[NathanSampson40]

Hi everyone my name is Nathan and I have been tinkering with Honda’s since I was about 12 years old.
I currently own a rzr and a 300 fourtrax.
The fourtrax needs some work and I’m sure a lot of you can help me get it going.

 

[fishfiles]

NS40 , welcome to the site , I am into 300's also , what year do you have your pic is small on your aviator , looks like she is sitting high on the front end , how's about a pic and let's see that baby !

 

[NathanSampson40]

I believe this is where I start posting a thread so basically here is the rundown, I didn’t have time to do it myself so I sent my 300 off to a local mechanic to rebuild the top end after I let a friend borrow my fourtrax for the weekend to go on a ride as long as he changed the oil... he put the oil filter in backwards so he said he would pay for the rebuild. So after I sent the machine to the mechanic he rebuilt the top end all new piston cam the works, did great, started noticing the machine was smoking after riding, it was leaking oil from head and was burning it causing it to smoke, took it back to mechanic where he said there is no way to fix it other than to buy a new head.
I new better than that so started doing my own reasearch and now after I took head off to replace the oil seal washer in the (screw/pin) that holds the rocker in place, I noticed 4 of my head bolts are stripped, that is why he wouldn’t fix the leak because he stripped the head bolts.... long story short just bought a 300 fourtrax for $200 needs carb work, bout to use it for parts tho... needing to know what year model it is

 

[NathanSampson40]

Parts machine

 

[NathanSampson40]

The parts machine is a 90’s fourtrax 2wd vin is this and I need to know the year model of it


My 300 Fourtrax is a 1992 2wd

 

[fishfiles]

it is hard for me to read that serial number in the pic , from what I see it is a 88 frame , the tenth digit should be a J for 88 , but I see a 3 which would be 1973 , which I know it is not , but the entire vin fixs perfect into a 88 ----if the oil filter was installed backwards and the engine ran for a length of time , I would think you would need a new head any ways , beside screw holes being stripped , the cam doesn't have a bearing and rides on the head it's self and most probably did damage

 

[NathanSampson40]

So basically I can use the head and jug from the 88 on the 1992?

 

[NathanSampson40]

Better pic of vin actually

 

[fishfiles]

So basically I can use the head and jug from the 88 on the 1992?

yes , and the 88 cam would be an up grade for the 92 as the cam of the 88 is a little hotter

 

[fishfiles]

Better pic of vin actually

I have looked at quite a few 300 serial numbers but never seen one ethic like that , here is a pic on the manual and the chassis number fits a 2wd 300 from 1988 , but something just don't look right

 

[TBRider]

Welcome to the site

 

[NathanSampson40]

Weekend plans with the gf had me crazy busy bout to get started on this thing, anything special I need to know about taking the cam out and the jug off? Do I need a new gasket?

 

[NathanSampson40]

So I have tried to start the parts bike to see if it has any problems before I start swapping parts like smoking, loss of compression, knocking pinging etc. but of course there is no spark, so I took the front plastics off to check the cdi box after testing 3 different spark plugs(unplugged and laying on head while turning over motor with kickstart) so basically there is no battery on the bike, the On off switch was on and the kill switch was in the middle... so basically my questions are does a battery have to be in the four wheeler to make it give spark, I’m about 95% positive it’s in neutral, the breaks are locked up so it’s very hard to get it to go into any gears cause you have to shake it to get it to click and engage like any fourtrax I have ridden lol but I pulled the break hard enough to get it to go into reverse and when I pulled back up on shifter to go into neutral I heard it click... so basically best way to test cdi box? Or coil... should I take plastics off other fourhweeler and swap parts? Any help is appreciated, also I never got a 100% answer on the model of this fourtrax (the parts four wheeler) is there anywhere else the vin can be?

