wow this is depressing :(

[powermaddd400ex]

ok so my quad has been smoking for awhile now and we thought it was most likely the valve seals. also the clutch has been acting funky, like jumping in gear. even when we adjust it, after a couple miles it goes back to the same old crap. also the other night we found metal in my oil. keep in mind my quad is only 9 months old.

so since my warranty ends in march we figured, what the heck lets take it in and see what the dealer says. we let them have it and we ask them what there guess is.

well they said the smoke is probally from the seals,rings, and piston. we didnt metion the metal in the oil, cause that would most likely stomp out any hope of the warranty covering it. but we are assuming that the metal is from the rings and piston.

the clutch is either gone bad, or the cable is strecthed.

now they also said that warranty only covers defects not wear and tear. and there's a chance they wont cover this in the warranty. we asked them the estimate if worse comes to worse, and they said 1200-1500 bucks. so if the warranty doesnt cover the rebuild then we dont know whether we will pay them to rebuild or just put a new engine in it. but one thing is for sure if honda's warranty doesnt cover the rebuild that will be the last honda we purchase. the reason i choose the 400ex over all the rest was because of it being the most reliable sport quad on the market. but Im having more trouble out of my 400ex than my buddy's z400, and his cousin's 450r.

sorry guys just needed to vent, this is just to depressing

[fox300exchic]

Sorry about all the stuff your going through with your quad. I know most warranties dont cover wear and tear. My uncle got a few Yamahas and his warranty is the same way.

[powermaddd400ex]

thanks, i honestly think i got a lemon. i mean this is the exact opposite i heaard on every review and my buddies. they all said the 400ex is the most reliable chain driven sport quad. and there are yfz's going longer without any problems than i am.

[fox300exchic]

Yeah...Ive heard the same thing about the 400ex. Well...maybe a new quad is in your future?

[powermaddd400ex]

Yeah...Ive heard the same thing about the 400ex. Well...maybe a new quad is in your future?

yea my dad said if honda's warranty doesn cover the work, we'll rebuild it, sell it, and put that money down on a ltr450 or another 450.

[mellowyellow]

Sorry to hear that Chris. Mine is an 05 I bought new and haven't had a lick of trouble with it. The only things I've had to fix were things I broke myself. A new LTR would be cool though!

[Stoopidbot1]

All of the things you mentioned ANY MFG would label as either wear and tear or not taking care of it. I'm not saying you didn't but no company would cover that.

[BuckBilly]

That flatout sucks!!!!!!!!! Same reason I will not own another GM product.

[powermaddd400ex]

All of the things you mentioned ANY MFG would label as either wear and tear or not taking care of it. I'm not saying you didn't but no company would cover that.

but on a 9 month old quad? most of you know how maticulous i am about my quads. they're trailer queens.

im going to b*tch theyre ears off till i get my engine rebuilt. and if they still dont want to, ill either have somebody with knowledge on the subject help me, or take it to a machine shop.

i know one thing is for sure, i will probbly never buy another honda product. boy my buddy with a suzuki will be eating this up:laugh:

but on a serious note, please pray for this to work out in our favor you guys, because we definatly need it.

[Stoopidbot1]

That is the 1st Honda I have EVER heard og going to crap that fast.

[powermaddd400ex]

me to, sucks that i was the one to experience it.

if i could go back 9 months, i wouldve picked that pretty white 450r before the 400ex if i saw this coming

[wheeler0801]

thats teh beauty in buying something, you never know what you're goin to get or whats goin to happen....my 400ex is 9 years old, a 2000 model...i've been racing it since May 2007 and now, last August for the first time in its life, I had to have it rebuilt...here's something you need to check that we were totally unaware of and only found out about it after it had blown....

in the 400ex oil tank, where the bottom oil line hooks on, disconnect that line and there's a bigger like 17 or 19 mm nut thing that you need to unscrew and there is a mesh like screen attached to that....what happened to me was that screen was plugged, we never knew about it until it was too late...and that's what ended up blowin me up...or atleast helping...

just a thought, i'd check it if i were you.

[powermaddd400ex]

thats teh beauty in buying something, you never know what you're goin to get or whats goin to happen....my 400ex is 9 years old, a 2000 model...i've been racing it since May 2007 and now, last August for the first time in its life, I had to have it rebuilt...here's something you need to check that we were totally unaware of and only found out about it after it had blown....

in the 400ex oil tank, where the bottom oil line hooks on, disconnect that line and there's a bigger like 17 or 19 mm nut thing that you need to unscrew and there is a mesh like screen attached to that....what happened to me was that screen was plugged, we never knew about it until it was too late...and that's what ended up blowin me up...or atleast helping...

just a thought, i'd check it if i were you.

ive heard of a screen on the 450rs but wasnt sure if they were on the 400ex. well i'll have to look into it whenever i get it outta the shop. thanks for the info wheeler

[wheeler0801]

no problem...i wish i had known about it sooner...woulda saved me about 2000

[mywifeknowseverythin]

As much as this Sucks I have to agree with Bot here...

This is Total Wear and Tear and doubtful to be covered by warranty...Is there ANYTHING motor related NOT stock on this machine???

Ive got to say...Ive owned Yamaha and Honda all my Rideable Life...Ive only blown 1 motor in all these yrs and that was because I forgot to put the Freaking ZipTie on the Vacuum hose on the Fuel pump. That was my Yamaha on a Fresh rebuild with Half a Tank through it...Cost me 1K to do it again...LOL....

