1998-2004 Honda Foreman 450 factory service manual, Page 415Get this manual
ELECTRIC SHIFT PROGRAM (ESP)
TROUBLESHOOTING ('98'01)
TROUBLESHOOTING FEATURE
When the Electronic Control Unit detects system abnorma lity, the Electronic Control Unit has built-in self-diagnostic function that stops the Electronic Shift (ES) activity or resets the system entirely (just as when the ignition switch is turned from OFF to ON)The Electronic Control Unit does not have the capability to inform the operator of the cause of the abnormality, except that the ES function stops immediately when the Electronic Control Unit detects failure conditionAs the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear positions are activated by signals from the Electronic Control Unit, when the engine stops, the display will only show dashes (- -) for those positionsThe gear position can only be determined by manually shifting the transmission (if possible, using the shifting tool that comes with the vehicle) into, reverse, neutral first or fifth gear (which appear on the display)When the Electronic Control Unit is in "failure" mode, the shift function is immediately deactivated and will remain so until the main switch is turned to the OFF positionWhen the main switch is turned back ON, the Electronic Control Unit will be reactived unless it immediately detects another FAIL conditionIf the Electronic Control Unit does not immediately detect FAIL condition, the operator can then document the conditions that lead to another "failure" mode