P1000 2016 pioneer dies when idle

[AdamR]

Actually NO i never figured it out. Its now at the dealership (has been for about a month........) and they just told me they cant figure it out either. It is supposed to get sent to a more experienced tech to hopefully figure it out.

 

[Admin]

 

[MSPioneer1000]

Curious if you figured this out @AdamR as my 2016 is doing the same thing. I only run it 3-4 times a month on average, but every time I get it up to temp. I did have it sitting for about a month - went to go run it and idle was goofy like yours. Just sounded like it was only firing on a single cylinder and then it randomly dies. I drained the tank, put in new premium (non-oxy, which is what it normally gets) along with some Seafom. Still does the same thing. Pulled the fuel pump out and the filter looks generally OK - but when I called the dealer they told me it's the entire assembly which seems wrong. I have the service manual but it's worthless for part numbers so by the time I figured out a part I scraped from online I had already hung up with the gentlemen. I think I'll just order them online anyway and replace, it wasn't too much to get it all out and apart - but man that is the dumbest design for a fuel filter.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if it's not going to idle. Now it'll barely start - and if I do get it running I can't get it in gear before it dies. The transmission won't engage if you start it in drive unless it's below a certain RPM it seems, so moving it onto the trailer if I can't get it going is going to be by way of the Kubota. In neutral I can sometimes get it up over 1000 RPMs and then it seems to run fine, but as soon as you let off throttle it sputters and dies.

I'm going to try and reseat the main ECU plugs under the seat as someone recently posted similar symptoms because of a poorly seated connection. I had looked at those main three connectors and pulled up on them a bit but didn't really try to pop them out and reseat them / check them for moisture. Going to pop new spark plugs and (maybe) a new battery in it - it's the original from 2016 but I put it on the tester and it rated at 198 CCA. I think the factory battery is 200, those Yuasa batteries are generally pretty solid.

Someone also said to check the frame ground(s). From the service manual it looks like ground connects under the front seat kind of between the drivers seat and the middle front seat. I was skimming the manual but didn't see anywhere that explicitly called out the locations very obviously. If anyone has any pointers on where those are about, I'd appreciate it. It's a 1000-5 so kind of a PITA to get at anything without taking out 30 clips and all kinds of other plastic.

But if you did figure it out I'm curious what it was. Ghosts in the machine are no fun.

My problem turned out to be a bad spark plug. I put new plugs in and it runs like a champ.

 

[Ericthered]

You will still want to tighten the 3 grounds on rear of engine. Lift bed up, use stick or pipe to hold it up. Remove plastic covers. Grounds are on driver's side of rig. Just look for wires with bolts on engine. Be sure to actually put a wrench on them. Pulling with hand doesn't tell if loose. I got 2 full turns on one, 1/2 turn on another and a whopping 3 turns on the 3rd one. Don't know what the hell Honda is teaching their techs on assembly line, but obviously need better training or ATTITUDE adjustment!

 

[Hondasxs]

@dmio,
Have you checked the injector wires?
If you can get it to idle.... let it and gently tug on the wires to see if the pattern of the idle changes.
You should check the IACV as well.
Both are known for broken wires.

 

[dmio]

So... My fix was pretty easy.

I ended up grabbing new plugs from my local dealership. The service guy dropped one of the plugs as he was walking back to the counter and I asked him, kindly, to grab me a different plug. He gave me a dirty look. Given Honda charges highway robbery prices for that Iridium plug $21 vs $12 and change list price - and who wants to go through the trouble of putting a potentially cracked plug in? The old plugs were dirty and wet - so my guess is this was a big part of the culprit as @MSPioneer1000 mentioned.

I also swapped the battery at the same time. Ended up trying one of those X2 Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries that don't feel like a battery at all since they weigh next to nothing.

And just for fun I blew out all the ECU connections and reseated them. After that it fired right up. I'll thank my lucky stars it wasn't anything more involved!

And thanks @Ericthered - going to go back and check all the grounds as well. Thankfully not my injector wires as @Hondasxs tossed out and hopefully I don't end up with them broken anytime soon. 🤞

Thanks all!

 

[AdamR]

Update: So my machine has been at the shop for 4 months to no avail. First off it has been hell just getting them to work on it. Ive changed the air filter, spark plugs, injectors, injector wires, coil packs, IACV. It does not throw any code. They checked the grounds & did its recalls. After 4 months they finally do a compression test which it fails. They open it up and say the heads are fine. No change. They want to drop the motor next but this is just getting too expensive..... probably just going to take it back from the shop.

 

[Smitty335]

Update: So my machine has been at the shop for 4 months to no avail. First off it has been hell just getting them to work on it. Ive changed the air filter, spark plugs, injectors, injector wires, coil packs, IACV. It does not throw any code. They checked the grounds & did its recalls. After 4 months they finally do a compression test which it fails. They open it up and say the heads are fine. No change. They want to drop the motor next but this is just getting too expensive..... probably just going to take it back from the shop.

I don't know how far you are from NW AR, but this guy is good Jeff Kopek-Mental Mods Combs AR 479-335-1866. He has worked on my P1 3 times for different issues each time.

 

[HBarlow]

OP, did you read "HondaTech's" post # 7? He reported his dealership service department experienced a Honda Pioneer with a bad ECU.

A bad ECU makes sense after all you've replaced with no success.