My 1985 Honda 350X is on its STOCK NEVER BEEN TOUCHED FACTORY BUILD...And Ive Ridden the PISS out of it..

So,,,,IMO,,,,there is something to be said about Preventive maintenance and inspections before you ride....

I do hope your issue is Resolved though.....Sucks with a Ride down....

[mywifeknowseverythin]

You know,,,,It was like I was having Deja Vu or something when I was typing my above post:huh:

So I did a little Investigation .......

I hate to say it......But if you put the pipe on.....

WE TOLD YOU SO:yes:

http://www.quadcrazy.com/atvforum/general-atv-discussion/3766-warranty.html

[powermaddd400ex]

nope, no pipe, no filter, no jets. the engine is 100% stock. i have never touched.

that is why i opted to do my suspension first. because a pipe would void my warranty.

so the only aftermarket stuff on my quad is suspension, and cosmetic.

[mywifeknowseverythin]

Well then,,,,,that is some good news.....

[powermaddd400ex]

Well then,,,,,that is some good news.....

we followed through with our part of the deal and didnt void the warranty, now its up them to hold up their part. but i wont know yay or nay until a couple days.

[mywifeknowseverythin]

we followed through with our part of the deal and didnt void the warranty, now its up them to hold up their part. but i wont know yay or nay until a couple days.

You still need to Realize that this may be considered a WEAR AND TEAR issue and not covered...It will only be covered it there is a Defect from the Manufacturer..If they tear it down and it is deemed YOUR FAULT...they might charge you for their time as well....

Also, if you do fix and sell,,,,Buying another one will not solve your warranty issue...No one has an unlimited Break it and Fix it plan

[powermaddd400ex]

i completely reliazed that. but on a 9 month old quad just sounds a little fishy.

what can honda's reasoning be for a 9 months old quad needing a rebuild? other than a defected part which will be on hondas bill...not mine.

what im saying is, there a people that ride the piss out of they're 400ex's and dont even maintain them and they last longer than my quad did.

i will probbly be taking it over the dealers head, and get in contact with honda. there is aboslutly no excuse for a 9 month old 2007 400ex, to need a rebuild this early in the engines life, when it hasnt been ridden hard and has been maintained correctly.

[Stoopidbot1]

You have to look at it from Honda's point of view. You are bringing in a machine that is setup for racing and it is winter time...AKA end of most racing seasons. They don't know how well you maintained it. Unless they find something that is an obvious MFG defect...you are screwed. Sorry bro.

[wheeler0801]

i have to agree with Bot and MWKE, although I hope for the best for you, it's going to be a long shot....Nick's 450 needed a new transmission this summer and it was only about a year old....we maintain our machines very well, but we didn't even bother with anything dealer because we new in the long run, we'd lose...and he races it. so wasn't worth it....but, hopefully your ending turns out differently and we're all wrong.....

[powermaddd400ex]

unfortunaly keeping my head up high ended up not working

i just got a call from the dealer, and they said that i will need, new piston,rings,it needs to be bored, the cam chain is severely streched, and it needs to valve stems.

the total is right under $900 bucks.

and the warranty wont cover it because its "wear and tear".

so now i guess ill take it to the warranty department and we will go over our case.

how can a 2007 400ex burn up in 9 months?

im pissed beyond belief right now :dammit::censored::soapbox::soapbox::soapbox::soapbox::soapbox:

Edited January 3, 2009 by powermaddd400ex

[powermaddd400ex]

well the warranty people said they would take 300 off the 900

but thats still 600 bucks for me to pay for the dealer to do it.

me and dad are thinking about doing it ourself and doing all the necessary mods for a 416...still havent decided. and then theres the chance of the ltr. like i said, its still to early to make desicions.

[trailblazer_02]

go for a 416 and when you buy a cam chain, save about 60-70 bucks and buy a crf450r cam chain. people i have heard from say the older crf450r cam chain is the exact same as a heavy duty cam chain for a 400ex. since the crf chain is about 35-50 and the 400ex heavy duty chain is about 110. theres an easy save. try FST's 416, its cheaper i think. yeah you will need a heavy duty chain and the crf chain is the same as a heavy duty one, so thats the way to go, i know this because my cam chain is streched and loose! i think this might be a common 400ex problem.

[powermaddd400ex]

go for a 416 and when you buy a cam chain, save about 60-70 bucks and buy a crf450r cam chain. people i have heard from say the older crf450r cam chain is the exact same as a heavy duty cam chain for a 400ex. since the crf chain is about 35-50 and the 400ex heavy duty chain is about 110. theres an easy save. try FST's 416, its cheaper i think. yeah you will need a heavy duty chain and the crf chain is the same as a heavy duty one, so thats the way to go, i know this because my cam chain is streched and loose! i think this might be a common 400ex problem.

yessir the crf cam chain fixes that problem.

and i was thinking just thinking a 87mm bore and stroke and 87mm cylinder.11:1 compression and maybe a stage 1 or 2 hotcam. and all the other neccsisties i stated in my previous post.

Edited January 7, 2009 by powermaddd400ex

[trailblazer_02]

did you already know about the CRF timing chain?

[powermaddd400ex]

did you already know about the CRF timing chain?

yea a couple guys on exriders told me about it awhile back. its doesnt strech nearly as fast as the stock 400ex cam chain.

[wheeler0801]

well you made out better than i did, the first blow up over the summer was roughly 1200....the next one was about 500.....

glad to see you got some money though...r they sending you a check?