I'm fixing up a 2002 Foreman 450 ES that I took in trade for another quad, besides being dirty as hell and a little beat up, seems solid and runs good, ES shifting works fine, but the display was blank, owner claimed it worked on and off, but I never got it to come on until I took it apart and verified all connections were good, then I got it to work for a few days, so went to mount it back in the pod, ran the plug back to mounting spot, plugged in, turned on the key, worked fine, backlights when lights are turned on, just like it should. The next morning, came in to check it, turned the key on, display came on for a second, then went blank, tried unplugging and plugging back in, no luck, neutral indicator works, but no digital and no back light when lights come on, almost like its missing power to the board that drives the display. Anyone have a wiring diagram showing power hookup to the meter so I can trouble shoot this? or any ideas on what the problem could be? The wiring harness for this thing is massive, hope I don't have to start ripping that apart, I'm just trying to get it fixed up to sell, but I want to sell a complete working quad, not a dirty beat up one like it is now.

 

Ok, strange update, was fixing up some of the mechanicals on the Foreman, replacing the hand brake cable to the rear, and decided to flip the key on, no surprise, display dead, for some reason, I decided to start the quad, as soon as I hit the starter, the display lit up, and has been working. Would this point to a possible bad ground, where spinning the starter somehow gave it the clean path to ground it needed? Just seemed odd that would affect it.

 

The fact is it could be a fault anywhere, but if everything goes off at once it is most likely to be a negative feed, as the other wires mostly feed just a part of the display. However I have had quite a few bikes with faulty displays and they all seem to be because of faults on the circuit board. When you start the engine the voltage rises to about 14v instead of about 11.7v so this may have been enough to make the fault go off. Examine the board for corroded tracks.

 

Just what I was thinking, I have pulled the board out previously, looked clean, but polished the traces anyway, and wiped all contact points with Isopropyl wipes to clean the surfaces. Also pulled the plugs apart, cleaned and put dielectric grease in them to keep water and dirt out. The display seems to have a mind of its own, it will work for a few days, then just go blank, only to come back to full operation the next time I turn the key on. with a new display costing 250-300 dollars, I want to make sure it is the problem before I take that rather expensive step.

 

i have been working on a 2003 Foreman 450 ES, that has been in the hi desert since it was new. It’s always in the sun, and their is hardly any body plastic left on it ...it’s on a working horse ranch and is used and abused. I thought that the sun took its toll, but after reading this, I’m thinking there is a loose ground? The neutral, oil, and 4x4 lights are the only things on the dash that work. All my troubleshooting for basic repairs has been old school, without the help of the computer, but since i now have an electric shift issue, i would REALLY like the dash to work so i can read the codes/flashes, etc. i am NOT a mechanic, but am pretty mechanically inclined (I’ve replaced the carburetor, the electric starter motor and the angle sensor in the past, and am thinking that either the relay or the electric shifter are bad. The electric shifter oNLY works with the engine OFF, and not with the engine running, and i think having a working dash may help with my troubleshooting.

can anyone tell me how to best remove the dash to check for loose grounds, and where i should be looking for those grounds?

 

First off, does the display light up when you put the headlights on? This would indicate it is getting an earth. The green wire is the earth. Also 2003 was the changeover year, early 450s didn't fault code, I think this came in with the switchable 4WD in 2003 so if yours hasn't a 2WD/4WD switch, it won't display a code anyway. Are you sure the display isn't working but the plastic bezel too opaque to see through. This is quite common here in the UK where we don't get much sun, so I would imagine far worse a problem in hotter countries. New bezels are available, but on the 350, Honda used two different suppliers for speedos, and the bezel for one won't fit t'other (different mounting screw holes), don't know if this applies to 450s.