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trx 350 piston rings

7K views 90 replies 11 participants last post by  jeraldberald 
#1 ·
I recently bought my first Honda atv, and it needs a bit of work.Its a 2006 rancher 350 FE. It smokes and seems to be lacking power, and I believe it needs new piston rings. I am planning on replacing all the gaskets and piston rings, but I have never done this before, so I am deciding if I want to do this on my own, or take it into a mechanic. I have experience with basic repairs and maintenance, but I have never had to do anything inside the engine block. It also needs a new clutch bearing, so Ill do that too. I talked to a mechanic, and If I do take it to a mechanic, Ill remove the engine from the machine to save a couple hundred bucks. the mechanic charges 79$ an hour, and told me that it would be 5-6 hours for the whole machine, and 2-3 for just the engine. so the question is, Should I do it myself and save a few hundred dollars, or take it into the shop to be safe?
 
#4 ·
welcome to the forums. YOU DO NOT NEED TO REMOVE THE ENGINE, IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE RINGS !. just the cylinder has to come off. down load the manual from here, and ask us anything you have questions for ?. there is a ton of helpful members here, always willing to help you, and help you save money. AND IT DOES NOT TAKE 5 OR 6 HOURS TO REPLACE PISTON RINGS !..LOL. that mech is blowing smoke !..lol.
 
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#5 ·
I think i will remove the engine, so i can work on it indoors since it is pretty cold in the barn this time of year. I plan on replacing all the gaskets while I'm in there. I already downloaded a manual. Anything I need to watch out for or replace also?
 
#6 ·
yep. top end gasket kit will be needed. cam chain, now is the time to replace it. new oil, new oil filter ( don't install filter backwards ! ). spark plug. you will need a flywheel puller tool to get the flywheel off, in order to replace the cam chain. rear engine cover gasket to have on hand in case you tear old one while removing cover.
 
#9 ·
I never replace crank bearings, unless they have a ton of play ?. check the condition of the play for the connecting rod at the top for wrist pin, and at the lower section where it is attached to the crank, can not have any play at all.
 
#11 ·
I was thinking I was going to buy a kit with all the gaskets and seals, so Ill replace every seal I remove. what do you mean by "lap the valves"? and what are the keepers and how do I replace them? I am not very familiar with the terms for the different parts. Thanks.
 
#12 ·
complete gasket kit is a waste of money, unless your gonna split the cases all the way down ?. when he said lap the valves, he means taking lapping compound, and grinding ( this is like fine sand paper ), and cutting a smoother surface on the valve seat area. as for the '' keepers '' ?, these are the odd looking things that holds the valve springs on top of the valve, you have two springs, and the very top round piece, once these are compressed, you install the keeps to hold it all together. I never replace keepers, I always re-use the old ones, unless they are bad ?, broken ?. you don't need a valve spring compressor tool to remove the valves and such ?, but you will need this tool to put them back together in the head.
 
#13 ·
Do I need one of those suction cup tools to lap the valves? and I have to replace the one way clutch too, which is why I was just going to buy a whole set of seals. It is a 10 year old machine with a lot of kms on it. It whines for a few seconds after shutdown, the pull-start sometimes very hard to pull, (been using the pull start because It needs a new solenoid) and when I put it in gear it rolls without any gas. I did some quick research, and It seems like these are signs of a bad one-way bearing. Thanks again, you guys have been a huge help. It will be running in tip-top shape by spring.
 
#16 ·
#20 ·
I have started working on the machine today, no problems yet. once I get the engine out, should I work on the top end or replace the clutch bearing first? and Is it OK for the engine to sit without oil in it? This is the first four stroke I have ever owned, so I'm new to this. Is a torque wrench absolutely necessary?
 
#21 ·
does not matter where you start on the engine ?, I always tear them all part, and work from the bottom side up, this is me though :). no, won't hurt the motor to sit without oil in it, as long as it's not out in the weather !!..lol. no, you do not need a torque wrench, I've been doing this 18 years now ?,have not put my hands on a torque wrench yet !. not saying you should not use one ?, but no, you do not have to have it :).
 
