[DrRighteous]

I'm not a ATV guy by any means but I'm a car guy and can handle anything mechanical. I've done my share of work on 4x4 vehicles; (heck, own 4 of 'em now) but I really know nothing about ATVs.

So here is the story. A guy my brother knows offered a old ATV to him for free. The old man meant to get it fixed but doesn't have the time to room to fool with it. The "main problem" is the rear diff is out. When you push it a long you can hear a nasty sounding ratcheting noise in the rear. My brother was going to fix it realized he didn't have the right tool really didn't have the money to invest in it. So he asked me if I wanted it.
I told him sure; I've got the "right stuff" to get it going. I'm just not too familiar with ATVs.

First off, it is a Honda FourTrax 2wd ATV. Not sure of the year.
Was told it was a 300cc.
I need to know how to correctly ID one of these. Do they have a VIN like a car you can decode and get the details?
Will also need to scrounge up a service manual, parts manual, parts sources etc.

Here are a couple pix.
Take a look and if you can help, I will appreciate it.

 

[DrRighteous]

https://youtu.be/Wo1PojjDHz4

https://youtu.be/oIzjg09WZrE

https://youtu.be/Cj0cEBA_bc0

https://youtu.be/5m5wpYs-8Us

In the meantime study up...

Solid GOLD.
Yeah, very good videos.
I really hope when I crack that final drive open I don't find the ring and pinion gears broken.
Bet they are expensive to replace.
The bearing kit is about $100 bux. That isn't bad; but the tool to remove the pinion shaft is $100 bux also. Yikes.

I've not had a chance to check the thing over really closely but I did notice both cables are broken off the rear brake levers. The ends are missing from both cable. The old man said it ran fine when they stuck it in the shed. Who knows how long ago that was. I wouldn't try to start it without de-gumming the fuel tank, lines, carb etc.

I got the VIN off the frame, the 10 digit is a K; which is a 1989 TRX300.
This thing is 28 years old.

 

[DrRighteous]

try this on for size, works good for after market, I've used them in the past, they are pretty good, and have the tool you need to remove the pinion gear . NEW Honda TRX300 300 Fourtrax Rear Differential Ring Pinion Gear Plus Kit 88-00 | eBay .

Excellent. That beats the price I'm seeing for just the ring and pinion from parts vendors.
That includes the seals, bearings and tool.

 

[DrRighteous]

try this on for size, works good for after market, I've used them in the past, they are pretty good, and have the tool you need to remove the pinion gear . NEW Honda TRX300 300 Fourtrax Rear Differential Ring Pinion Gear Plus Kit 88-00 | eBay .

Excellent. That beats the price I'm seeing for just the ring and pinion from parts vendors.
That includes the seals, bearings and tool.

it's not oem ?, but for what all you get ?, it's a solid buy in my book if your hurting for cash ?, I've used them in the past, they are pretty good !. comes with everything you need to rebuild the rear differential, and you get the tool !. their shipping is fast too !.

Yeah, that is the thing. Need to save money where I can if I decide to fix this thing. And when I "fix" something I make it nice. I don't like things that look like someone dragged it from a garbage heap.

I've not even heard it run yet so if it has more problems than it is worth I might just save it to trade it in on something new. But from just giving it a "once over" I see what I would think are a lot of pretty common problems for something this old. The bushing for the steering seem to be shot, rear diff, No brakes because the ends are broken off the cables, but there is a good chance the drum brake is trashed. Nothing electrical works, all wires are broken; the list goes on...........

 

[DrRighteous]

Guys, I really appreciate all the input on this.
I've weighed the benefits and the costs and decided..................FULL resto on the TRX300.
All needs parts are available and relatively in expensive. I've got the skillz and the tools, just need a proper work space.

I'm going build a special table to get this thing off the ground to make the work easier. Will build it out of 2x6 boards and a sheet of 1/2 plywood. It will be easy enough get ATVs on it because it will only be 2.5 or 3' high.
It was originally red but I like the green. Going to shoot the tank with a nice forest green gloss enamel.
Will shoot the racks, frame, etc a nice gloss black.
Now the only thing I didn't see a source was for reproduction OEM decals for it. Mainly the "HONDA FOURTRAX" decal for the sides of the fuel tank.
Anyone got a source for that kind of thing?

 

[DrRighteous]

HI Guys,
Been a couple months and have been slammed busy with typical new homeowner issues. I've not had much time to work on the TRX300. Just did some basic electrical troubleshooting. Battery was shot of course, and I found the start solenoid was bad. Got replacements for those but not installed yet. I finally got the project table done. (pix attached)
It measures 47" x 71" x 31" I built it to work with my height (6'4") so that is why it is 31" high. The W and L was easy to come up with. I just measured the dimensions of the TRX300.
All the materials except the sheet of plywood and the wood screws I had left over from other projects so the money invested was minimal. I'm probably going put some high build poly on it just for easy clean up. But this is a shop table not furniture, nothing too fancy.