 

[NathanSampson40]

I hit the vin spot with the wheel, and now after looking at my four wheeler, the vin on the parts four wheeler has been welded over with a plate for a reciver hitch ball and was moved back and more than likely rechiseled by hand I took a picture of where the vin is located on the bike and circled it and I looked closely at the two four wheelers vins and noticed that they both have TE140 but the T on my four wheeler is the 4th digit of the sequence not the first so now that I have looked them over the 10th didgit is K.... so what model is it?

 

[retro]

Put a battery in it (or connect jumper cables to a battery or connect a boost start box) and see if you have a neutral light come on. If the neutral light comes on, crank it over and check for spark. If the neutral light does not come on, there will be no spark.

I doubt that VIN number is legit..

 

[Goober]

If you use the Parts link in my sig block and select ATVs and year you’ll be able to screen VINs. I don’t think that going to help you identify the machine but it could lead you to identifying the engine parts by using the IPB for the model year

So if the VIN is correct, this would be ...

 

[NathanSampson40]

300 Fourtrax topend rebuild

Thank you goober and thank you retro, I believe the vin is correct, I just think the previous owner who welded the plate on the front and covered up the original vin, moved it back about an inch to the spot it’s in now and he didn’t put the whole vin only the last 13... well I have decided to go a different route, I’m going to take the head and jug to a guy and put a steel insert in the ones that are stripped, is this an okay thing to do? Also I forgot to mention to fish flies, the head on my fourwheeler is a used one the mechanic put on it... not the same one that was ran with the oil filter in backwards... another odd thing that I noticed, I’m working on the bike right now taking the head back off and getting it labeled for the guy on which ones are stripped and when I unscrewed the ones that were stripped the aluminum thread was wrapped around the bolt when I took it out is that a normal thing considering it is stripped? And since the parts fourwheeler is an 88 and a hotter cam, I’m going to put the cam from it in mine.

 

[fishfiles]

I seen the threads come out the hole wrapped around the bolt quite a few times , I think it is from having been over tightened , if it is the rocker cover bolts that pulled the threads ourt of the head , I have retapped them with a 1/4 thread tap , if the hole is in a spot where the 7/16 hex head of the bolt does not have enough room to turn with out hitting the cover , use a 1/4 allen headed bolt ------ I thought something was fishy with your vin number , wrong location and the tenth digit should be a letter and not a number ----------------- the K would be a 1999 , sometimes there are stickers under the seat on the frame
on the left side right by the air box and on the front frame tube on the left side , the letter of the vin year is sometimes in the model number on those stickers , it will read TRX300FWK K meaning 1999 , but not always is the letter present , don't know why that was

 

[NathanSampson40]

I seen the threads come out the hole wrapped around the bolt quite a few times , I think it is from having been over tightened , if it is the rocker cover bolts that pulled the threads ourt of the head , I have retapped them with a 1/4 thread tap , if the hole is in a spot where the 7/16 hex head of the bolt does not have enough room to turn with out hitting the cover , use a 1/4 allen headed bolt ------ I thought something was fishy with your vin number , wrong location and the tenth digit should be a letter and not a number ----------------- the K would be a 1999 , sometimes there are stickers under the seat on the frame
on the left side right by the air box and on the front frame tube on the left side , the letter of the vin year is sometimes in the model number on those stickers , it will read TRX300FWK K meaning 1999 , but not always is the letter present , don't know why that was

Thanks Fish, The valve cover bolts are fine, I’m hoping the steel inserts work on the 10mm hex bolts In the head there is 4 of them... any thoughts on the steel inserts from anyone?

 

[fishfiles]

I am confused , but what's new , if it is a 10mm bolt then , the threads are not in the head , they are in the jug , if it is in the jug then just replace the jug

I was just out in the yard honing my 300 jug and the 10 mm threads are in the jug not the head ---------- if you were to pay for the heli-coil and do it yourself you would save a few dollars but what about the bore condition , if you are going to let someone else do the job , it would be better to just get a new jug , for $249 G+H will send you a new jug , Shindy piston , rings and wrist pin , all the gasket for the upper job , a oil filter and a spark plug and that is with shipping