P500 Semi-synthetic Honda T4 oil compared to Rotella T6 semi-synthetic and shifting.

[JCart]

So have ran my Honda P500 with HP4 since new (fall of 2014) on the last oil change (last fall) swapped to Rotella T6. Not totally pleased with shifting so am messing with adjustment and currently tried 1/4... way too much delay, 1/8 close but still more delay then I want. Feels like I’ll be right on the resistance if I have it any snugger.... So anyone notice differences in oil may effect shifting? May go back to Honda HP4... suggestions? Here price for HP4 is pretty high so thought I’d try a little less expensive T6.
Thanks in advance.
j

 

[DG Rider]

I ran T6 in mine exclusively except for 1 oil change that was 10-30 supertech synthetic from wal Mart. This was done in cooler weather.
I think the ST shifted a touch better, but that may have been due to being slightly thinner, since when I went back to T6 in warmer weather i did not note any change in shifting. I did do a slight adjustment to the clutch with the ST, but it was needing that anyway.

The adjustment, to me, has always been a bit of compromise between noise and too much delay. Taking off from a stop, it takes a few shifts before it settles in to what you really get, and hitting water throws it off. And downshifting up a steep hill under full throttle might as well be a neutral drop, regardless of how it's adjusted. This machine REALLY needs the 520 DCT.

 

[Tjakura]

I'm new to the pioneer 500, picked mine up a month ago, been looking for a thread that talks about issue with gear shifting in automatic. Every now and again when trying to take off in auto my P500 will move off in first gear then the engine will slow and chug like its trying to change to 2nd gear then will change from showing "D" on the dash to show "1" as if it has gone out of auto and back into manual, sometimes it just shows a "-" . Seems to happen more often when it is cold start. Could this be the shifter adjustment you refer to in your post?

 

[Mastertinner]

Just picked mine up last Friday and my p500 has done the exact same thing on occasion. Only when cold. Hasn't acted up for the past couple days, so hopefully the problem is working itself out.

 

[Tjakura]

Hopefully it works itself out, but am seriously thinking about taking it back in for a check by the dealer, will let you know if I find anything out

 

[DG Rider]

They shift more stubbornly when cold. The clutch plates stick together from sitting and it can take a few shifts to get "right". This is true even with the full manual early ones, and every semi-auto tranny equipped ATV I've ever owned. The auto shift in the newer 500's doesn't quite know what to make of this.
I'd say drive it until 1st service and see, but it's probably always going to do that on occasion from cold.

 

[Tjakura]

Appreciate the feedback DG Rider

 

[lee]

Every now and again when trying to take off in auto my P500 will move off in first gear then the engine will slow ~ sometimes it just shows a "-" .

Mine dose this when cold every time.
Start the day in manual, 1st shift lift the throttle so it drops in to gear.
After 300' shift to auto.
Forget about it for the rest of the day.

 

[trigger]

I have a '15, so no auto, and it's done that since the day I got it until it gets warmed up a little. Runs like a Honda's supposed to the rest of the day...bullet proof.

 

[Montecresto]

Just picked mine up last Friday and my p500 has done the exact same thing on occasion. Only when cold. Hasn't acted up for the past couple days, so hopefully the problem is working itself out.

I got my P5 August of 2014, no automatic. But I switched to synthetic fluids after initial break in and always start it and go drink a cup of coffee before riding. Learned as a kid from my dad that equipment needs a warm up period before operating. Everything works better.

 

[Lburou]

We have a 2019 P500 with 525 miles on the odometer, (108 hrs). Changed oil and filter today using Shell's Rotella T-6 5w-40 oil. We noticed an immediate and dramatic improvement in shifting! Quieter and smoother shifts without any clutch adjustment.

 

[JCart]

So switched back to Honda HP4 (not T4.... major brain fart)... yeesh apologies. Used GN4 at break in then Honda HP4 (gold bottle semi synthetic), then tried Rotella T6 and now back to HP4. Need to still muck about with clutch adjustment, too long of a delay. As I recall prior to using the Rotella T6 and running HP4 it would snick into gears up or down beautifully.... will fiddle with adjustment to try and find the sweet spot.

 

[NitroxDiver]

I was using the valvoline conventional atv oil until the 1000 mile service then switched to the valvoline full synthetic atv oil. The bike was using oil and I was adding oil about every time I went for a ride. Put almost two quarts over the last couple months. I switched to the shell t4 conventional and jumped up to 15/40 to see how that does. I have only about 60 miles on this oil but the engine is much quieter and shifting has been perfect. One thing I wanted to point out on the shell oil is that the T4 is conventional T5 is synthetic blend and T6 is full synthetic. From what I read on the bottles the T4 and T6 are JASO MA and safe for wet clutch the T5 does not have the certification and I would not use it in a wet clutch application.

 

[JimmyA]

We have a 2019 P500 with 525 miles on the odometer, (108 hrs). Changed oil and filter today using Shell's Rotella T-6 5w-40 oil. We noticed an immediate and dramatic improvement in shifting! Quieter and smoother shifts without any clutch adjustment.

I used Rotella in my GL1800 Goldwing for many miles and she shifted and ran Great!

 

[Kilroy]

As NitroxDiver said, stick with either T4 or T6 if using Shell Rotella since they do meet JASO-MO standards. I haven't made the switch to Shell Rotella yet in my 500. I used T6 for years in all of my motorcycles without any issues.

 

[Tjakura]

They shift more stubbornly when cold. The clutch plates stick together from sitting and it can take a few shifts to get "right". This is true even with the full manual early ones, and every semi-auto tranny equipped ATV I've ever owned. The auto shift in the newer 500's doesn't quite know what to make of this.
I'd say drive it until 1st service and see, but it's probably always going to do that on occasion from cold.

Update
Had the first service done a few months back, and shifter problem went away. The service team could not get the shifter to malfunction during the service and so could not address under warranty. Perhaps the oil change was all that was needed, unsure why it has corrected but now is shifting well even when cold. They spoke with Honda about replacing sensors that control shifting but said engine would need to be dismantled to do this and so wouldn't agree without further evidence of the issue despite providing video evidence of this problem. Glad it is resolved, great machine getting plenty of work on my farm.

 

[SouthParkColorado]

Update
Had the first service done a few months back, and shifter problem went away. The service team could not get the shifter to malfunction during the service and so could not address under warranty. Perhaps the oil change was all that was needed, unsure why it has corrected but now is shifting well even when cold. They spoke with Honda about replacing sensors that control shifting but said engine would need to be dismantled to do this and so wouldn't agree without further evidence of the issue despite providing video evidence of this problem. Glad it is resolved, great machine getting plenty of work on my farm.

Isn't this always the one absolute guarantee in life?? .... " The service team could not get the [fill in the blank] to malfunction during the service and so could not address under warranty."

 

[Lburou]

We had a similar improvement with oil change to Rotela T-6 as stated above. Thanks for the update.

When I was an Air Force pilot, maintenance took some ribbing when they "Could Not duplicate" the problem. I took some ribbing too. Such is life. And I was intent on keeping mine.

 

[Avi8or]

My third change I switched to Motul ester based oil. It’s red and smells like fruit juice.

This thing has never shifted better. Automatic shifts now are same as manual shifts. All the herky jerky stuff it did in auto mode is gone. Starts quicker too.

 

[Montecresto]

My third change I switched to Motul ester based oil. It’s red and smells like fruit juice.

This thing has never shifted better. Automatic shifts now are same as manual shifts. All the herky jerky stuff it did in auto mode is gone. Starts quicker too.

🤔