 

[DrRighteous]

I was able to get a little work done on the 4Trax this weekend. I loaded it up on the work table and removed the plastic cladding.
3 words. Beat up, rusty.
This ATV came from Florida and anything near the beach can get pretty rusty.
The plastic cladding is in OK shape, but lots of cracks that need to be fixed. The inner fender pieces are destroyed, will have to be replaced.
Some of the wiring is a cobbled together mess, but it is fixable. But over all being as old as it is, would have to it could be worse.
The fuel tank appears to be pretty gummed up so I have not tried to start it yet. I'm going to fix the wiring, put the new battery and solenoid on it and see if the starts will turn it over. Will pull the plug and squirt some Marvels MM into the plug oil in case the rings might be sticking.
Will see what happens.

 

[DrRighteous]

the fuel tank can be lined , many threads and post on it , don't run the engine off a funky tank , you will just clog the carb up ---------- I use a hospital IV stand with a plastic fuel bottle , valve and hose to run the engine with the tank off the bike ------------ a good thing to do before you do anything would be a compression test , it will tell you where you are going and if you want to go there

I would remove the top end anyway for an inspection and rebuild. After all the work of restoring this classic it would run 20 more years if rebuilt. Good luck and keep us informed!

I pulled the tank for a close inspection. There was about 2 pints of nasty gasoline in it.
But over all the tank is in nice shape. No dents, no rusts externally. There may be some rust scale inside,but will get it cleaned up.
I pulled the valve at the bottom and emptied all the rancid gas. Replaced the valve and filled it up with a strong detergent cleaner/water mix. Letting it sit for a few days.
This should dissolve the gum and goo. I will run a small magnet retriever wand down into the crevices of the tank to pick up any scale.

In the mean time I picked up another goodie. I needed a small tractor to clean up and clear around my property. I found a killer deal on a little 4x4 diesel, had to grab it. Runs and works like new but has a few dents here and there and some some minor rust on the cowl. It will be dang nice when it is fixed and painted. :wink

 

[DrRighteous]

Good deal with the tank , personally if there was any rust in the tank I would line it myself or get it lined at a shop , at least put a inline filter on the gas line , one piece of scale is all it will take to stick the float and cause an overflow problem and could fill the crankcase with gas --------

I like your tractor , looks good , only thing that would scare me is the A-C decal , I know when I work on equipment every time I see that decal it is a disaster getting parts , I think it was Fiat that took them over in the 80's and it became Fiat Allis or such , so that must be from the 70's

Like you choice of trucks , I got 2 Dodges

They the tank appears to be in good enough shape shouldn't need to get it lined. Gas has a certain smell when it is full of water. This gas was just stale. From peering down the filler neck with a flash light, didn't see any rust, but I could hear something rattling around inside. I'm just assuming it is scale but heck, could be a diamond ring for all I know.
Did some homework on the tractor before I bought it. It is actually a HINO, made in Japan. This was one of the better Japanese tractor manufacturers of the time.
Yeah, that Ram truck is my baby. That being the case you would think I would wash it occasionally. LOL! But also I have a 85 Ramcharger, a '99 Durango and a '72 Plymouth Satellite (in storage). I'm planning on building a pretty good size shop building before I bring it home. :grin

 

[DrRighteous]

Did someone say tractor?

So A-C in the 70's merged or formed a partnership with Fiat for it's construction machinery, their ag division was unaffected by this and continued on as simply Allis Chalmers right up until the mid 80's, when the company was sold to the same company that owned Deutz-Fahr, they ditched the orange paint and re-named the tractors Deutz-Allis. Then in the early 1990's Allis was sold off and AGCO was formed (Allis Gleaner Corporation) AGCO brought back the orange paint and sold AGCO Allis tractors up until 2001, when they ditched the Allis name and just called the models AGCO, the orange paint would disappear completely a few years later when AGCO stopped selling their AGCO tractors and focused on their other brands, which include Massey, Fendt, Challenger, and Valtra. As far as getting parts for the A-C farm equipment it shouldn't be super difficult, any AGCO dealer will be able to get them, regardless of what brand they sell. We have a AGCO White, another now defunct brand AGCO owns, we just buy parts from our Massey dealer as if we were ordering for any Massey we have.

As far as that little 5020, they are similar to the Massey 210, aside from the hood and paint obviously. There was a couple companies bringing in these tractors in from Japan at the time. Simplicity had their version too, although I believe A-C owned simplicity at that time. These little tractors are tough, fairly primitive, but tough. I have a buddy with a 2wd 205 Massey which would be a little smaller than your 5020, that thing looks like it's been through a war or two but they use it for cleaning out their cow barn to this day. I was looking at buying a 210-4 which is identical to yours but it had some issues I'm not sure if I want to deal with. Parts for these things are next to non-existent. The only chance you have basically as finding some that are being parted out, there is some stuff available but I still haven't decided if it's worth buying or not. The guy wants $2500 cad for it, and it has a loader on it. It's not going anywhere in a hurry so I'll just keep thinking about it I guess.
Hope you have good luck with your A-C, try not to break anything lol

Well, I paid $3500 for it and it is in great shape over all considering it's age. The only real issue I've found is a slow axle seal leak in the rear.
The seller told me right before I called he talked to a dealer that wanted it. He was going to sell it to the dealer but he knew the dealer was just looking to line his pockets. I told him over the phone I'm clearing and cleaning the woods up on the property we just bought I wasn't of the pioneer stock that would have done it all by hand; wanted a small tractor.
That gave him a chuckle, and a good deal for me.


