DirtDemon

I was thinking, the same, loose valves causing the ticking. Is that howling noise coming from the motor too, that sounds terrible.

Could be a fuel starvation problem, or an intake air leak. Check the machine for air leaks by spraying WD 40 or carb cleaner around the intake area, if you hear any changes in the idle, you are sucking the stuff in and probably have an air leak there. You also may want to check the fuel valve and look inside the carb for deposits, it may need a good cleaning. Does the fuel valve have off-on-res settings, or on-res-prime settings? If there is a "prime" setting, and no "off" setting, you have a vacuum operated fuel valve, this could also be your problem. If this is the case, try running the machine with the valve in the "prime" position. Check the vacuum line that runs to the valve, make sure it is not leaking.

If there is a reverse rev limiter on that machine, it could be assed up, if the machine thinks it is in reverse somehow, this limiter may be kicking in. Other possibilities could be weak spark, improper valve adjustment, or some kind of carb problem. I would check all the simple basic stuff first, try a new plug, check the valves, timing etc... Also, check to see if the machine has a rev limiter that could be getting activated when you engage the forward gears, try to locate a sensor or switch that lets the machine know when it is in reverse. If you find anything, try to bypass the rev limiter somehow and see if that helps. I would recommend getting a repair manual, finding these things will be alot easier with one, they are good to have anyway.

I suppose the TPS could be the problem, the other possibility is that the pilot screw is not adjusted properly, or, when you cleaned the jets, you didn't clean the rest of the carb, and something else is clogged up, probably in the pilot circuit. Any time you clean a carb, you need to take the whole thing completely apart and clean every little nook and cranny. I am guessing this is a TRX 450R? I think that is the only 450 Honda made in '07.

The first thing I would do is check all the external shift linkage, since it is easier. There is a small shaft between the gear shift lever and the gear shift shaft, an adjustment there may solve your problem. It sounds like the shift ratchet is working, but maybe it isn't turning the shift drum. If you listen closely, you can hear the gears actually changing inside the gearbox. I would give a listen while you are trying to shift through the gears and try to determine whether you are just hearing and feeling the shift ratchet clicking, or if there are gears moving inside the tranny. There will be more noise and resistance if gears are actually being switched. If just the ratchet is working, the shifter will move more easily than usual, and you will only hear the click of the shift ratchet. If you think only the ratchet is moving, you may need to pop the side cover off of the motor on the right hand side of the machine, this is the cover on the side opposite the gear shift lever. Between the shift ratchet and gearshift drum, there should be a small pin that the shift ratchet uses to turn the drum, this may be broken.

What happens when you move the shift lever? Does it move at all? Does it move and not do anything? Is this an LTZ 250?

Dang man, I thought I was the king of procrastination. Anyhow, I am glad to hear you are up and running good again. Every now and then I guess one correctly, makes me feel somewhat useful, so thanks for coming back and updating us on the situation. Come back and see us anytime you like.

I agree 100%, setting a good example for kids is the best thing that a parent can do. This is an old thread, but a good one for someone to have dug up.

The first thing we need to know is what is fouling your plugs, gas, oil, are they dry fouled? What does the plug smell like when it gets foulded? Gas or oil? Does it smoke at all? If so what color is the smoke? Are your plugs gapped correctly? Is your air filter clean? Provide as much info as you can, so we can better help you. As far as adjusting your valves goes, there are inspection caps on the front and rear of your valve cover, thes allow you to access the valve adjusters. There is a slotted screw in the end of the rocker arm over the valve, it has a jam nut around it. Loosen the jam nut, adjust the center screw with the proper size feeler guage between the screw and the top of the valve stem. Don't tighten it tight, you want to be able to slide the feeler guage between with just a slight amount of drag. Without moving the adjustment screw, tighten the jam nut. For clearance specs, get a repair manual or call a dealer service department.

