[gene]

Hi, I have just joined this site and read some threads. It looks like there is some people who know there stuff here any help would be appreciated.
I have a 97 400 foreman it will run sometimes, it wont fire all the time we changed the cdi box, checked all the wires couldnt find a any bad spots wired around the start button and nothing. It will fire if you hit the start button a couple of times but will loose fire if you mash the throttle we cant think of anything else. Has anybody had this problem, we tried another coil also off another bike. Thank you.

 

[mud99]

We have a few guys that will be along to help you out. Welcome to the forums.

 

[Helmut]

What do you mean when you say "fire"? Do you mean that you are looking at the spark plug or spark plug wire and watching it jump fire from the wire or plug electrode or do you mean the engine is starting until you press the throttle?

If you mean that it is starting until you press the throttle, then you might have weak ignition components. If you have already replaced the ignition coil, then, try checking the resistance across the stator and pulse generator.

 

[gene]

we put a tester to the spark plug wire and it would light up. It mite be the stator. I hope not but we'll check it if we can.

 

[gene]

We took it to a dealer and they tested everything and thought it was the wiring harness i'll post again if that was it.

 

[Pain]

The wiring harness? So, because they couldn't pin-point the actual faulty wire, they want you to replace the entire harness? Of course they do. What was I thinking? :|

 

[Billy250X]

Exactly.It's all about the almighty $$$.

 

[Pain]

I'm sensitive to the fact that man-hours mean a lot in terms of troubleshooting, etc. It may take 3 hours at $110 per hour to find the wire when they could change the entire harness in 2 hours....as example, I don't know how long it takes to replace a harness, but it would seem longer than 2 hours, but anyway.....

I just wish they would say "there is likely a bad wire and it's cheaper to replace the entire harness than to find the wire". Instead of saying "the wiring harness is bad". Because to me, the entire harness isn't bad, just one wire is bad, so don't try to blow smoke up my butt.

It's like when the 'geek squad' type of people try to talk to me about computers. I just wish they would learn to say "I actually don't know what it is, but it could be this, that, or something else". Instead they say "oh, it's this"....when I know darn well it cant be "this",...just learn to say you don't know what it is and you'll win more points....

But, I digress.

 

[TRX2fiveO]

LOL There's the Pain I lik!!! I couldn't agree more. Well for starters they are going to replace your harness and it's still going to do the same thing, then they are going to call you and tell you that didn't fix it. You being frustrated are going to rattle off a bunch of bad things, but instead you are going to tell them to change the start button, because what happens to intermitten start issues is that the spring in the button over the last 13 years has been depressed thousands of times hypothetically speaking. any way back to the button... the spring has gotten weak in her old age feeling a bit collapsed so it decides to short out the contacts internally of course and non repairable. this is a common issue on alot of older machine

 

[gene]

Well it ended up fixing it and I am not someone that spends alot of time on a four wheeler, just for work.
I thought this site was for helping. I didnt ask for smart remarks. Just help. Maybe it did cost a little but its fixed and still a solid bike. And we replaced the start button. Any way I'll not waist any more time on this site.

 

[Billy250X]

Hey if your gonna get an attitude you might as well just leave now.We tried to help as best as possible.We tried to offer simple fixes before big ticket items.

 

[TRX2fiveO]

If you are refrencing your comment to me I didn't think I was being smart, I am here to help in anyway that I can to try to save anyone I can from spending needless money, I understand Pain's point too. but you have to look through his sarcasm and look at the point he was trying to make and that was when the dealer says it's the wiring harness that usually means that they don't feel like spending the extra min tracing wires the simple outcome would be to replace the whole thing at no expense to them of course. I have to say these harnesses are extremely simple to follow everything is color coded for convienence so that if a wire is bad it can easily be identified. I appreciate you stopping in and I'm sorry you think you wasted your time but you sound as though you are basing the rest of the people on this site on one person...me or Pain. I woould hope if you do log back up here you will see and read that we are all close and all friends with different dispositions.
have a great day.

 

[Billy250X]

Sorry Moose I think I started all of this by saying the almighty $$$.But your right.The dealers wouldn't want to spend the time and get no money out of it.

 

[Kycoalminer1984]

hello everyone im new to this site and i am needing some help i have a 2002 honda 400 foreman I rebuilt it and rode it for 7 hours it run good and i loaded it up and come back home with it and it wouldnt start so i put new valves rebuilt the carb ,put new coil and new plug it will start and run for about 30 seconds then it dies and wont start back unless you set and crank it until the battary goes dead the hook up jumping cables and crank some more then it will finally start back and then its same thing all over again any ideal on what it could be

 

[Deeperinthabush]

Welcome to da forums KYcoalminer1984...:icon_ devil: Start a new thread in here as this ones pretty much dead...I'd be cleaning the carb,and checking the air/fuel mixture screw setting before I went any further as you may have some trash in it causing a clogged pilot jet,or the fuel mixture is wayyyy off...