Gt the 88 trx3002wd running again. New coil, CDI ,plug and carb.It fires up at the slightest touch of the button and idles all day and revs through the rpm range smoothly . BUT…..As soon as i start ring it runs like absolute s@%t.Getting great spark and constant strong flow of fuel.It want die or stall out, just like its on rev limiter the entire time.pull plug and its dry sooty.Any ideas???? I was leaning towards valve adj but wouldn’t it run like crap in neutral reving to if it was valves.

So I got my hands on a 2002 400ex recently. When I go to start it the battery will arc/spark on the negative terminal. Any idea why?

So I got my hands on a 2002 400ex recently. When I go to start it the battery will arc/spark on the negative terminal. Any idea why?

Hey everyone, as you may have read in one of my previous posts I had an issue with my 3 wheeler not wanting to take mid throttle. I have since changed the carb which now allows the trike to idle as well a great improvement in power and throttle response and the mid throttle problem went away. Well earlier while doing an oil change on my 3 wheeler I also decided to lube the chain, and check all connections to make sure they were good. That said I noticed that my airbox had become detached from the carb. So I reattached it and put everything back together. Once i did my post oil change once over, I decided to take it for a short ride thru my yard. During my short ride I had noticed that the mid throttle problem had returned with the reattachment of the airbox. So I disconnected the airbox and took the trike for another ride and the problem disappeared. Does anyone know what could be the cause of this? What are my possible solutions to fix this issue. Also the airbox looks to be a sealed type. There is a metal part that I believe is attached to the air filter but not sure how to remove the filter. Runs great with out airbox but not with the airbox. Thanks again in advance and again sorry for the length,Bill

Hey everyone, just wondering what would cause metal shavings in my oil. Did an oil change on my 3 wheeler today and when I pulled the plug the oil came ut as it should have, however when I checked my filter screen I noticed metal shavings in it. First thing I did when I saw the shavings was shake a few into my hand and took a magnet to them. They did not stick so this tells me that they were most likely aluminum shavings. The oil screen was so dirty that I couldn’t see thru it so I cleaned it out with carb cleaner. Filled the trike with fresh oil and checked for leaks, started it up and and let run for a few and then rechecked the oil level. Does anyone know what the metal shavings could be from? My research online suggests that the cam chain could be in need of tightening, also found one item that said metal to metal condition between piston and sleeve, and the list goes on. Any ideas? I know that to adjust the cam chain tension that you have to take the nut/bolt out from the engine,and use a screw about 3" long and thread it into the cam chain tensioner and jiggle it around until it loosens up and adjusts the chain. Does any one know the right size screw thread count and diameter that I would need to do this? The trike is an 82 Honda 200. Sorry for the length and any advice is always greatly appreciated, thanks in advance, Bill

Hello everybody, I’m currently taking apart my 2006 250ex engine that was smoking like a freight train and I was wondering if I could get a few pointers.

I took apart the top end and discovered a gap between the cylinder wall and piston. The piston was also scared and burned up slighly but the cylinder must of had so much lubrication from the oil that it really doesn’t have any scratches or marks along the walls.

So the first question is- What could have caused this? I’m not sure how to judge if rings are bad but is that the problem? the piston has some spots, particularly underneath it that look like it got really hot. is that a result of the rings going bad?

Next question – do I need to bore out the cylinder or can I get away with just honing it and getting a stock sized piston? Do I need to get a oversized piston and take it to a machine shop? I can buy the honing tool but if I need to bore it out as well then I will just take it to be done.

Thanks in advance everyone and take it easy on the dumb kid

I know a lot of you guys run a synthetic oil in your ATV engines and had a few questions.
1. Is your engine more noisy with the synthetic than it was before you used synthetic.
2. Do you notice if the engine uses more oil when using a synthetic oil?
3. Have you had any leaks develop since using a synthetic?

I’m thinking of switching to a synthetic oil to see if it will help my transmission shift a little more smoothly than it does. I have no experience with using a synthetic in an ATV.

Back in the day when my ex-wife and I bought two new vehicles(1998 Chevy K1500 truck with the 5.7L and 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3800) I switched both of these vehicles over to Mobil 1 synthetic at a low mileage. My experience was that both of the engines were more noisy and used more oil running the synthetic. After a few years, I switched back to a conventional oil and both engines were quiet and the oil consumption was next to nothing. I also had been having oil analysis done on the oil on both vehicles and the wear numbers for some of the elements were higher than normal. When I switched back to a conventional oil, these elements went back to normal.

I realize that this was back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and oil has gotten better since then and we are talking about an automobile engine versus an ATV engine but it’s still a concern of mine.

So I just want to hear some other opinions on the three points I asked about above. The guy at the parts counter of the local Honda dealer was telling me I would experience the first two of those things I mentioned due to the synthetic being a lot thinner.

Thanks for any input.

Wayne

I know a lot of you guys run a synthetic oil in your ATV engines and had a few questions.
1. Is your engine more noisy with the synthetic than it was before you used synthetic.
2. Do you notice if the engine uses more oil when using a synthetic oil?
3. Have you had any leaks develop since using a synthetic?

I’m thinking of switching to a synthetic oil to see if it will help my transmission shift a little more smoothly than it does. I have no experience with using a synthetic in an ATV.

Back in the day when my ex-wife and I bought two new vehicles(1998 Chevy K1500 truck with the 5.7L and 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3800) I switched both of these vehicles over to Mobil 1 synthetic at a low mileage. My experience was that both of the engines were more noisy and used more oil running the synthetic. After a few years, I switched back to a conventional oil and both engines were quiet and the oil consumption was next to nothing. I also had been having oil analysis done on the oil on both vehicles and the wear numbers for some of the elements were higher than normal. When I switched back to a conventional oil, these elements went back to normal.

I realize that this was back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and oil has gotten better since then and we are talking about an automobile engine versus an ATV engine but it’s still a concern of mine.

So I just want to hear some other opinions on the three points I asked about above. The guy at the parts counter of the local Honda dealer was telling me I would experience the first two of those things I mentioned due to the synthetic being a lot thinner.

Thanks for any input.

Wayne

2001 400ex
I changed the oil/ filter and have rode it probably about 4-5 hours (problem free) since. I used 15w-40 rotella T oil. Now from what I understand it is for diesel engines and should be wet clutch compatible.
however:

I adjusted the chain last night and with a quick ride it started to make a horrible grinding/ whining noise (almost like metal on metal) under load and continues after pulling the clutch in until forward movement stops. The sound is coming from the right side so this should indicate clutch problems
:frown:
Maybe this could be cured with a correct oil change. But maybe the clutch is shot at this point. what do you think it could be? does this sounds describe a clutch malfunction?
Thank you

2001 400ex
I changed the oil/ filter and have rode it probably about 4-5 hours (problem free) since. I used 15w-40 rotella T oil. Now from what I understand it is for diesel engines and should be wet clutch compatible.
however:

I adjusted the chain last night and with a quick ride it started to make a horrible grinding/ whining noise (almost like metal on metal) under load and continues after pulling the clutch in until forward movement stops. The sound is coming from the right side so this should indicate clutch problems
:frown:
Maybe this could be cured with a correct oil change. But maybe the clutch is shot at this point. what do you think it could be? does this sounds describe a clutch malfunction?
Thank you