I ride because I love it like a crack head loves crack. Got my first quad when I was 11 or 12, it was an '85 LT-125 Quadrunner, it sucked. My dad had an LT-230s Quadsport, I rode the heck out of that and later inherited it when he stepped up to the LT-250 Quadracer. A few years later I wanted a two stroke like my dad's so he got me a '92 Yamaha Blaster, being the spoiled brat I was, I was disappointed, I wanted one like his. Although, I still believe to this day that the Yamaha Blaster is one of the best quads ever made, I just had a serious power craze at a young age. I now have an '07 LT-R 450 that has some goodies on it. When I really want a kick in the pants, I have an old '86 TRX 250R with a CR 500 motor in it. It is fun to see the expression on peoples faces when a 25 year old quad goes screaming past their brand new $8000 450s and Raptor 700s.

Congrats to Bot and Drtygirl.

Some people find the 450R shocks to be a bit stiff and tall for the 400ex or 250R. But for a heavier rider this can be a good thing. I think they would work quite well with extended a-arms since the 450R is a bit wider than a 400ex. Overall, I believe they would be a good step up from stock, and much cheaper than aftermarket. I use a set of KFX 450R shocks on my 250R with +2 a-arms, and I think they work great.

I have an '02 Subaru WRX that I am quite fond of. This is one of the only pics I have of it, this is after some fun in the snow. Love that car, don't think I will ever get rid of it. These are some pics of a friends cars, I do some welding for this guy, so some of these rigs have a little something from me in them. You may notice he is a bit of a Hemi fan. This is one of my personal favorites, it is an old Ford Econoline pickup with a blown Hemi and a shorty powerglide. Hemi Falcon This is one badass machine here, this thing makes about 3300 hp and runs in the high 5 second range. It has an Arias motor which is basically an aftermarket big block Chevy with Hemi heads. It has a Littlefield 14-71 supercharger that is running about 35 lbs of boost .

Ebay man, they aren't that expensive and they are worth every penny IMO.

Check your valves and do a compression test.

Anytime, that's what we are here for. Just curious, what is the meaning behind your username?

Thanks man. I'll do some reasearch on the problem with those things and put together something to post. If the problem is that common, I am sure we will have more people looking for a solution. I will PM you if I need any more info. Thanks again.

Damn, you move quickly. I'd buy a like new 400ex with a fresh motor for $1550 any day of the week. Good show sir.

That looks like fun right there, I love slingin me some mud. The only way I could get through a hole like that would be to hit the thing doin a 90mph wheelie with paddles on.

If you wouldn't mind, post the link and I will put a new thread in the Kawasaki forum with that link and sticky the thread so it is right there for any other Brute Force owners who may run into that problem. A friend of mine used to have an '88 TRX 300 4x4, it was indestructable. He would put that thing through hell trying to keep up with the rest of us on sport quads. He didn't keep up, but the thing never quit. It was beat up and had parts strapped on with zip ties and duct tape, but it always ran. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Those machines have a funny gear shifting setup, there is a 90 degree joint in the gear shifting spindle. It could very easily get messed up. I would take the side cover off and look behind the gear shift lever, that joint is right on the other side of the cover. If all looks to be working ok on that side, take the other cover off, the gear shift ratchet mechanism is behind that cover. If all of that is working too, then you may have an internal tranny problem and you will need to split the cases to deal with that one. I think it is a good possibility that you will find the problem under one of the side covers. Good luck.

It is certainly nice to know that the mechanic will back up his work like that. If that is a common problem, then I guess that just might be the way it is. Let us know if the catch can works out for you.

Does it feel like it is slipping at all? Does that thing have a high and low range? If so, does it do the same thing in high and low? Could be a clutch problem, could be a problem with the gears themselves, could be a bent shift fork or shift cam or any part of the gear switching mechanism. You may find that the problem gets better by changing the oil. I would do that first and when you drain it, check for any metal chunks or flakes in the oil. When you fill it back up, use good oil, we have an AC guy here who is pretty knowledgeable, I'm sure he will chime in with some more helpful stuff. Good luck.

Don't know why I just now thought of it, but I thought this thread should be sticky'd, so I done sticky'd it.

Welcome, what do you ride?