Hi all,I bought an 89 fourtrax 4x4 from a farmer for $250 so you can well imagine what it looks like.I have owned a couple of these bikes and they have been great with no real issues at all.This one i bought as a project to see if i could get it going.First off it had a broken piston ring so i replaced those .Lots of compression now.Next the starter didn't work.Put new brushes in it ,It works fine.It had a broken valve because the timing chain was stretched.Changed that.I set the timing and it still won;t start,cleaned carb.It has spark.No idea what to try next.It has other issues but i'll get to those later.Oh the last thing i tried was putting a squirt of gas in the spark plug hole.It backfired and blew the carb clean out of the rubber carb holder.
89 honda foutrax 4x4 nightmare
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Welcome to the forums. When you set the timing, did you put the piston on TDC and make sure the lobes on the cam are facing down, like I posted in the thread linked to below? If so, you may have a bent intake valve.
http://www.hondaatvforums.net/forums/atv-general-discussion/5409-i-need-help.html
http://www.hondaatvforums.net/forums/atv-general-discussion/5409-i-need-help.html
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If it's in time right, then you might have a bent valve. Because when you put gas down into the cylinder, it should have started if it was in time and if the valves where sealing and if you were getting spark. The fact that it blew the carb off makes me think the intake valve is bent and not sealing.
Anything is possible with this beast.I will take it apart and have a look tomorrow if i get a chance.Thanks for now.
well i took the head off and checked the valves and everything was fine.This may be the dumbest question ever but could the engine be turning backwards?When i got the bike the kickstart nor the starter would work.I fixed the starter but when i tried it the starter would work but the engine did not rotate.I tried turning the torx screw through the starter plug but nothing.I took the cover off the starter gears and could see that the ring gear was turning but not connecting to the flywheel.My son who had seen these worked on before told me that there is a one way bearing in there and maybe the previous owner had toyed with it and put it in backwards.He reversed the bearing and sure enough the starter now engaged the engine.Only thing now is the torx screw only turns the engine when turned clockwise and it is suppose to be counterclockwise.Is this correct?Helppppp
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The engine rotation should be clockwise by looking at the flywheel side. If the starter is turning in the correct direction, the engine can't turn backwards, even if the one-way bearing is in backwards unless the bearing is bad and locking up both ways. The only way the engine could turn backwards is if the starter is turning the wrong way and the one-way bearing is in backwards. Check starter rotation by looking at the end of the starter shaft, it should turn counterclockwise.
This part puzzles me, too. The torx screw should turn the engine when you turn the screw counterclockwise. I would pull the gear reduction cover off and look at the end of the starter shaft and verify the correct rotation (counterclockwise). If that is correct, I would pull the flywheel back off and look at the one-way bearing again. It may not have been backwards, it may have just been bad. I would check it according to the instructions below.
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If you're having to turn the reduction gear clockwise to get the engine to turn over and the starter is turning the engine over, then I believe the starter would also have to be turning backwards. It really sounds like the one-way bearing is in backwards and the starter is turning the wrong way. I don't really understand how the starter would be turning backwards, though. If that's what's happening, then you're correct, the engine is turning backwards.
I've heard of starters turning backwards before, but I never could understand how they did it. I've heard 2 or 3 different stories about how someone's starter just, all of a sudden, started turning backwards.
I've heard of starters turning backwards before, but I never could understand how they did it. I've heard 2 or 3 different stories about how someone's starter just, all of a sudden, started turning backwards.
Update:i just checked and i screwed up when putting starter back together.Stater is now turning the proper way.So when i change one way bearing back and put engine back together hopefully it will start.Thanks agin to all.Will update again when i'm done reassembly.You just never stop learning,
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Does it feel like it's going into gear at the foot shifter? If so, does it feel like it's even trying to pull?
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The only problem is, that there's a clutch lever on the other side of the engine that splines onto the end of the shifter shaft. This clutch lever has a punch mark on it and has to be timed with a mark on the crankcase or the clutch won't engage and disengage properly. The clutch lever is behind the right side cover. When you let the shift shaft come out, the lever will come off and when you push the shift shaft back in, the clutch lever will be out of time. If you pull the right side cover off, try to hold the kick starter shaft down, so it doesn't pull out. It can be tricky to put back in if you don't know how. If you hold it down and don't let it raise up any, then you won't have to worry about putting it back. Also, there is some other little parts that will fall out. Watch as good as you can to see where they go, but if you can't, I can tell you where they go.
It would be best if you have the ATV sitting on it's side when you remove the right side cover.
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your in luck today !..i myself am rebuilding a '88 trx300 4x4..had to do a top end job on it ( someone before me didnt do it right )..anyway..if you pulled the shifting fork out the left side..yes..like helmut told you..it will drop the shifting arm off the right side where the clutch is..not to mention a thrust washer..and this washer HAS to be on..or it wont shift right...as helmut stated..this shifting arm on the right side has a punch mark on it..and inside the case where it slides on..there is a arrow that it lines up with..make sure you line this up as you assemble it...now..as for the motor to run backawrds..it can't happen..simply because of the way the c.d.i is designed..it only picks up the firing seqence from the flywheel as it rotates..now..it CAN .turn backwards..this is to say your starter is turning backwards..and the flywheel ( clutch side one-way bearing ) is installed backwards..but it won't fire and run..period !..and yes..i have seen ppl take a one way bearing apart..and cause the flywheel to rotate backwards..if in doubt..kick start the motor..watch which way the motor turns..this is the dirrection that the flywheel should turn..now..as you reach in behind the flywheel..turn the oneway gear thats behind the flywheel..it should turn oneway..and not the other..think of it this way..if it locks ( engages the flywheel ) as you turn it..but free spins the other...which ever way it locks..the starter should turn the other directon..the motor should turn counter clockwise..which means the starter turns clockwise to engage the oneway gear behind the flywheel..once the motors starts and runs..this one way gear behind the flywheel will free spin..because the motor is turning the directon of the free spin ..i hope this makes sinse to ya.if you get stumped..just holler.
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