Hey guys,

Im getting ready to do my 1st oil change and was wondering if it was ok to go ahead and put synthetic in now or wait til next change.

What do yall think?

 

How many hours is that??? I switch to synthetic at about 10 to 15 hours. I use the Motoman method of break-in and everything has worked well, and that's on a dozen or so quads so far.

After you have ridden the new quad for a while, post your opinions on it.........

 

So far with 75 miles ,and 8.7 hours im very pleased with it!!!
It has plenty of power for its size.

Handles nice.
But then again I havent had a ton of experience riding other quads to compare.

I went from a 85 TRX250 which I still have so you you can see how this is a huge step foward.

I have had extensive ride time on a 02 forman 450es, and a 90 Trx300 as well as my 85 ,and I definently like the 420 the best.

When I decided to get a new quad I had my mine set on a sport quad. either 300ex or 400ex,
but then I saw the 420 ,and it seemed to be the best compromise as far as power and price, and ultimatly is better for how I use it which is trails ,and some mud ,but i still like some get up ,and it has it.

Just like you said Reconranger, Ive been riding it like I stole for all 75 miles so I imagine it should be broken in by now.

I will probably get to the Atv park this weekend so ill post a follow up as miles are logged.

 

Personally, I would go one more oil change with dino oil, before switching to synth. I am really a proponent of changing the oil and oil filter on a new machine at 1 hr, to be sure to get any shavings out. Seeing this is only your first change, I would go one more. I would suggest that you change the oil in the differentials as well, for the same reason. Is there any lubrication required on the mechanism that changes it from 2wd to 4wd????

I don't like the fact that the drum brake has been moved from its out of the way position next to the wheel (like on the Rancher 350), back to the middle (like on the old 300 ute). This decreases ground clearance, and give you two targets to hit with a rock rather than just one. But, no new owners seems to be complaining about a lack of ground clearance so far........

 

I have 189 miles on my 420 rancher. I switched to syntectic on first oil change. I followed the recomended oil change at 20 hrs. so far no prblems. I been pleased with this quad. My lastquad was a fourtrax 300. The 420 has much more acceralation and a higher top end speed. The handleing is excellent and you can manuever this quad in any situation. Back to topic. If you were aggressive with your break-in then going to syntetic oil with first oil change shold be okay due to most of your wear of break-in has already occured.

 

While the engine breaks in quickly, the rest of the moving parts could take a while....I think some quads take as much as 400 hard miles before they are fully broke in......my 2 cents

 

yes the trans and rear-end may take longer but changing to a higher grade oil will just protect it better during the break-end process. besides i believe you should started using one brand of oil ans staying with it because every brand has a different chemical make-up

 

I can't seem to find the thread which I remembered as having more comments by you-all about metal shavings appearing in the crankcase during the first few hours of break-in, but at least we're talking about oil here.

Reading those accounts prompted me to go ahead and change the oil right where it was at 7 hours, just to satisfy my curiousity. I'm happy to say I found very little glitter. The oil was caramel color, neither very light nor dark, and I could only see 10 to 20 tiny flecks. There were some silverish streaks, which had to have been smaller particles.

I don't know what kind of oil was put in the crankcase when they put it together, but I replaced it with Castrol 4-stroke M/C oil, SAE 10W-40, rated API-SG and JASO-MA, (on sale at Joes for 3.35/qt. last week). The stock Honda oil filter was $5.95 at the dealer, bringing my cost of changing the oil to $16.

I might also point out an error here, in the shop manual where it explains how to change the oil filter. The first item under changing the "Engine Oil Filter" on page 4-14 says "Remove the right mudguard(page 3-6)". Don't do it, it's not at all necessary, and no one would do it unless one were just blindly reading and doing without looking. Merely slipping off the right cover gives all the access needed to change the oil filter, and it's a whole lot easier than pulling off the footpeg and some 20-odd other screws and pop nuts shown holding the mudguard on in the manual, page 3-6.

Next I'll change the rear differential oil to see what comes out, since it's always under load driving, but I've hardly used 4wd so I don't think I'll find much interesting to look at in the front differential just yet.

Good advice is always appreciated.

 

I am pretty sure you machine came with Honda GN4 in it. The big item to be broken in are the rings. Synthetic oils are to slick for this job. Bearing tolerances are very tight these days, and gears can be safely broken in on synthetic, so it is really the rings we are worried about here.

You can read here what motoman has to say about break-in, early oil changes, and when to switch to synthetic. He is talking road bike, of course: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

 

Reconranger, yes I remember that link which you had posted in that other thread which I can't find about engine break-in ... very good information and I've bookmarked it now. I think the ride we had in the Siskiyous last week more or less approximated the motoman break-in method, which was over 30 miles alternating harder riding with breaks and easier stretches.

Thanks for reposting the link.