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Honda 520

T Bone

T Bone

Member
Mar 30, 2021
13
36
13
Raleigh, NC
Ownership

  1. 500
From what I have read that is normal. The gear box is noisy. Mine grinds as well. I took it on for its first service at 115 miles but only 10 hours. The noises seemed to get better but I have done some sound damping measures also. I have read it gets better with every oil change.
 
rtn001

rtn001

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2018
317
945
93
Central Florida
Ownership

  1. 500
Welcome from Central Florida. I had the standard oil replaced with Honda's synthetic oil on the first service at the dealership (paying the difference). When I got home I drained both differentials and put in Lucas SAE75W 140W synthetic. Make sure it's Hypoid whatever brand you use. I service mine every spring myself keeping the receipts and copies of same as some store receipts will fade to the point that they cannot be read. The use of the synthetic oil in the differential does seem to reduce the noise. If you look up noisy differentials on p500's (or something too that effect) on this site you will find a ton of information on the cause and cures. You can also find "how to" videos here and on YouTube. Have fun, ride safe and enjoy.
 
SouthwestORV

SouthwestORV

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2018
744
1,730
93
Taylor, Arizona
Ownership

  1. 500
I owned a P500 for about 18 months and loved it, but it was the nastiest sounding thing I've ever owned. The engine made horrendous valvetrain noise, like something was wrong. And the rear diff sounded like something was wrong - straight up grinding and whining. Frankly it sounded terrible, but everything I read on this forum indicated that was normal. So I rode the dog out of it and had a great time! I just tried to ignore the noises, and I admit that was hard because my ears have been trained to notice something wrong and then address it. But in the case of the P500, it appears you just endure it. Mine never broke or left me stranded, and we did some tough rides and lots of miles. And no, mine did not get better with time, or fluid changes, or fluid switches, etc. I simply had to live with it. My 2020 Ranger Crew 1000 makes none of those noises - engine sounds great, you can't hear the gears or diffs or transmission at all. I've got as many hard miles on my Ranger now as I had on my P500, and I also haven't had to fix or replace anything on my Ranger. But, there is something so loveable about the P500, when I sell the Ranger I might just get back into a Pioneer, but this time a P520 just to change it up. And this time I'll know just to expect the mechanical noise. Hope this helps.
 
Mudder

Mudder

NTC Ambassador of Walls
Lifetime Member
Oct 1, 2016
11,203
82,759
113
Georgia
Ownership

  1. Other Brand

  2. 500
Welcome from NW Georgia.
 
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crewcabrob

crewcabrob

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
May 7, 2018
1,029
4,038
113
Omaha
Ownership

  1. 520
The engine and transmission noise on mine is way down after the first oil change. I want to change the diff fluids one of these days, but I have too much going on right now. The first 120 miles, the P520 made a lot of noise.

Rob
 
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5

520Mark

New Member
Jul 13, 2022
4
11
3
Georgia
Ownership

  1. Looking to buy

  2. 520
I owned a P500 for about 18 months and loved it, but it was the nastiest sounding thing I've ever owned. The engine made horrendous valvetrain noise, like something was wrong. And the rear diff sounded like something was wrong - straight up grinding and whining. Frankly it sounded terrible, but everything I read on this forum indicated that was normal. So I rode the dog out of it and had a great time! I just tried to ignore the noises, and I admit that was hard because my ears have been trained to notice something wrong and then address it. But in the case of the P500, it appears you just endure it. Mine never broke or left me stranded, and we did some tough rides and lots of miles. And no, mine did not get better with time, or fluid changes, or fluid switches, etc. I simply had to live with it. My 2020 Ranger Crew 1000 makes none of those noises - engine sounds great, you can't hear the gears or diffs or transmission at all. I've got as many hard miles on my Ranger now as I had on my P500, and I also haven't had to fix or replace anything on my Ranger. But, there is something so loveable about the P500, when I sell the Ranger I might just get back into a Pioneer, but this time a P520 just to change it up. And this time I'll know just to expect the mechanical noise. Hope this helps.
 
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