Merry Christmas everyone! So here's the back story on my 2009 Honda Rancher 420... Bought it in late August of this year from a guy that did a lot of plowing with it. Everything was stock and really good condition. Ran good for a while and then the notorious ESP started acting up so I fixed it by really jamming it in there and siliconing the crap out of it and she hasn't acted up since. Stock tires were going on it so I threw some ITP wheels paired with Kenda Bear Claws on it. Took it out to the trails to test em and swamp it(found out a stick or something ripped off the hose going from the air box to the engine and she flooded with muddy water. Clutch was slipping because it was all water... . So towed it back. Drained it, removed filter, got 3 more filters and ALOT OF OIL. Threw two filters in there as the flusher filter and kept flushing it with oil(was using automotive oil and didn't even think about it to flush it) and that's when the clutch slipped the second time and that's when I found out the difference between the oils and why you shouldn't even use the auto oil to flush it because of the friction inhibitors... But it stopped after I put Hondas oil in there for a week then it slipped once on my trail so I let it cool for 5 mins and it worked ever since until yesterday. Now she won't move at all. Just cut off while riding. Oil looks good and it's Honda recommended oil. Is she fried? How much to replace? How much work is involved? Can I just get some more friction plates? Is it just an easy fix to readjust since I put more strain on there with the new tires and wheels? Thank you

 

I doubt if using automotive oil has anything to do with your clutch slipping, we use a 10W-40 semi synthetic for everything, including diesels, with no clutch problems. You may have glazed the plates when you first tried to drive with a slipping clutch, or it could have been on it's last legs anyway. It is fairly easy to adjust the multiplate clutch, so it is worth trying, but there is no adjustment on the centrifugal clutch, if the lining gets worn to the metal, it slips. You can see if this has happened with the cover off.

Removal of the clutch cover is fairly straightforwards, I'm not sure if the front diff has to be slackened off and the prop shaft removed or not on the 420, if the shaft goes through the clutch case, the front shaft does need removing. I always remove the cover with the bike sat on it's backside. Be careful when you are taking the cover off as dowels, O rings and washers can stick to the cover, dropping off at inopportune moments.

 

@merryman, thank you for the helpful insight. I will get back to you on how it all plays out and what I find.