Hi, I bought my Rancher from the local Honda store last fall as-is. When I got it home I realized that it had not come with a manual and the store says they can "sell" me one. No thanks! Shortly after I got it, I noticed that the 4wd light blinks allot, both when using the 4WD and when not. Now I am losing allot of the power at take-off and when I hold the throttle lever forward it just doesn't want to go. My husband looked at it and thought he would onscrew the caps on the engine. The one with the dipstick I am assuming is oil, it's empty....The other one is just a cap and there is a screen or something down in the resevoir, it's empty, or looks it as there is no dipstick on this cap. I was wondering if anyone knew the proper fluid types to put in and how much. It by the way is a 2006 Rancher 400 4x4 with both auto and manual shift capabilites. I have looked online for manuals all morning and can't find any free ones. Thanks for any help.

 

So you were willing to toast your engine from having no oil, just becaue you didn't want to spend a few bucks on a manual?

Even better, spend the money for a service manual! Maintenance is cheap insurance!!!

The model you have is called the Rancher 400AT....

 

I felt for 5000.00 it shoulda come with a manual...I won't buy another thing from them. I also thought my husband was checking these things. He does it on all his toys. Hopefully it isn't too messed up.

 

Honda stashes the manuals. Sometimes they are attached to the bottom of the seat. On my Ranchers, they were in the trunk at the back. You may have one and not know it!!! Look around, or post that question here in the forum. Most people buying a used quad, never get the manual....which should tell you that the previous owner probably neglected maintenance!

Your quad's automatic transmission is very unique in that it runs on pumped oil, as well as the engine which of course also requires oil. You should use a motorcycle specific oil that is rated API SG/JASO MA. Don't try to ride it again until you are absolutely sure it has enough oil!!!


Besides the rountine things like changing the oil and oil filter, and cleaning and oiling the air filter, it probably needs other types of maintenance as well, like a valve adjustment. Also, the oil in the front and rear differentials needs to be changed now and then.....

 

Yes, I checked all those place and did not find it. So the engine and tranny use the same exact oil?....also I saw somewhere that Haynes and Chilton make books for these Hondas, do you think they would be OK, as I could pick one of those up tomorrow. And thanks for all your help.

 

What ever the cost go buy a manual, you may have already smoked your tranny due to a lack of oil, where the manual would have told you how to check it and what oil to use. That tranny is unique (and expensive) and needs proper oil level to operate and prevent damage.

 

The engine and trans share the same oil, but I am not intimately familiar with this particular model. I think on some, you fill the trans and the engine, even though it is the same shared oil.

If I am doing something major, I buy the factory manual and one of the others. The others often have better pictures and more pictures.

Hope everything will turn out alright!