So... I did the deal on a new 2017 700-4 (non-deluxe) today. Bimini top, 1/2 windshield, winch, bedliner, no-cost first service, and delivery to my place.
Any particular issues or quirkiness to look out for in these 700-4's?
Thanks...
Congrats!
I personally thought the 700 steered very lightly unless you were stopped or in diff lock. Then the PS would come in handy.
Don't know if you drove it much before you bought it (hopefully), but the rear end in these tends to be on the loud side, sounding like a bad pinion bearing. It goes away with some miles and maybe some synthetic thicker gear lube. It also clangs and pops at times, and if you get on the brakes real hard, you will get a "grating" gear lash noise from the rear. This is all normal, so don't be put off by it.
If you're in colder weather-say below 45 degrees or something like that, they can need a bit of warm up before the tranny will move without slipping. Again, normal fare, and synthetic oil after break-in will shorten the time you have to wait.
The doors and dump bed latches will get loose and rattle/squeak after some miles. They have adjustments.
We've has a few 2017's with small coolant leaks from the thermostat housing, so if you smell coolant or notice low levels or stains, that'd be the 1st place to check.
Finally, the oil level in the 700 is not checked in the same manner as your car/truck. It is not a wet-sump engine, per-se...(Honda calls it a "semi-dry sump engine"). There is a time window when the level is representative of where it really needs to be, so you must follow the procedure in the owners manual to the letter, including run times vs temp and wait times to check the level, and it does make a difference in the level. I suspect many 700's are running around with the wrong level in them, which makes their durability even more impressive.
It's also common procedure to run the 700 slightly overfilled on oil to prevent starvation on long-steep climbs.
