My dad bought a 2003 Rincon and he is having transmission trouble. It is slipping, not shifting and when it does shift it shifts hard. The dealer said he needs to wait 10 to 15 min for the bike to warm up. So we ask when the temp is 55 we still need to let it warm up? Has anyone one had trouble? It wouldn’t be so bad if the dealer would fix it, but they are saying that because he did not let it warm up it is not there felt. The bike is three weeks old.

David

 

I've heard this problem on other forums. Seems like this is the nature of the beast. The colder the weather, the more warm-up time it will take.

 

I've never had a problem with it shifting, hard but your Dad will need to let it warm up. He may want to go with a thinner grade oil or a synthetic, he will still need to let it warm up but it won't take as long. I think 15 minutes sounds a little long, I let mine idle for 5 minutes or so and it's worked fine.

 

I noticed the same thing the other weekend. We were riding in 30 degree weather and the trans wasn't hooking up untill warmed up. After about 5 minutes it was fine. I'm going to experiment with a synthetic oil myself as they are not prone to as much viscosity change as the temp. lowers.

 

skipshot, I am not familiar with the Rincon, but most automotive transmissions are very picky about the type of automatic transmission fluid they use because of different clutch materials etc. in different makes. You may want to check with your dealer before changing the transmission fluid to make sure you don't do damage or void your warranty. Even if the engine and transmission use the same oil (I don't know as I haven't seen a Rincon) I would still check. Just a suggestion.

 

jscyoung, yes you're correct. I checked the owner's manual and they do say to watch what type of synthetic oil you use. The transmission shares the same oil as the engine and they say to stay away from any oils with fuel efficient ratings (especially synthetics). I think it's "API Fuel Saving". Thanks for the info, I will be checking with my dealer and report back here.

 

skipshot,

What page does it say "especially synthetics"? I must have missed that or I have a different owners manual then you do. Also, I have found that most dealers know very little about oil and tend to play it safe and say stick with your manufacturers brand.

 

Ostie,
Mine doesn't say anything about synthetic oils verbatum either.But, the oils that are "energy conserving" are mostly your synthetics. That's what I meant, sorry for the confusion. I can see where my response is misleading after going back and reading it. There are however synthetic oils that are not labeled "energy conserving". Synthetic oils will have a label displaying API SL, SJ, SH or CF. As long as they aren't labeled "Energy Conserving" it seems like they will be fine... to me anyway. I'm still going to check on this before using it in my Rincon. If you find any info on why we can't use synthetics I would surely appreciate hearing about it. It seems to me that the folks on this site are sometimes more knowledgable in some areas than our dealers.

 

skipshot,
That's not really true, what makes an oil "energy conserving" is the friction modifiers added to the oil. Friction modifiers bond to the surfaces inside an engine to form a smoother surface, thus reducing friction. That's a bad thing for an ATV's clutch. You will only find the "energy conserving" classification on the 0w30, 5w30 and 10w30 motor oils that are being sold. You won't find a 10w40, 15w40, 15w50 or 20w50 that has that classification because american auto makers don't recomend those grades in their vehicles and the oil companys aren't going to add them unless they have to because of expense. The federal goverment forces the auto makers to maintain a certain MPG average on their vehicles and if they don't meet that number they are fined big time. That is major reason why newer cars are going with thinner oils and adding friction modifiers.

Hope that helped.

 

wow, so its useing engine oil for a autiomatic trans...... so yeah warmup is a must- its like putting 10W40 in a toyota camery's trans! I personly would try Amsoil's 0W40 ATV oil that has no friction modifyers in it so the fluid can move quicker and get some PSI onto those clutchs!!!