My buddy just bought a slightly used 98 400 Foreman 4x4. He took it out for the first time and got stuck in a mudhole right off. We noticed the front wheels were NOT spinning at all. He later put it on a milk crate and the front wheels would not spin but back ones did. I have a y2kodiac and all the wheels spin in mud or snow. He found a boot loose around the differential or transfer case. Is this a major problem? Any info would be appreciated...

 

There is a problem, All 4x4 Hondas are full time 4 wheel drive. It looks like a trip to the dealer.

 

It seems whoever had it before rode excessively on the hard road. It caused the differential to come loose from the trans. They put it back in and said it should do alright.

 

Since Honda has started mounting motors sideways, "Transverse", there is no xfer case. But anyway, it could be eiter tranny, or a drive shaft CV. Pull the front boot and see if the CV is in tact. I would think that if it were a CV, it would be makin a helluva, racket. If it aint that, I'd be hunting the guy I bought it from!