DirtDemon

The LT-R was FI from the get go in '06. I thought it was the Kawasaki that had a Suzuki motor in it, the LTZ 400 was introduced first, then the KFX 400 and DVX 400 came later, they were basically clones of the Suzuki, which is ,BTW, FI now too. I know that alot of Artic Cat machines use Suzuki motors, even their snomobiles use Suzuki motors.

I was specifically talking about sport quads when I mentioned that Polaris uses a carb. I am aware that they are running FI on alot of thier larger machines. In fact, most large displacement engines in anything are using FI now.

I know exactly what you mean, bending pipe while keeping everything in line is a real pain. I do know that some snomobiles have reverse, I don't know how common it is on older machines though. That snomobile in the link would be a perfect powertrain donor IMO. I also noticed that it is in Bonney Lake, WA, coincidentally, that is where I live. Are you here in Western Wa?

Thanks for adding the model year, I will add it to the thread title. The only thing I can think of that might cause your choke to is loose, worn parts. I would look into replacing the components of the choke system. I would first take the carb apart and check for any signs of wear to specific parts, that way you don't buy more than you need. BTW, when you tear your machine back down, be sure to check your head for leaks, the smoking could be partly or completely caused by oil leaking past the valve guides/seals. Good luck.

Good to hear you got it fixed, good luck with the Quadracer, I used to have an '89, loved it.

Yes, definately, it your vavles aren't seating properly, compression will pass by. One way to check your head and vavles for leaks, is to pour water into the intake and exhuast ports and see if the liquid leaks past the vavles, and how quickly if it does. If your vavles are adjusted too tight, it will cause the same problem. However, even if you are losing compression past the valve, the piston/rings or cylinder bore could also be contributing to the low compression. Just because the piston and rings look ok, doesn't mean that they are. You should measure the cylinder bore with a micrometer to check for wear and to make sure it is still round. The piston itself should be measured for the same things. IMO, even if the piston and cylinder don't show excessive wear, the rings should be replaced anyway if the motor is more than a few years old. Also if your vavle have hit the piston, the structural integrity of the piston could be comprimised and should probably just be replaced. If it breaks while the motor is running, the damage could be pretty bad. We will always be happy to try and answer any questions you have, but I still strongly believe that you should have a service manual at your side when you do this type of work to the motor. I may just be beating a dead horse here, but I think you would find alot of helpful info in there. Either way, good luck, and I hope you can get your quad up and running soon. I know how much it sucks to have a machine out of commission. BTW, I edited your post, please try not to use inappropriate language in the general forums. I know alot of other sites don't have much in the way of language rules, but we try to keep this one as PG as possible. There is a forum here dedicated to more "adult" themed discussion, you can basically say what you want in there. I have also merged your "compression problem" thread into this one, please try to keep things consolidated into one thread unless the subject matter is completely different. Not only does this help cut down on clutter in the forum, but you will get better input, if everyone can see all of the responses to the same question in one thread as opposed to posting the same question in two or more threads. Once again, good luch getting your quad fixed.

Yamaha went to FI on the Raptor when they introduced the 700, the 660 had a funky two carb setup. The YFZ went to FI on '09 I believe, and the DS, KFX and LT-R have always been FI since their debut. Alot of utility machines started using FI a few years earlier, but I think it started really catching on around '06. Even the bikes are going FI, now that they finally figured out how to run FI without a battery. Polaris, KTM and Honda sport quads still use carbs.

I found a brand new pair of Alpinestar Tech 3's about 5 years ago, they were outdated and heavily discounted, I still ride with them today. I am looking at a new pair though, they are getting a bit worn, broke two buckles off my left boot in a wreck, so I have to wrap electrical tape around the top to keep the boot from coming loose. I am pretty cheap myself.

I think what you need to do is take the side cover off, there is a bolt at the bottom of the tensioner side, and a retainer at the bottom of the guide on the other side. In order to properly place the bottom of the guides you would need to get at the bottom of them, and the only way to do that is to remove the side cover. I don't think you will have a problem putting them back in with the cylinder and head already on, but I am not sure on that, I have never been inside an LTZ. Good luck. Not to sound like an as*, but this is exactly why I suggested that purchasing a repair manual would be worth your money when you talked about doing this rebuild earlier. Do you at least have the torque specs for your cylinder and head bolts? It is crucial that you torque these bolts down in the right order and to the right amount of torque.

It seemed that way at first, to me, but after I got mine, alot of my friends have bought bikes or quads, and I have met a few more just out riding around. I can almost always find at least one or two people to ride with me at any time. It is definately nice to have plenty of riding buddies, the more the better.

No problem, please report back and let us know if you like it. I have looked at them, but have always been a little unsure if they are just a gimmick or not. I would like to know if it is actually a good part.

Welcome, hope your search for an ATV ends on a happy note, good luck.

The first thing you want to do is check for bad connections, switches, wiring, or maybe a blown fuse. If you have a multimeter, you can trace power from the battery through all the paths of the ignition curcuits and find out if you are losing power somewhere. If you determine, that you have no problems with the circuitry, then you need to get ahold of a repair manual, whether you have to buy it, or if you know someone who has one that you can borrow. It will have testing procedures for your ignition components, these tests aren't always conclusive, but they can be a big help in finding the bad part. Much better than throwing money at it by purchasing parts that you may not need. Good luck.

Best of luck to you, let us know how it goes.

