DirtDemon

If you put power straight to the starter and it did not work, then the starter itself is most likely the problem. They are a bit spendy, so it would be worth your time to take it out, take it apart and try cleaning it up. I have resurected many old starters by just cleaning them. You may also want to get new brushes for it, they are probably about $10. Once you get the starter working, you can check for spark by grounging the spark plug to the motor while turning it over. There is a very good chance that your gas is bad, and the carb needs a good cleaning. Take the carb off, take it completely apart and clean ever single nook, cranny and orifice. You will probably need to replace the tank if it is all rusted.

That is wide, looks cool. The YFZ shocks should be a big improvement, I bet the ride is a bit squishy with the stock shocks and +3 a-arms.

Nice ride, those Can-Am 800's are beasts.

Good to hear, thanks for stopping by and giving us the update.

First off, welcome to Quadcrazy.

I would definately get a repair manual, you will need alot of the info in there for putting that motor back together. You will find valve adjusment procedure and clearances, torque specs, wear tolerances etc.. The valves are easy to adjust, on the end of the rocker over the valve, there is a small screw and jam nut, loosen the nut adjust the screw with the proper feeler guage between the screw and the valve, tighten the nut without moving the screw. The manual will illustrate this and tell you what the clearance is. It will also tell you what the wear tolerances are for the rocker arms and shafts, my guess is that they would still be ok, '05 is not that old. As for the timing chain, it just depends on if it is worn or stretched, it is very possible that it is still good. I don't see any reason why you could not use the Cometic gasket. Good luck with everything.

Welcome to the site, that 400 looks to be in immaculate shape, nice ride.

We all run 91 in our crf250r's and we are running JE 13.5:1... They guy that builds our heads and sold us the parts builds race motors for a living and he said 91 is suficient...

I know some people run up to 13.5:1 on 93 octane and get away with it, but that is really pushing the limit for most bikes IMO. Your CRF is a high rpm motor and most likely runs a cam with alot of overlap and therefore lowers the dynamic compression of the motor. So you can get away with more static compression than a slower revving air cooled machine like a 400ex. Now that I think more about it, I would not run over 11:1 in an air cooled motor. Keep in mind also, there are also alot of other factors that go into how much compression you can run. Humidity, air temp/density, how hot the engine runs, cam shaft profile.... Static compression is simply the volume of the cylinder when the piston is down vs the volume when the piston is at TDC. This is where you get the compression ratio. Dynamic compression is the actual compression that the engine makes. All of the previously mentioned variables contribute to your motors dynamic compression. If you run bigger cams, there is likely to be more overlap, which allows some compression to bleed off because the intake and exhuast valves are open at the same time for a longer period. This allows you to run a higher compression piston without taking the static compression too high. In short, the actual compression in the cylinder measured with a compression tester is what you really need to keep an eye on.

He claims he didnt sink it, i was wrong there is NO water in the oil or gas pan, the seat is torn up because of his cat (so he says) and I have a picture but not to sure how to put it on here =\

Use a photo sharing site like Photobucket, copy the IMG code and paste it right into your post where you want the picture to show up.

I am all for respecting private property and not ruining good things for everyone by acting like an a-hole, throwing trash all over the place and things of that nature. I cannot, however, resist the urge to churn up large amounts of dirt and throw it all over the place when I ride. If I didn't leave torn up patches of dirt everywhere I rode, riding would not be any fun. That is not to say that I wouldn't respect certain areas where tearing up the landscape would be considere a douche move, but most of the trails around here get a severe chewing, courtesy of the DirtDemon. I also am a firm believer that a loud pipe has its benefits. For example, people and wildlife can better hear me coming and will have plenty of time to get out of the way before I go screaming by. Respecting property, and not littering, I can do. Pussyfooting everywhere, I cannot.

I would always run premium in any atv. As long as you aren't running over 12.5:1 compression, you will be ok to run pump gas.

