Is it like an auto trans in your car? What about the at model?
What years did they have trouble with the es?
thanks
wendelin

 

it got two buttons on the handle bars that shift the gears up and down,the at does it all by it self you just put it in drive park or reverse and it change gears all by itslef

 

Ok i just did this edit to shorten the thread since ryan b , reconranger , HondaMechanic and Tass has stated better and with alot less typing than i did ; even my brother say's i go way overboard with my replies on these forums !

So before i turn this edit into another novel , take these forum member's advise ; i know the Hondamatic's were and still are good transmission's you can find lemon's in anything made by man !

HondaMechanic thank's for the pic's i think i will save them for future reference if it's ok by you ?.......

 

The machines that have ES have "autoclutch" manual transmissions. The clutch is incorporated into the shift lever, so you don't have to work it with your left hand like a fully manual trans. Pretty simple and easy to use.

The ES option does the shifting electrically by push buttons. For myself, my foot works just fine and why would I want to spend an extra $200 for a system that I neither need not want...so I have always stuck with the foot shift models. Lots of posts especially lately on ES problems, so take that for what it is worth.....

The AT uses a hydrodynamic automatic trans. The AT was only aroud for a couple of years, then Honda discontinued it. So, take that for what it is worth as well....

 

The hydrostatic transmission is still in the Rubicon (since 2001) it is a VERY good transmission ..

 

Whatever its called, however it works, almost 5000 miles on each machine (rubicon) almost 2500 on the third machine and all mountain terrain, almost no road riding without any issues.....Oil and filter changes have been regular and following the Honda guide. Sure has done a good job for us..........Tass

 

Question in response to HondaMechanic's statement...... I'm not knockin hondamatics b/c my uncle has one with 15000+ miles on it and still runnin fine.... however, when i bought my it was blown.... and what causes them to break if they are soo good??

 

Broken does not give much to go on. Which particular part was broken? It could be as simple as the wrong oil. What was the particular specific broken part or assembly.............Tass

 

I'm pretty sure its the whole hondamatic unit..... this is b/c i have put a new ecm, angle sensor, and had it tested at the honda dealership and it was not electrical.... put new 4 stroke 10W-40 oil in it and it doesnt move.... the overall consensus is that the hondamatic is bad.. i get non stop blinking on the gear position indicator and doesnt blink any one particular code..... i need to get the oil pressure tested before i rip into the engine... but i'm just trying to get as much information about the tranny and how it works and how to prevent damage before i get in over my head.....

 

The oil pressure test is fairly simple and the dealership should be able to provide that easily. If you had a service manual It would tell you to where to install the gauge yourself.
Just a preliminary shot in the dark but if the previous owner ran an oil with Moly in it or some of the other super slick addatives the clutch could be slipping enough to cause the problem. For sure nothing will move if nothing is being turned.........Dustin at Outlaw Motorsports in Enterprise Oregon might be able to suggest some things to you..............Tass