P1000 '16 Pioneer 1000 rough idle/stall/idles up and down

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GGreen

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May 18, 2018
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Bought a 2016 Pioneer 1000 last year as a leftover. I have a whopping 45 miles on it. Out of nowhere, idle started running up and down from 200-1600rpm, stutters at 200rpm for 5-10 seconds, then runs up and down again. If you shift it into gear, half the time it stalls. I can only get it moving the other half if I aggressively 'feather' the throttle. When I can get it moving, and get it over 2000 rpm, runs like a champ. It feels like something 'let's go', like a stuck choke (which I know it doesn't have) and everything returns to normal - until I slow down again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
- Exhaust smells 'burnt'
- Display is throwing no codes
- I have never washed it, pressure or otherwise, or so much as left it out in the rain
- Today I siphoned the tank bone dry, put in 5 gallons of pump fresh 89 octane, and 3 cans of Sea Foam. Ran it up and down the driveway for 15-20 minutes, at speeds up to 25 mph. When I stopped it, it now idled up and down, but from 1000 - 1600 rpm. Still stalls.

Right now I'm waiting for it to cool down, and let the Seafoam-ed gas 'sit' in the system and injectors, then I'll run it around again for a while.

Any other ideas? Been to the dealer and in 10 days he hasn't had time to pick it up. Showed him a video of what it was doing, and the response was, "Huh, I've never seen that before. Maybe a throttle position sensor?" It's out of warranty, so all thoughts appreciated before I dump hundreds into a brand new machine!
 
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Tommyp

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Dec 2, 2017
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Covington La
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My did something similar with about 60 miles on. Brought it to the dealer and they changed the spark plugs. At my expense. Have about 400 on it now and no other problem.
 
G

GGreen

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Yeah, if the Seafoam/gas doesn’t work, that's next on my list. I'm thinking they might be fouled. Can I ask what the plug change set you back with labor? (And thanks for the reply!) I'm literally 1.5 miles from my dealer and they tag me $50 just to pick it up.
 
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Tommyp

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Dec 2, 2017
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Covington La
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They only charged me for the plugs, they not cheap. So they must not be to hard to change. I now carry 2 spares with me. They take a 9/16 socket to change.
 
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Skjerv40

Active Member
May 14, 2018
103
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Minnesota
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  1. 1000-5
Bought a 2016 Pioneer 1000 last year as a leftover. I have a whopping 45 miles on it. Out of nowhere, idle started running up and down from 200-1600rpm, stutters at 200rpm for a 5-10 seconds, then runs up and down again. If you shift it into gear, half the time it stalls. I can only get it moving the other half if I aggressively 'feather' the throttle. When I can get it moving, and get it over 2000 rpm, runs like a champ. It feels like something 'let's go', like a stuck choke (which I know it doesn't have) and everything returns to normal - until I slow down again. Wash, rinse, repeat.
- Exhaust smells 'burnt'
- Display is throwing no codes
- I have never washed it, pressure or otherwise, or so much as left it out in the rain
- Today I siphoned the tank bone dry, put in 5 gallons of pump fresh 89 octane, and 3 cans of Sea Foam. Ran it up and down the driveway for 15-20 minutes, at speeds up to 25 mph. When I stopped it, it now idled up and down, but from 1000 - 1600 rpm. Still stalls.

Right now I'm waiting for it to cool down, and let the Seafoam-ed gas 'sit' in the system and injectors, then I'll run it around again for a while.

Any other ideas? Been to the dealer and in 10 days he hasn't had time to pick it up. Showed him a video of what it was doing, and the response was, "Huh, I've never seen that before. Maybe a throttle position sensor?" It's out of warranty, so all thoughts appreciated before I dump hundreds into a brand new machine!

I know this is a simple comment, but have you checked the charge on your battery or if the ground is loose? Mine has run like that when it’s not getting enough juice. Might make sense that the alternator Kicks up when you have the high rpm’s also.


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Skjerv40

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May 14, 2018
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Minnesota
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I haven't, but I will tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

I hope it’s as simple of a fix for you as it was for me. Without any scientific proof I have learned that this machine relies on it’s under-powered battery more than any non-hybrid vehicle I’ve ever seen. If the connections are bad or the battery is rundown I have had it not shift, run erratically, and had it sound like it has died a painful death. I check my connections often now, and have a tender attached that I use often.


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GGreen

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May 18, 2018
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Amherst, MA
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  1. 1000-3
I hope it’s as simple of a fix for you as it was for me. Without any scientific proof I have learned that this machine relies on it’s under-powered battery more than any non-hybrid vehicle I’ve ever seen. If the connections are bad or the battery is rundown I have had it not shift, run erratically, and had it sound like it has died a painful death. I check my connections often now, and have a tender attached that I use often.


