Why does a Honda Rancher 350 ATV stall when it gets wet?

Answer 1

This is a tough question to answer considering you didn't give any more information than "wet". Wet could mean driving through a sprinkler or it could mean driving through a river. If you are simply riding through small mud puddles and water no higher than say 8"-10" then perhaps you could be getting water in your electrical connections. Try unpluging the 5 or 6 plugs in between the front suspension and putting some dielectric grease in the connectors then plug them back in. There are several more plugs in front of the right rear tire. Do the same with them. However, if you are riding in very deep water then perhaps you have bigger problems. If you take an air-cooled engine from 350-400 degrees and shock cool it to 100 degrees in several seconds time then you are stressing that engine to a point that you could do catastrophic damage to the engine. Metal greatly expands and contracts with heat and can warp or crack with sudden temperature changes. With shock cooling it is common that an engine will momentarily stall then recover in time. If you get too deep in the water and get water in the airbox and into the cylinder it will stall and quit. DO NOT try starting the engine as water will not burn, will not pass and is not compressable. You will simply have bent valves, cracked head and need a top end overhaul at the very least. To avoid this remove spark plug, turn off fuel, turn engine over until all water is removed, re-install plug, turn on fuel and re-start.