Right on, if I head out that way, I will send you a PM. My friends and I are always riding out here all year, if you want to make the trip up this way, you are more than welcome to join us sometime.

The first thing I would check is the 4wd button, you need to make sure that the switch is sending the signal to whatever actuator engages the 4wd. If you have a multimeter, you can test for continuity across the switch. The next step would be to trace the wires from the switch to whatever mechanism it activates. Look for damage to the wires or loose connections, maybe there is a fuse for the 4wd system, if so, check that. If you can determine that power is being sent to the 4wd actuator when you hit the 4wd button, then you need to check and see if the actuator itself is working. This will probably mean removing it and visually inspecting to see if it seems to be functioning properly. If all these things are working, you problem is something mechanical, could be anywhere. Put the quad on jack stands so that all 4 tires are off the ground. Put the machine in gear, and engage the 4wd button. Then see if you can hear any strange sounds when you try to engage the 4wd. This may help you determine where the problem is. I believe the entire front drive system is enclosed, so you can't really see any of the moving parts without taking the gearcase or the front diff apart. If you can't find any problems, you may just need to start tearing into the thing. A repair manual would be a worthwhile purchase, not only will it have instructions for tearing down and re-assembling your quad, it will have some troubleshooting tips as well. Good luck.

I agree, even if it wasn't the clutch itself, you would still have to take it apart to figure it out. The only thing I can think of besides the starter clutch not engaging is that there may be a woodruff key on the crank, or if it is splined, the splines could be stripped, but I think that is not likely, it is probably the starter clutch.

I think the Kawi 450 would be a good choice, it is a good trail machine, and it has reverse like you want. Don't be afraid of the FI too much, it isn't a pain in the butt unless something goes wrong with it. I think Bot is just jealous because he still has to re-jet. My LT-R's FI system has been running trouble free for over 3 years now, however, if something were to go wrong with it, it can be difficult to figure out, and more expensive to fix than a carb. One machine that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is the LTZ 400, it is a little bit more modern and better performing than the 400EX IMO, more powerful motor, better suspension. It is a good machine too. The KFX 400 and Artic cat DVX 400 are clones of the LTZ and also would be worth looking at. I think one of the most important things to consider when you buy a new machine is how comfortable you are on it. BTW, did how is the arm doing?, I assume you have that cast off by now.

I think it is all a matter of what is important to you personally. Carbs are less costly and easier to repair, and jetting is usually cheaper than having your ECU re-mapped or buying a fuel programmer. On the other hand, FI provides much better throttle response, if you have a fuel controller, you don't have to take your carb apart every time you want to change your fuel settings, you just push buttons. No need to re-jet for elevation changes. Performance wise, fuel injection is much better. If you want reliability, with no electronic crap to worry about, maybe you prefer a carb. I quads with both, and I prefer the FI myself, but I am frightened of the day that it start giving me trouble. I think if that fuel injected 4 stroke becomes too troublesome, I will throw a 250R motor with a bigbore cylinder in there. No more battery, no more vavles to adjust, just simple two stroke power, and cheap to rebuild.

What year is the Rubicon?

Do you have like 10 different quads, or do you just keep trading one for another? I swear every time you post you are asking questions about a different machine that you have. Anyhow, I have heard alot of people say that they noticed a decent gain in low end response using those things. I have heard other people basically say it is the 4 stroke version of a boost bottle. I guess the only reliable way to know for sure is to try it. If you buy it from Rockymountain, I bet they will take it back if you don't like it. I have returned a few things to them because I thought they were useless, never even got any argument. I just sent stuff back, and they would credit my paypal account.

I would think that the carb just needs to be cleaned better, you need to get the thing all the way off, and take it COMPLETELY apart, and clean EVERY hole, jet and passage. I would also look in the gas tank and make sure there isn't any debris in there either. Wouldn't hurt to make sure the petcock is clean too. One other thing I would do is check the valve lash. Now, concerning that throttle cable you are having trouble with. There should be a plasic cover on the side of the carb that covers the throttle linkage. If you take that cover off, you should be able to roll the lingage up to the point where you can slip the cable out of its hole. You should be able to see the throttle cable going into the carb just above the side cover. Good luck.

This thread is a mess, I just found 4th thread that he started, all of them are related to the same problem, so I merged them all into one, but I don't know what's worse, having 4 different threads that are all tied to the same issue, or one confusing messed up thread that goes all over the road. It would be nice if there was a way to rearrange the posts so the it isn't so confusing.

Sounds like you are having the same problems as everyone else, so, if you haven't already read the other posts in the thread. If you look on most any online parts store, they will have exploded parts diagrams with part #'s. Servicehonda.com, Babbitsonline.com, BikeBandit.com and Rockymountainatvmc.com all have these features, and all of them will have better prices than dealerships. Shop around, one place may have the best price on one part, but be a bit higher than other sites for other parts. As far as you question about how long it will take to fix it, that all depends on how experienced the person doing the work is, and what exactly you end up having to fix. If you find out any more detailed info about your problem, do tell us, it will help us help you. Good luck.

I can't believe I completely missed this thread. Ry guy, I am up in Bonney Lake, not too terribly far from you. We have a pretty decent trail system up here that I ride to from my garage, we go down to Capitol Forest every now and then. Went to Winchester Bay last April, we are thinking of going again in May. I'd love to hear about any places you know of.