I've read the posts on the Rancher ES and associated starting problems. No one has stated what the owners manual says. Have owners not read the manual??
I have a friend with a '93 FourTrax 300 and he advises to always put the machine in neutral before turning it off, because it is sometimes hard to find neutral after shutting off in gear, causing one to have to rock the machine looking for neutral. In my rides on this machine, if I place it in neutral and shut it off I have never had a starting problem.
Why wouldn't this procedure work with the ES?
Also some posts indicate starting problems associated with mud or water in the shifter switches. Is the a sealing problem that Honda has overlooked?

 

Seems to me from what I have heard most of these problems have been with the formans. From what I can figure it is not the switches, it is the computer getting overloaded or something because a buddy of mine took the switches apart on a foreman and he said they were sealed. I guess either turning off the ignition to reset the computer or disconnecting the computer for about 10 minutes will help this problem. CYA

 

I got my Rancher in Nov and I have not had any
starting problems even in zero weather. I have yet
to use the primer. Shut the machine off in
neutral and hopefully no problems.


00Rancher 4x4 ES