#22 ·
I want to touch base a little more on this torque wrench for you, and others here :). yessssssss..the service manual tells you, and gives you the torque specs !, buttttttttt, this does not mean we all should use this tool, to torque bolts ?. this is a judgement call so to speak ?, a little common sense goes a long way when dealing with old, rusty, or thin bolts ?, the bigger the bolt ?, the more torque you can use when tightening it ?, this DOES not mean it still won't break ?, I've broken many bolts on atvs !. not because I was not using a torque wrench ?, most times it was removing them !. two bolts come to mind !, there are two long bolts on the right, lower cylinder side on the early trx350 ranchers ?, if they have never been removed ?, it's almost a 100% shot, they will snap off at the engine case ?!. as for other times ?, well..it's a learning curve ?, you just have to get the '' feel '' for this stuff. if it's getting hard to turn ?, making a odd sound ?, then it's binding, and it will snap, or..if your smart , you pull it back out, run a tap in the hole, clean the threads up on the bolt with a die or wire brush, and give it another go. soooooooo..again..a torque wrench is not needed, but can be used :). the book also tells you to use tools to set the valve clearance ?, not once have I ever used them to set valves on any atv motor to this day ?!.
 
#23 ·
Thanks, I have all the right sized sockets, so I should be fine for most the bolts. I have the engine all ready to remove, but I want to ask before I just start pulling, Is there any special way to remove the engine? I have all the wires disconnected and the radiator disconnected. Do the drive shafts just slide out?
 
#24 ·
if it's 4wd ?, you will need to unbolt the front differential ( have the atv off the ground..all 4 tires ), slide the front differential forward as far as you can pull it ?, reach in at the front of the engine, push the coupler forward on the drive shaft to remove it off the output shaft. make sure all bolts on engine are removed, remove the carb, and the intake boot from the cylinder. oh, that's an oil cooler, not a radiator if this is a trx350 rancher ?. unscrew the rear output drive shaft boot from either the engine ?, or the swing arm ? ( which ever ones easier to unscrew ?..lol ). muffler will need to be removed, then head pipe comes off, now it takes some lifting , shoving, tilting, ( few curse words here and there ), and angle the head out to the left side at a good angle, then simply lift the motor out the left side. i'd love to see the machine they have at the factory for putting the engines in the frame ?, it must be some high tech stuff to put them in, and not scratch anything ?..lol.
 
#26 ·
UPDATE:
I haven't worked on it the last few days, because it was really cold out, but I worked on it today, and got the front all good, and all went well until the very last bolt I had to remove, the mount under the front diff, I accidentally turned it the wrong way and stripped it. I'm going to try fitting a pipe wrench in there, and if that doesn't work I may try buying some Lock-tite sockets. has anyone tried those? The bolt is stripped too much to turn it with a socket, but it's not rounded. thanks.
 
#27 ·
Yikes. I'm surprised it didn't just break off.

I dunno. You could try a left handed drill bit and that might work. The heat from drilling will loosen things up and then the drill will spin it out a lot of the time, but on something that big and up in there, it's not going to be easy to get out.
 
#29 ·
every nut and bolt is metric on atvs from Honda, as well as other brands. which bolt is giving you problems ?, the bolt on the bottom lower side ?, if so ?, how the heck did you turn it the wrong way ?..lol , it only goes one way..left to remove. of all the bolts to have trouble with ?, why is it always that one damn bolt that is in the wrost place ??!!..lol. was there awhile back on a old trx350 motor mount bolt, damn thing snapped off in the worst place ever ?..and this was a first for me on these models !..lol.
 
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#30 ·
I have had good luck with the craftsman "bolt out" sockets. You will have to replace the bolt for sure but if you go slow with them they almost always get it out or at least grab the bolt and don't slip. And any brand of the still nut/bolt remover will work. I just got craftsman for the lifetime warranty.

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#32 ·
connector for the oil sensor just pulls right off, try not to tear the rubber boot up when doing so. as for the reverse cable ?, there is couple ways of removing it, you can remove the 10mm nut holding the lever on the shaft, and pull the whole cable/lever/bracket off at once. or, remove the bracket bolt that goes into the rear engine cover/lower right back side, this will give you slack enough to remove the cable from the reverse lever on the motor. oh, and there should be a tin cover that the oil temp sensor wire goes though, and is covered/protected, you will need to remove this.
 
#33 ·
I got the bolt out, just took a 6 sided socket, like I guessed. and, Its the gear position switch, not the oil sensor, Its just the plastic 8 pin connector is stuck. Its supposed to be +2 C tomorrow, so If I can get a buddy to help me lift it out, Ill have the engine inside. In case you're wondering, the bike is in a barn, and has a floor beneath it and a solid roof over it. Any last tips before I pull it out?
 
#36 ·
Have your machinist measure for next oversize diameter, taper and an out of round condition. All three are important.

Rick

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#37 ·
I got, the gear position switch connector off, broke the corner of the connector, but its still usable. The engine is all ready to come out, I'm just waiting on a buddy to help. If I bore The engine out, do I need a new engine head? If I measure and It's still within service limits, I'll probably just leave it.

Thanks for all the help by the way!
 
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