BOX1

P500 Just got a 520 home, shifts really hard

J

johnnyrockets

Member
Feb 8, 2021
23
61
13
New Hampshire
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  1. 500
First post here and first side by side. Woot.

The dealer dropped it off and I took it for a spin around the block. It’s shifting so hard in automatic or manual mode that it throws me forward. The delivery guy was happy to take it back but after waiting a week for the delivery, I decided to hang onto it and see if I could find any info. So far the dealer has no idea, I think I got the first one in the area. Worst comes to worst, they’ll pick it up again and fix it under warranty

Any ideas? A couple things come to mind but I haven’t tried anything yet. I’d noticed the other new 520 thread mentioned transmission issues that turned out to be a weak battery. I put it on a tender overnight, haven’t tested again yet. It was also super cold here in NH yesterday, I think it was 18 degrees. I did warm it up for a 20 minutes or so but it didn’t make a difference. The only other thing that comes to mind is just break-in period. I was literally putting the first mile on it. I checked the manual and ithe machine itself will change the display if it thinks there’s a transmission issue. According to the machine, all is well. lol
 
futzin

futzin

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Lifetime Member
Sep 10, 2019
2,951
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Kentucky
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  1. 500

  2. 520
Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new buggy. Abrupt shifting is characteristic of these machines when new. It will smooth out some with usage. Just drive the hell out of it!

Let's see a couple of pics!
 
O

ohcountryboy

Member
Jan 19, 2021
15
66
13
Ohio
Ownership

  1. 500
I was having shifting issues with my new 520 and posted about it on another thread on this forum. In automatic mode would shift really hard and throw the driver forward; in Manual when trying to shift into third gear, it would not go into third gear, and the engine light would display -- also, the MPH would display as zero while driving. Dealer picked it up and worked with Honda to resolve the issue -- while I don't have a lot of details, the mechanic said that there was a connection issue from when the 520 was originally assembled. It runs and shifts great after the dealer had it in the shop for two days. May be different than your situation, but thought I would share this information with you. Good luck.

P.S. - This was my first sxs as well, I learned from the dealer to pay attention to the display, to see if any codes were displaying. One thing that was interesting was that the dealer was getting a code that they said "didn't exist"....therefore they worked with Honda to determine the issue. One thing was somewhat helpful I think, I was taking videos of the display, for my situation, and emailing to the dealer to show them the issue I was seeing.

Below is an image of the display with the engine light showing and MPH displaying zero while trying to shift into third gear - other codes would display as well intermittently, e.g "-", "1", "2".

020120 3
 
Last edited:
906UP

906UP

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  2. Talon X
Welcome Mr Rockets! What you're describing is pretty normal for the P500/520, it will get smoother. They are known to shift kinda abruptly in auto. Run it for a couple hundred miles and report back, a clutch adjustment is easy but I would recommend getting it broke in first.
 
J

johnnyrockets

Member
Feb 8, 2021
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13
New Hampshire
Ownership

  1. 500
I’d mentioned it to my sales guy yesterday and the service department really wants to dig into it so they’re coming to get it Tuesday. I couldn’t ask for anything more from them at this point.

Going to take it out again this morning and see if charging it helped.

@ohcountryboy No codes but I’m getting exactly why you describe in automatic mode with it throwing the driver forward. I’ll test in manual mode in higher gears. I stomped on it in automatic last night and got too cold to top it out. lol

97EFFDB5 1C7A 4672 9E53 D570E3097A61
 
O

ohcountryboy

Member
Jan 19, 2021
15
66
13
Ohio
Ownership

  1. 500
If similar behavior can provide with my dealer information if u want it, so your mechanic can talk to my mechanic. Just a thought :)
 
J80

J80

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Dec 29, 2018
36,866
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WNC
First post here and first side by side. Woot.

