New to me - 2001 Yamaha Kodiak 400

[pjm123a]

Hi All,

Just brought a 2001 Kodiak 400 from a guy on ebay. Picked it up on Saturday. He said it was a 2000, but according to the serial number, I think it a 2001. They guy wanted $1200 and said it ran fine. I negotiated down to a $1000 before I went to see it. When I got there, he couldn't get it started. He said it would start and run for a few seconds if he sprayed in starter fluid, but he was out. So we ended up knocking off another $200 and I got an extra set of wheels.

So, 2001 Kodiak (non running) for $800. What kind of deal is that (good, bad, OK)??

Spent all day Sunday working the carb. After taking it on and off, cleaning. blowing air, etc

about 3 times, I finally found the problem. The float valve was gunked up and would not let any fuel in. That is why it only ran a few seconds with the starter fluid.

Anyway, not it starts and runs OK. Took it for a nice long ride.

Problems I could use some advice on:

Seems to not always want to go into gear. Clicks loudly. It will work if I put it in gear with the engine off, then start it. I think maybe it is idling a bit high, but can't seem to find anything to adjust on carb. The throttle stop seems to be set OK.

Speedometer does not work.

One headlight (high beam) does not work.

Brakes are really bad (almost ran into my workbench) :-)

Any hints, or tips are most welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[Ajmboy]

Congrats on the purchase, I think that's a great deal for $800. Any half way decent quad for $800 is a deal. In most cases, you can get $2000+ for that machine.

If it's idling high, that could cause rough shifting. Have you changed the motor oil? Make sure you are using specific ATV oil with additives in it, because the diff uses that oil also.

As for the speedometer, I believe that's a cable on that? If it is, maybe it's broken?

The headlight is probably a bad bulb. An easy test would be to swap them out with each other and see.

As for the brakes, see if there is any meat left and if they are out of adjustment. If not, you will need to replace the friction material. (pads/shoes)

[Birddog4x4]

Congrats on your deal and good to see you got her running!

[pjm123a]

Thanks guys for the comments.

So far I have replaced the pads and pretty much rebuilt the rear brake.

You can see what the pads looked like when I started in the pic.

I've also changed the coolant. I ended up rounding the head on one of the caliper

guide pin bolts. Took me a whole day to get the bolt out. A new caliper from Yamaha

though is $277 so it was worth getting out. You can see whats left of the bolt in the pic.

Including a pic of the quad. Have the front end opened up.

Next up new filter and oil change.

Comments, suggestions, words of encouragement are most welcome.

[Birddog4x4]

She sure is a project, but once you are all done..... It's going to be a good deal!

[DirtDemon]

I think you did alright for $800. Like Ajmboy said, make sure you use proper oil for your machine, car oil is not good for ATV motors. There should be a small knob sitting at the end of a cable that goes into the housing that your throttle cable also runs into. That knob will be your idle adjustment.

[pjm123a]

Work on the Kodiak is coming along pretty well. I have found that as I've run it a little more the idle is better. When it is idling properly it also shifts ok. Before I do any more adjusting, I'm going to let it run through another tank of new gas. Heck running gas through it is fun :-)

The one thing that I have not been able to do is an oil change. I just don't seem to be able to get a wrench on the drain plug and it is on there real tight. I'm beginning to think maybe it has a non-stock plug. Can someone please tell me what size wrench they use to take the drain plug off (2001 Kodiak). Is there some special tool that came with the machine that you are supposed to use (mine did not come with any tools). Thanks

[DirtDemon]

The size of wrench you use is the one that fits, could be anywhere between a 12mm and a 19mm, maybe bigger, maybe smaller, but the one that fits is the one you need. Does the bolt head look damaged?

[pjm123a]

Turned out I needed a 21 MM wrench. I had 19 and 22. Neither Lowe's, Home Depot, or Advanced Auto Parts had a 21 MM open end wrench or a set that included one. Finally picked up a set that included one at Harbor Freight. The bolt is finally out and the oil drained (and I now have a more complete collection of tools) :-)

[pjm123a]

Hi again all - Have made some progress - the speedometer did not work because

of a broken cable. Just got the replacement today and will put in over the weekend.

I have changed the oil and filter. To solve the carb problems I ended up buying a new one.

Buying a new one from Yamaha would have cost an arm and a leg. I brought a new

one from ebay. They are clones of the stock Mikunis. Got mine for $169 including shipping.

If you are interested, just search ebay for yamaha kodiak 400 carb. Mine came today and

I was able to swap out the old one in about an hour. My idling and shifting problems are

now solved. The quad idles reliably. It starts easily and revs up nicely. I am actually

thinking about starting to put things together. Only problem is that it seems to smoke

a bit. I am thinking that when I changed the oil maybe I overfilled it a little. Could this

cause it to smoke? If this ends up not being the problem, I could use some advice on what

tests to perform and what the most likely culprit is.

Thanks

[Ajmboy]

Just so you know, a 21 MM is pretty close to a 13/16". Also, those Yamaha carbs are know for floats getting stuck. My 450 had a similar issue, where after sitting for a bit, the pin needle got corroded, causing the float to get stuck up and not allow fuel to get in.

When you changed the oil, did you use ATV oil with additives and all that? I always used the 4 stroke Valvoline atv oil on my Kodiak. Check that air filter, make sure it's not clogged.

Glad you got it running!

[swampcat07]

I enjoyed reading your build thread. I think you have made a good purchase. Keep scanning Ebay for replacement parts that is your best bet. The more the photos the better in these threads.

Check to see what color the smoke is that may tell us more.

[dowienu]

I use Pro Comp Whl 70897973' date=' 17X9 5X5 4.75'' Bs[/color']