hello:

a friend of mine has a foreman 450 with the select-shift (i think that's what it's called) and it will not shift out of 1st. when pressing the up/down shift buttons you cannot hear the usual "clicking" (solenoid?). i have never worked on this style transmission. would be say to assume that it is a solenoid gone bad? are there any tests that can be performed to isolate the problem?

Thanks...

rG

 

What year is it?
A couple of things to look for...
Is the battery charged, and connected good?
Oil level good and clean and proper viscosity?
Clutch need adjustment? Its the nut and screw on forward side of motor, loosen the nut, and lightly turn the screw ccw. When you gets resistance, back off 90 degrees, and tighten the nut.

 

its a 2002(am i right:confused[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] the easy way is try to rock it back and forth while pressing the button. otherwise wait for better advice

 

Yep, I missed the 2002 in the title...sorry if it offended you.
Advice still stands.

 

Talked to a fella today with the exact same machine as you have and he was talking about his had quit shifting..also the speedometer had quit working. There is a speed sensor on the front differential that sometimes causes this problem I believe, but he said it didnt fix his. If you look under the headlite through the front fender there is a little round metal thing, a diode I believe he said it was, In a little clear plastic square bag. He said that was what turned out to be his problem. There is a guy on here that goes by dzzy I believe who is a honda mechanic and gives great advice. You may want to see if you can find his profile and ask him for advice..Good luck..

 

If the unit can be shifted, with the emergency shift lever, the mechanical shift part of the transmission is working. If it does not shift with the lever, a shift shaft inside the engine has failed.
If the unit can be shifted into neutral, turn the key off, then back on ( the unit must be reset this way after the manual shifter has been used ). Look if the display is flashing. If it is there should be a code stored in the ECM of the part that has failed in the electric shift system. A faulty speed sensor ( located on the back side of the engine ) or a faulty angle sensor ( located on the front of the engine ) will cause this type of problem.
If the angle sensor is suspect, unplug it and check from the center terminal of the sensor to each of the outer terminals with an ohm meter. Resistance spec should be 2000 - 3000 ohms and no greater difference of 900 ohms difference between the two readings. If the sensor has been removed, turn the pivot while the ohm meter is connected. Make sure of a smooth transisition through the scale as the sensor is turned.
There is no test for the speed sensor other than shifting the unit into 1st gear ( while the electric shift is working ) and riding it almost wide open for a period of time ( make sure the test area is wide open and clear of obsticles ). I have also made units like yours act up in 3rd gear doing this test. Stop and try to shift the unit, if it fails, the speed sensor is probably bad.
You can also check the connector for the shift motor, if it is damaged or unplugged. Or remove the shift motor and jump it with battery power to see if it will spin freely in both direstions. ( If you try this, don't let any extra smoke out of the wires. TeeHee )
Very seldom have I run across units that the handle bar switch is bad. I have a neat little light bulb set-up to test this switch. It is possible that a connector at the ECM, angle sensor, speed sensor, or voltage regulator has become corroded. The voltage regulator connector is inside the right rear fender opening, on the frame rail towords the rear of the tire. Foreward of the rear tire ( half covered by the fender ahead of the wheel ) is a batch of connectors, check them for looseness or corrosion. The angle sensor connector is on the angle sensor itself, on the front of the motor. And the shift control motor connector is on the front frame upright, just ahead of where the oil cooler lines bolt to the engine, wire colors of the 2 wire connector, is a solid orange and a green with a blue stripe. The ECM connector is under the front fender, center upper frame a little above the serial number. I had only one problem with that connector over the years ( a tree branch stuffed into it and ripped wires apart ).

But don't forget one thing. The battery must be healthy for the electric shift system to perform properly. They just don't want to work with real low batery power, which could be a bad battery or a failed voltage regulator.

There are few avenues and streets here that could lead to the problem, hopefully I never made it too confusing. But I would lean more to the speed sensor on the back of the engine causing the problem if no codes are flashing. Remember, if you find a bad sensor, and replace it, Honda does not sell the sensor with the mounting o-ring. Order the o-ring for the component also, and if you forget, use the old one as long as it is good.

----- Gimpster -----

 

Thanks TRIPLESTROKER. I'd take a good look at all the connectors...sometimes a stick or cornstalk can break one, or make one that wasn't plugged all the way in come loose. Beyond that...as Gimpster covers so well, there's not much you can do besides get out the service manual and your meter, read any error codes that might be stored, and start troubleshooting. If it's an "always failed" condition, it might be easiest to bring it to a dealer that's familiar with them. It shouldn't take too long to find. It's those darn intermittent deals that can "suck" up the time.