The dealer dropped it off and I took it for a spin around the block. It’s shifting so hard in automatic or manual mode that it throws me forward. The delivery guy was happy to take it back but after waiting a week for the delivery, I decided to hang onto it and see if I could find any info. So far the dealer has no idea, I think I got the first one in the area. Worst comes to worst, they’ll pick it up again and fix it under warranty

Any ideas? A couple things come to mind but I haven’t tried anything yet. I’d noticed the other new 520 thread mentioned transmission issues that turned out to be a weak battery. I put it on a tender overnight, haven’t tested again yet. It was also super cold here in NH yesterday, I think it was 18 degrees. I did warm it up for a 20 minutes or so but it didn’t make a difference. The only other thing that comes to mind is just break-in period. I was literally putting the first mile on it. I checked the manual and ithe machine itself will change the display if it thinks there’s a transmission issue. According to the machine, all is well. lol
I bought a 2020 model and it shifted really ruff and at 20 miles on the on the machine I decided to put a front locker in and when I did that I changed the front and rear differential fluid to mobil 1 synthetic 75-140 gear oil and it made a huge difference in the shifting and down shifting of the machine. I just changed the gear oil again just a few days ago in both front and rear with the same Mobil 1 I mentioned above and I did a slight clutch adjustment and it’s awesome compared to what it was new. It has 230 miles on it now
 
lee

lee

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Apr 4, 2013
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  1. 500
The P5 series is a little peculiar in there shifting habits.
I have a 2018 P500 - basically the same transmission (same everything other than what is in the cylinder).

When cold:
- It dose not like to shift out of low until the engine has warmed up just a little ~5 minutes or so.
If I try to shift it manually or in auto it often gets stuck between gears and the dash displays the horizontal line.
If it dose that, shut it off, key on (but not started) and down shift to 1st, try again.
No idea why it dose this but it should not, one of theses days I will bother to ask around a work and figure out what is up (guy there is pretty hip on honda stuff).

- If I am paying attention, in manual mode, let it rev a little, let off the throttle and up shift.
This usually works.
Once it has done the 1 --> 2 shift one time it it ok after that.

When warm:
- If down shifting leave the throttle cracked a little until the lower gear hits.
For whatever reason if the engine is pulling against a closed throttle body butterfly the engine braking is neck snapping.

- When upshifting you can feather the throttle for a little improvement in smoothness.
I just mat the pedal and don't worry about it.

Other thought:
- I like the auto down shift thing.
I know lots of guys complain about it, I think they have control issues (as in the low end computer in a entry level SxS knows more than they do).
But this is my thing, when I was rocking a 2015 my wife would slow down, and slow down, and slow down until the engine was chugging.
So not only did I need to share the driving but I was often risking sleeping on the couch (cargo trailer / toy hauler wannabe doesn't have a couch - probably should work on that).
Now with the 2018 the tranny down shifts on its own and domestic tranquility is maintained with out me having to say anything.
 
Mbradley42

Mbradley42

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Aug 22, 2020
2,212
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Waynesville NC
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  1. Other Brand
I bought a 2020 500 in August and it shifted pretty rough when I got it, I read on here it was a pretty normal thing so I kinda ignored it and in my machine the more I drove the piss out of it the better now it has almost 400 miles and I have no more worries it shifts great now. Just my experience though.
 
S

skinnyman

Member
May 22, 2020
34
76
18
ohio
Ownership

  1. 500
A test drive would have solved the problem for me.

I have 500+ miles on mine and what is happening is I am getting used to the quirky shifts. For the price I shouldn't have to get used to it. Many have tried different oils to some success, I guess. Clutch adjustment seems to have the most effect.

My 2007 Rancher 400 electric shift with 6600 miles is super smooth in auto or manual mode, upshift or down its hard to tell when it shifts. SWEET. I thought that is what I was getting in a Pioneer 500.
 
M

Mortdog

Active Member
May 19, 2019
28
114
28
Minnesota
Ownership

  1. 500
The P5 series is a little peculiar in there shifting habits.
I have a 2018 P500 - basically the same transmission (same everything other than what is in the cylinder).

When cold:
- It dose not like to shift out of low until the engine has warmed up just a little ~5 minutes or so.
If I try to shift it manually or in auto it often gets stuck between gears and the dash displays the horizontal line.
If it dose that, shut it off, key on (but not started) and down shift to 1st, try again.
No idea why it dose this but it should not, one of theses days I will bother to ask around a work and figure out what is up (guy there is pretty hip on honda stuff).

