will stay in there and eventually eat up the new top end. You might need a crank too depending on what went in the motor when you sank it.

You could certainly get one cheaper. Best option is to do it yourself, but you can also buy rebuilt engines that are ready to bolt in.

https://www.powersportsnation.com/honda-rancher-420-fm-fpm-14-17-engine-motor-rebuilt.html
 

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For $5300 you could rebuild the whole ATV yourself! To me that seems absurd!!

If you have the time and some basic knowledge of internal combustion engines it's a job that is possible to do yourself.
Take photos of disassembly, reverse them for assembly. Download a factory service manual (available on this forum) any further questions, just ask here.
A fountain of knowledge is at hand when all members of this forum chime in.
 
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For $5300 you could rebuild the whole ATV yourself! To me that seems absurd!!

If you have the time and some basic knowledge of internal combustion engines it's a job that is possible to do yourself.
Take photos of disassembly, reverse them for assembly. Download a factory service manual (available on this forum) any further questions, just ask here.
A fountain of knowledge is at hand when all members of this forum chime in.
5300 he damn near can buy a brand new machine !..lol.
 

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For $5300 you could rebuild the whole ATV yourself! To me that seems absurd!!



If you have the time and some basic knowledge of internal combustion engines it's a job that is possible to do yourself.

Take photos of disassembly, reverse them for assembly. Download a factory service manual (available on this forum) any further questions, just ask here.

A fountain of knowledge is at hand when all members of this forum chime in.
5300 he damn near can buy a brand new machine !..lol.
Right! And for sure could by another 2015 420

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 

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shadetree, has the best, price... unless you can do it yourself, i think..
 

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I'm currently half way through rebuilding a 300 fourtrax. The parts alone have so far cost me €2800 and that doesn't include the engine as it's the only part we haven't touched yet.

The good thing I will say is that you'll know what's good and bad with the bike when you repair it yourself and also save some money by not getting someone else to fix it for you, provided you have the time to do so.
 
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5300 he damn near can buy a brand new machine !..lol.
Local pricing in my neck of the woods.
you don't mention dealer set-up fee's, paper work, taxes, title, all that. by the time the dealership adds in all those cost ?, it will be right back at that 6k and more !..lol.
I don't know I have seen some dealers blow out left over models and or just want OUT of some things and sell at some wild prices over the yrs
this is why I always say , as I KNOW you know, traveling some times for things can save you thousands if you shop right!
NOT all dealers want to make as much profit on EACH thing as some do too!
 

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To me : Before an engine has been taken down for inspection , to come up with a price for repairs is a guess-timant , it doesn't become an estimate till it is hard facts of whats actually needed

Personally there is no new Honda I would want to buy , they don't build them to last like the old ones , if I were to buy a new atv , I would be changing parts , tires and wheels as soon as I got it any ways , so I could build a better atv for less money than a new one would cost
 

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It's been running strong with no issues other than the smoking. I'm thinking I may be ok with just a top end kit and head work, which I can do myself. Anything else I should cover while I'm in there?
You may be correct that all it needs is a top end and valve work however it does need to be inspected before making any determinations. Some here insist that the engine be split and completely inspected because it has been flooded. I've flooded many dirt bikes in the past I've only seen one that needed to be split.
 

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It's been running strong with no issues other than the smoking. I'm thinking I may be ok with just a top end kit and head work, which I can do myself. Anything else I should cover while I'm in there?
You may be correct that all it needs is a top end and valve work however it does need to be inspected before making any determinations. Some here insist that the engine be split and completely inspected because it has been flooded. I've flooded many dirt bikes in the past I've only seen one that needed to be split.
the fact is, anything that got in a motor to ruin a top end,m can ruin more parts in the motor,
there are TONS of treads on atv forums about folks that sank a atv, did a top end and soon after back to smoking again, this is s FACT

flushing a motor and JUST doing a top end is a GAMBLE at best, some times you win, many times you loose
as if things go bad, your now loosing all the time and money you put into the new top end that is now also ruined!
to folks that ride in the deep water/mud, and sort of know this sinking will happen again, many DON"T DO a full tear down as they know its NOT worth i to them, they will keep flushing and top ending till they HAVE to tear into a motor and HONESTLY I think many of these folks, never do a full tear down, they do the LAST top end, get the smoking to stop clean atv up and sell to some unsuspecting sucker, and move onto another atv!

just look at how many treads talk about issue's after buying a used ATV!

facts are fact, NO water you sink a motor in is 100% clean and dirt crap free!
SO< when you sink a motor, flush and it starts to smoke, there IS Crap in the motor, thats what caused things to SMOKE<
NOW did they also damage other things??
ONLY way to tell? is tear down
ONLY way to KNOW all dirt and crap that ruined the motor and mad e it smoke, is OUT of the motor , is a tear down and CLEAN it out!
flushing will NEVER remove it all!, pending HOW Much got in there!, it just sticks in corners and places a flush won't remove it!

YOUR ATV, YOUR TIME< and YOUR Money!
do what you like on a repair,
but the facts are the facts for reasons!

gamble, and HOPE your lucky or do it right< you call!
 
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