 

[CovertRisner]

My problem turned out to be a bad spark plug. I put new plugs in and it runs like a champ

 

[CovertRisner]

Curious if you figured this out @AdamR as my 2016 is doing the same thing. I only run it 3-4 times a month on average, but every time I get it up to temp. I did have it sitting for about a month - went to go run it and idle was goofy like yours. Just sounded like it was only firing on a single cylinder and then it randomly dies. I drained the tank, put in new premium (non-oxy, which is what it normally gets) along with some Seafom. Still does the same thing. Pulled the fuel pump out and the filter looks generally OK - but when I called the dealer they told me it's the entire assembly which seems wrong. I have the service manual but it's worthless for part numbers so by the time I figured out a part I scraped from online I had already hung up with the gentlemen. I think I'll just order them online anyway and replace, it wasn't too much to get it all out and apart - but man that is the dumbest design for a fuel filter.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if it's not going to idle. Now it'll barely start - and if I do get it running I can't get it in gear before it dies. The transmission won't engage if you start it in drive unless it's below a certain RPM it seems, so moving it onto the trailer if I can't get it going is going to be by way of the Kubota. In neutral I can sometimes get it up over 1000 RPMs and then it seems to run fine, but as soon as you let off throttle it sputters and dies.

I'm going to try and reseat the main ECU plugs under the seat as someone recently posted similar symptoms because of a poorly seated connection. I had looked at those main three connectors and pulled up on them a bit but didn't really try to pop them out and reseat them / check them for moisture. Going to pop new spark plugs and (maybe) a new battery in it - it's the original from 2016 but I put it on the tester and it rated at 198 CCA. I think the factory battery is 200, those Yuasa batteries are generally pretty solid.

Someone also said to check the frame ground(s). From the service manual it looks like ground connects under the front seat kind of between the drivers seat and the middle front seat. I was skimming the manual but didn't see anywhere that explicitly called out the locations very obviously. If anyone has any pointers on where those are about, I'd appreciate it. It's a 1000-5 so kind of a PITA to get at anything without taking out 30 clips and all kinds of other plastic.

But if you did figure it out I'm curious what it was. Ghosts in the machine are no fun.

No, Adamr Honda still having issues.

 

[CovertRisner]

No, Adamr Honda still having issues.

This is the wife. Finally got it back from the shop, still not fixed. Took it around trick or treating and did okay but when we would come to a stop, it would die. If I let idol for more than a few minutes, the gas fumes can choke you out even with the garage doors open. Going to check the grounds and ecu like everyone is recommending. Any other recommendations would be helpful.

 

[HBarlow]

Update: So my machine has been at the shop for 4 months to no avail. First off it has been hell just getting them to work on it. Ive changed the air filter, spark plugs, injectors, injector wires, coil packs, IACV. It does not throw any code. They checked the grounds & did its recalls. After 4 months they finally do a compression test which it fails. They open it up and say the heads are fine. No change. They want to drop the motor next but this is just getting too expensive..... probably just going to take it back from the shop.

I recommend you take it to a shop with a genuine old-fashioned mechanic or trained Honda tech.

 

[Rs1000]

My 2016 did exactly the same. Was a dirty frame ground under driver seat and behind the computer. There are multiple grounds at this location and will cause injector codes,iacv codes etc to pop up. Grounds are on frame behind the right calf on your leg if you were sitting in driver's seat. Kind of hard to find. The problem does mimic water in the system except when there is water in the system 9 times out of 10 it won't run at all. Hope this helps.

 

[shaundeere]

I’m looking for a solution for this same problem. My 2018 is doing the exact same thing! Anyone solved this? My machine is practically useless at this point.

 

[TripleB]

Did you read through the whole thread and try the solutions. I just don't feel like reading through 3 pages of stuff. Start with the simple stuff 1st.

 

[StewB]

My 2021 stalled at random times and everyone thought it was a fuel pump or bad gas (three trips to two different Honda dealers).
Then they didn't just wiggle the grounds, someone pulled them off, wire brushed, and torqued them back on.
No problems ever since.
And as they mention above, there are several grounds on the machine. Find the manual and redo them all.
Hope that helps, and it's the cheapest fix you may ever have. 👍

 

[Smitty335]

Did you read through the whole thread and try the solutions. I just don't feel like reading through 3 pages of stuff. Start with the simple stuff 1st.

Like grounds, a little sand paper and some dielectric grease?

 

[P1K5Dave]

Now that the thread has been revived, I wanted to ask AdamR to come back and report, but it appears he's no longer on the member list, nor his wife CovertRisener.

Lesson to all newbies coming in here looking for help: If you don't come back and report your results, you're not helping anyone.

 

[P1K5Dave]

PS I'll bet his problem came down to ground or ECU. He said the dealer "checked" ground but they probably gave a wiggle and moved on.

As many have reported here, you must put a wrench on these ground bolts to check them.

 

[Remington]

Now that the thread has been revived, I wanted to ask AdamR to come back and report, but it appears he's no longer on the member list, nor his wife CovertRisener.

Yeah good luck with that! He hasnt been on since August of 21’
Prob traded it and bought a Fire Trap 😂

Its the most annoying thing when someone starts a thread with a problem, pics our brain with pages of ideas then never returns with what worked and didnt work.
almost as bad as people not searching before posting. Ugh..