Just bought 1988 Suzuki LT250 4x4 Quadrunner

[DKW]

Just got the above mentioned quadrunner. First one ever. Always been a small engine tinkerer but figured I'd need a little help on this one. 

[DKW]

Runs great for its age. Been covered up in a barn for ever. Seat is in good shape and even all the rubber cv boots look good. Just cleaned the carb, fresh fluids and battery. Only issue I have to figure out is it doesn't like to idle when its warmed up. Could be a back pressure issue due to the muffler being modified by the previous owner. Looking forward to diving in.

[Ajmboy]

@DKW Congrats on the quad, those will run forever if you maintain them.  When you cleaned the carb, did you adjust any idle screws?

* Topic title changed to "Just bought 1988 Suzuki LT250 4x4 Quadrunner" and moved to Suzuki ATV forum

[DKW]

Nope put them back in just like they were. Same number of turns.

[DKW]

Just realized the speedo is not working. Looks like a cable but cant find where it hooks up. Also front break reservoir is empty. No front breaks. Gotta find the leak.

[DKW]

Going to need the manual after all...

[joseph]

the manual is ok except for dark pictures,i have a 1990 4wd quadrunner,different carb acording to manual, speedomter cable on mine connects on right side of tranny grease it good before installing i hade to get a after market carb suzuki wanted $500. fo mine after market $120. a lot of members on here helped me mine would only idle wouldnt run at high speed it was voltage regulater belive it or not so all these guys will help you the brakes on mine the wheel cylenders weer froze up another case of suzuki price gouging the re are after market cyl. fore mine i have the manual that covers yours if i can help

[johniii]

OEM is gonna be costly given the age of the quad. Try Ebay or amazon.I have an 1984 lt185 that still runs and bought new.

[DKW]

I have already discovered that fact and also found stuff in Ebay that I did not expect to find for a good price. Thanks for the info!

[DKW]

Tore into the front breaks the other day....not good. Went through the master cylinder and got all the crud out " took for ever to even get the plunger out". Got it to take some fluid then stopped up. Pulled break lines and cleaned a blew them out. Finally got fluid to the hubs. Break cylinders bad. Crap. Corroded to the point of no return..found some cheap on Ebay. Unrelated but I still dont know what that little plunger on the side of the carb is for.

[DKW]

New break cylinders and front breaks are alive! on to the next! "Welded" all the plastics back together and got rid of the "stitching". sanded and painted the racks. looks great! Finally road it to my shop about 10 blocks away to drag some stuff around, got her good and warmed up, and noticed when I hit the throttle it would die, Kinda had to feather into it to keep it running. need to clean that petcock first. hope its not electrical.

[Frank Angerano]

Sounds like some nice work on the bike so far.  Any pics? It’s  probably not electrical and more so a carburetor issue which could be dirt, sediment from a dirty tank and yes even in the petcock.  A lot of the time you will find that people clean the carburetor without cleaning the gas tank, petcock etc.  Then they put the carb back on just to find that it’s dirty again from the junk that was left behind in the tank. Also an in line gas filter also helps.  

[DKW]

Manuel says pilot screw should be 1 3/4 turns out. checked mine and it was at 3/4 turn out. adjusted to 1 3/4 turns out and ran very rich. Smoking and would not idle. Going back to 3/4. Next time the weather clears up ill start going through the fuel system and get a few pictures. Also got a new spedo cable ill install while ive got it apart.

[Frank Angerano]

Prob best to pull the carb off as well and give it a good cleaning. 

[WFO]

I've been an MX motorcycle fan forever but found out I "splat" when I hit the ground rather than bounce, so I've just invested in my first Quad ( Suzuki LT160).

Anyway...after years of buying project bikes there is one mantra you need to repeat over and over..."What did the last owner do?"

I had a PW 50 that absolutely would not run until I found out the previous owner had run a drill bit through the main jet to enlarge it. Put in new jet and it ran like a dream.

So...if the manual says it should be 1 and 3/4 turns out and that makes it worse, you might want to check and see if the parts of your carb are stock and if the adjustments (i.e., cir-clip on jet needle) are standard. Also, from your remark, "Unrelated but I still dont know what that little plunger on the side of the carb is for," the only plunger I'm aware of on a carb is the choke. Are you running it with the choke engaged?

 

[DKW]

So I've gone through the fuel system completely. Cleaned the carb. Set the valves which were a little loose. And still runs best at 3/4 turn out on the carb. Seams to have fixed the dying issue wham warm. WFO made a very good point! Next step is a carb kit. Best to know exactly what I'm working with! Thanks for the eye opener WFO! Oh, and the plunger, according to the manual is simply a kind of lock that keeps the enricher down when in, and releases it when out. Odd, but ok. No I am not running with choke/enricher enabled. 

[DKW]

Got the new carb kit installed today and man what a difference. Again, thanks WFO for the hint. Turns out the previous owner had a smaller main jet installed. Set the adjustment screw to factory specs. She idles now and has more power. Glad we figured that one out. Thanks Quadcrazy for allowing me to be part of this. You all have helped me tremendously.

[Frank Angerano]

Very nice work @WFO @DKW keep it simple by keeping it Quadcrazy ! Someone on this forum will have an answer.  Glad you guys figured it out and post some pics of the Suzuki ! 

Ride safe! 

[WFO]

Happy to help!

...now if I could just find the time to work on my own...😉

[Frank Angerano]

You have to find the time. Just for a piece of mind.   I’m sure your a busy person but sanity is found in the garage or shed! 

😂🤣