The carb should have o-ring gaskets, they are fine to re use as long as they are not brittle or damaged. The backfire itself will not likely damage anything, but the condition that is causing it could. I would start my checking the carb, air filter and valve adjustment.

First thing I would do is check the air filter, clean it and see if that helps.

Agreed, check the tie rod ends, wheel bearings and ball joints for any play and check the wheel alignment. If the wheels are toed out too much, it can cause problems similar to what you are describing. A tie rod adjustment will usually fix that, as long as there is no slop in the joints or wheel bearings.

I do not have a Brute Force, but I do have the same problem with my LT-R. If the oil level is not over full, then it is most likely blow-by pressurizing the crankcase and pushing oil through the breather. My guess is that who ever did the rebuild cut some corners or just messed up. I would be demanding that they fix it at no charge.

I agree that that the Razr 2 is a great tire, I haved used the original Razr and the Razr 2, the 2 is a much better tire, but the original is a bit less expensive. I am running a set of ITP Holeshot GNCCs right now and they are a great tire as well. Personally, I would not run the Mud lite in anything but mud, snow or sand. They are a bit too aggressive for any other type of terrain, at least for a sport quad, especially one without lots of power. It would be a great tire for mud, snow or sand though.

Sorry for the delayed response, a factory service manual is always the best IMO. Ebay usually is a good place to find manuals. Clymer makes a good manual too, and they are considerably less expensive than factory manuals too.

The first thing I would check is any external linkage or levers that you may have, hopefully your problem is there because the next most likely cause is a bent fork or maybe a worn or broken shift fork shaft. Repairing either one of those would involve splitting the cases. You have the right idea looking for a manual, they are priceless and well worth every penny. Good luck.

That was a disaster, just replaced the whole motor, wasn't worth trying to fix, the crank bearing seats weren't even round anymore.

Got my first quad when I was 9, it was an '85 Suzuki LT 125 Quadrunner, I hated that thing. My dad had an '86 LT 230S Quadsport, I loved that one, inherited it a few years later when my dad got an '89 LT 250R Quadracer. By then, I was more interested in the Quadracer than my Quadsport.

Adjusting the air/fuel mix at idle is done with the pilot screw, it is usually found on the bottom of the carb just forward of the float bowl. You can get stuff for cleaning your filter at a dealer, just spray it on, let it soak, and rinse it off. Yes it is perfectly ok to use water on your filter, just make sure you let it sit and dry naturally for a day or so, or until it is completely dry. Some people use diesel fuel to clean foam filters.

That must be some scary stuff, glad you are ok.

Check the low current feed wire on the solenoid for voltage when you hit the start button. If power is getting there, then the solenoid you installed is bad. If no power is getting there, then you have a problem with the start button, or the wiring into or coming out of the start button.

I have to agree with everything Swampcat said, the last thing you want to do is pin the throttle when the intake is under water. You suck water into the cylinder and things can get real ugly. Water does not like to compress, you can break a crankshaft, rod or piston if you hydro-lock a motor and the faster it is spinning, the worse damage you will. The best thing to do when you submerge your quad is to kill the motor as quickly as you can. You definately want to change the oil and check all of the other lubricants for water contamination. Here is a picture of the kind of destruction that can occur when an engine tries to compress a cylinder full of water.

The fact that it only happens going uphill makes me think you were on the right before when you thought the problem to be fuel related. Check the manual for proper float adjustment specs. The fuel level in the bowl getting low makes the most sense to me.

Appearing to be fine and being fine are two different things, electrical components may be bad even if they test ok. How long does the machine run before you get the warning light? If it comes on immediately, I would say the either the sensor is malfunctioning or you may have a short in the wiring. If the light doesn't come on until the machine has been running for a while, then you may just be running hot. Make sure you have plenty of coolant and clean oil. How does it run, do you have any performance problems?

I don't think any EFI machines use a petcock, I know my LT-R doesn't have one. So you only notice the leaking when you fill the tank? Does it only leak once you fill it past a certain point? I would take all the plastic off the top and fill the tank up while you can see all the hoses.