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I have a dual battery setup, and my dual voltmeters read 12.4 and 12.3 respectively this AM. That said, the primary battery is the original, which just sat around for 3 years before I bought the machine, so you (and others) may be on to something. Went out early and plugged in my NOCO Genius charger, which I have permanently installed in the machine, so simple enough. I'll give it a few hours and try it out. If it runs properly, it's a new primary battery for me! Thanks - and fingers crossed!
 
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Neohio

Neohio

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They only charged me for the plugs, they not cheap. So they must not be to hard to change. I now carry 2 spares with me. They take a 9/16 socket to change.
Use a 14mm socket. 9/16 will work in a pinch, but the plug is actually 14mm.
 
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Dasmoeturhead

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Plugs. They may look good like mine did, but new plugs did the trick on the stalling, rough idle, and what not.
It's worth a try.
 
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GGreen

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Amherst, MA
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  1. 1000-3
I hope it’s as simple of a fix for you as it was for me. Without any scientific proof I have learned that this machine relies on it’s under-powered battery more than any non-hybrid vehicle I’ve ever seen. If the connections are bad or the battery is rundown I have had it not shift, run erratically, and had it sound like it has died a painful death. I check my connections often now, and have a tender attached that I use often.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hmmm. Charged for 6 hours. Went out and tried it. Ran decent for about 3 minutes, then started the same problems again. Voltmeters read 14v for both batteries while it was running. Plugged the charger back in and it indicated the primary battery was only at 25%. Not taking a charge? I don't feel bad about replacing the battery, so I'm going to give that a shot. If it's still doing it, plugs are next.
 
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Skjerv40

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May 14, 2018
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Minnesota
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Hmmm. Charged for 6 hours. Went out and tried it. Ran decent for about 3 minutes, then started the same problems again. Voltmeters read 14v for both batteries while it was running. Plugged the charger back in and it indicated the primary battery was only at 25%. Not taking a charge? I don't feel bad about replacing the battery, so I'm going to give that a shot. If it's still doing it, plugs are next.

Sounds like a bad battery to me.


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G

GGreen

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Sounds like a bad battery to me.


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So I replaced the battery, and went for a ride. The problem is 90% gone. It now idles pretty consistently around 1000-1100rpm. Definitely runs smoother. Doesn't stall when I hit the throttle, but will stall if I come to a sudden stop. My working theory is it was a battery problem, but the plugs got fouled while it was running poorly (the exhaust no longer smells 'burnt'.) So now I need to change the plugs, dammit. But I think that should clear everything up. Thanks for the tip on the battery, y'all, that *never* would have occurred to me. Seems like another Honda engineering problem to me, but then what do I know? I bought a leftover Pioneer. :) So, where do you access the plugs? Pull the seat?
 
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Skjerv40

Active Member
May 14, 2018
103
169
43
Minnesota
Ownership

  1. 1000-5
So I replaced the battery, and went for a ride. The problem is 90% gone. It now idles pretty consistently around 1000-1100rpm. Definitely runs smoother. Doesn't stall when I hit the throttle, but will stall if I come to a sudden stop. My working theory is it was a battery problem, but the plugs got fouled while it was running poorly (the exhaust no longer smells 'burnt'.) So now I need to change the plugs, dammit. But I think that should clear everything up. Thanks for the tip on the battery, y'all, that *never* would have occurred to me. Seems like another Honda engineering problem to me, but then what do I know? I bought a leftover Pioneer. :) So, where do you access the plugs? Pull the seat?

It might just come out of it if you drive it around. Throw a little sea foam in it maybe.


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G

GGreen

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May 18, 2018
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Did that first. Siphoned it dry and added 5 gallons of fresh 89 octane and 3 (small) cans of Seafoam. I think the plugs are just fouled. The exhaust smelled awful during the time it was misbehaving. May as well replace the plugs...in for a penny and all that. So far, my maintenance costs have run me $3.00 a mile for every mile I've driven. But at least I bought a machine that needs to be plugged into a trickle charger every time I shut it down, so I've got that going for me! :) It could be worse. Because my local dealer didn’t get around to picking it up for 2 weeks, I've saved some money on transport and labor. Yay me! On the other hand, they don't even stock the damn plugs. Boo, them!
 
Redmoon

Redmoon

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Feb 21, 2019
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Prescott Az.
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Doesn't the gas need to be the 91-94 octane as recommended by Honda? A dealer that doesn't stock something as basic as plugs would not get my business any longer.
 
G

GGreen

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May 18, 2018
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Amherst, MA
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Doesn't the gas need to be the 91-94 octane as recommended by Honda? A dealer that doesn't stock something as basic as plugs would not get my business any longer.
Hmmm, did not know that. Dealer never mentioned it. Go figure. Maybe time for a can of octane booster as well. Thanks! (Sadly, my nearest dealer is 1.5 miles from my home. The next is 30 or 40.)
 
tjoreo

tjoreo

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Had the owners manual sitting on my desk so took a quick look. It says fuel needs to be 86 or higher in the book so you should be fine.
 
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