- If I am paying attention, in manual mode, let it rev a little, let off the throttle and up shift.
This usually works.
Once it has done the 1 --> 2 shift one time it it ok after that.

When warm:
- If down shifting leave the throttle cracked a little until the lower gear hits.
For whatever reason if the engine is pulling against a closed throttle body butterfly the engine braking is neck snapping.

- When upshifting you can feather the throttle for a little improvement in smoothness.
I just mat the pedal and don't worry about it.

Other thought:
- I like the auto down shift thing.
I know lots of guys complain about it, I think they have control issues (as in the low end computer in a entry level SxS knows more than they do).
But this is my thing, when I was rocking a 2015 my wife would slow down, and slow down, and slow down until the engine was chugging.
So not only did I need to share the driving but I was often risking sleeping on the couch (cargo trailer / toy hauler wannabe doesn't have a couch - probably should work on that).
Now with the 2018 the tranny down shifts on its own and domestic tranquility is maintained with out me having to say anything.
This spouse comment on not downshifting is one of the funniest and true statements for many owners of the manual p500 era’s. I too was a victim of this. I sold my 2015 this fall and I am waiting patiently on my new p520. I may tape over the manual /auto switch. So as to not confuse my spouse. Lol
 
H

HondaTech

Guest
A test drive would have solved the problem for me.

I have 500+ miles on mine and what is happening is I am getting used to the quirky shifts. For the price I shouldn't have to get used to it. Many have tried different oils to some success, I guess. Clutch adjustment seems to have the most effect.

My 2007 Rancher 400 electric shift with 6600 miles is super smooth in auto or manual mode, upshift or down its hard to tell when it shifts. SWEET. I thought that is what I was getting in a Pioneer 500.

The Rancher 400 is a hydrostatic transmission. It doesn't actually have any "gears". This why its so smooth, your not shifting any gears.
 
B

Bomersteve35

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2021
98
307
53
Portland or
Ownership

  1. 500

  2. Other Brand
Welcome to the group

My wife's was the post with the battery problem the dealer said it wouldn't load test so they replaced it. We took it on about a 20 mile break in trip before having problems. And the dealer tech changed the battery and did a clutch adjustment. He said he adjusts all the 500 clutches at the first service as they seat in from break in each needs a little tuning in. At the first service I plan on changing the gear oils a lot of threads say it helps.
 
A

AmosMoses

New Member
Aug 12, 2017
11
10
3
Callahan, Florida
Ownership

  1. 1000-5
I just bought a 520, I noticed the same thing and mentioned it to the dealer. He said mine was the fifth one they sold and they all shifted the same way. I only have about 20 miles on mine, but have noticed it has gotten smoother since it had 2 miles on it.
 
alloutdoors

alloutdoors

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2018
1,022
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113
US
Ownership

  1. 500

  2. 700-4

  3. Do not currently own
Welcome to the group

My wife's was the post with the battery problem the dealer said it wouldn't load test so they replaced it. We took it on about a 20 mile break in trip before having problems. And the dealer tech changed the battery and did a clutch adjustment. He said he adjusts all the 500 clutches at the first service as they seat in from break in each needs a little tuning in. At the first service I plan on changing the gear oils a lot of threads say it helps.
Great.... these units are extremely sensitive to battery load, so something to always keep an eye on. In fact, I put a battery tender on my unit to just keep the battery topped off at all times while not in use.
 
Aerolite

Aerolite

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Jan 10, 2021
114
499
63
Oxford Mills ON
Ownership

  1. 500
I was prepared for the clunky shifting before I got my 520. Read about it here and the dealer also said that's the way they are at the beginning. He said to give it a good 400 to 600 km's to completely break in. It certainly was noticeable when we took it for the test drive, especially in automatic. If I hadn't been aware of it I would have been WTF, lol. After 160km's and it's first oil change, I'm starting to notice a difference already, especially in auto mode.
 
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