Ok, I'm done bragging about my tractor buy. Will get back to the Honda next. :wink

 

[DrRighteous]

I ordered a carb kit last week so I planned to have the carb built and reinstalled this weekend. I ended up breaking the end of the choke cable off in the carb trying to remove it. I put the carb on the bench and removed the covers. I've never seen a carb so gummed up and caked with varnish. I started removing jets, and looking at everything closely and realized the carb was junk. I failed to get the broken off end of the choke cable out now matter how I tried. I can get a replacement carb for $50 so I'm done with it. I'm good with carburetors but I'm not polishing that turd.

 

[DrRighteous]

Tried soaking the seized choke valve with PB breaker and then tried budging it with a pointed tool to get it to move so I could extract it needle nose pliers. No dice. I didn't take any pix but the amount of varnish and trash in the carb was beyond belief. I've learned from years of rebuilding carbs (both small engine and cars), a carb has to be good condition for a rebuild to make it a good working carb again. That one was junk.
I also planned on running a compression test yesterday but to add injury to insult I tripped in the garage and tweaked my knee
Need to stay off of it for a while till the pain is tolerable. It sucks getting old.

 

[DrRighteous]

Well, it runs.
Here is a pix of the TRX300 in critical condition in the ICU.

Since the cladding was off I had to have the battery, solenoid etc hooked up off to the side.

New carb, starter, battery, spark plug, coil pack, choke cable ,fresh oil and filter. Once the carb primed it started and ran nice. Unfortunately it smokes quite a bit when you open the throttle. When restarting, it starts immediately. The top end of the engine is making a loud clicking/clattering noise. Sounds like it is starved for oil. I removed the oiler tube on the right side of the engine and made sure it was clear as well as the 2 bolts. I cranked it over with the coil wire pulled and confirmed it was shooting oil in the tube. All good, still the noise is the problem along with the smoke. I never did do the compression test, I couldn't find my adapter for the small size plug hole.
What else did I notice: The exhaust is shot, full of holes. What do you think? Should I count on having to rebuild the engine? :sad

 

[DrRighteous]

I ordered some adapters for my compression tester so I will see what kind of squeeze the engine makes. They should be here today.
The clicking/clacking noise could be the valve lash way out of adjustment but unless someone took the little covers off and did this, does not seem likely.
Will see what I can discover today.

 

[DrRighteous]

Well, ran the compression test and I can't say I'm surprised at the results.
90PSI.

It is possible I have valve timing and valve train related issues causing this but the fact that is smokes like crazy tells me the rings are shot.

 

[DrRighteous]

I appreciate the input and the help with the project.

The fact that the engine is pretty much worn out and needs a rebuild has caused me to re-evaluate this project. I was proceeding on what I was told that the engine ran great with no problems. It turns out that wasn't true at all. I have $200+ in parts in this already and have not even scratched the surface of the problems it has.
That plus the fact some things have changed and other project will be taking all my spare time so unfortunately the TRX300 project has come to a end. :sad

 

[DrRighteous]

Bummer, I'm sure there isn't too much until the motor is running fine! To be honest, 200$ in parts is really not that much. You've made great head way up till now! New bore and piston kit will make the compression great.

I first bought my TRX300 for 1200$. I had no knowledge of what I was buying or if the bike was in good shape. First ATV ever, first project after I bought my house. Battery was shot, muffler flange bolts were stripped inside the aluminium casting, muffler had a bunch of holes, brake panel was shattered, rear diff bearings were finished, transfer case vent tube was busted off (which meant new seals/bearings), rear shock was finished, tires were finished, CV axle boots torn, and much much more... I'm probably at 2400$ CAD right now for the bike. My plastics and racks are still wrecked but the machine runs great!

But... Priorities are priorities so if you can't tackle the 300 now, keep it at a later date!

Pricing around what I was pretty sure the engine would need got to $500, I quit.
$210 in it and it still needs new everything for the brakes, both front, and everything in the rear. All new parts in the diff. Both handle controls are broken, All cables are shot. Brake lines shot. And this is the thing I know about. One issue with a project like this are the things missing you don't notice.
Like I broke the choke cable while trying to remove the enrichment valve in the carb. Got a OEM replacement cable and installed it. Didn't come with the rubber boots on either end to keep the dirt and water out. Didn't come with the clip that anchors the cable to the control. Wouldn't work without that. Where do you get those? Multiply that frustration by every cable on it being broken or missing.
I would like to have an ATV for myself or my wife and son to ride. It isn't money that is the problem, it is time and frustration. Considering that, buying a newer one looks more attractive all the time.

 

[DrRighteous]

Sold the TRX300 in a few hours after I put it on CraigsList. Amazing.
Show how popular these things are even when they need work.

I keeping my eyes open for a deal; might be another Honda, but will have to be much newer and I would like at least a 500cc.

Thanks Guys.