DirtDemon

Fuel pump is a definate possibility. Did you drain the old gas and put new fuel in? If not, you will want too do that. Also, did you take the carb completely apart and clean every single thing, you need to get all the jets and other holes completely cleared and take all the metering screws out and clean the circuits they control. Also check the fuel valve, it could be clogged too.

Could be an air leak in the intake, could be an ignition problem, could be some crap stuck in your carb, could be that the valves need adjusting. I would probably start by checking the valve lash and checking for any air leaks. Then I might move to the carb if you are still having problems. Hard to diagnose a problem like that without being there to see what is happening. I would also recomment getting a repair manual, there will be helpful troubleshooting info in there, tests to check your ignition components and valve clearance specs and adjustment procedures.

I think your old one probably ran better because the motor was in better shape. Check over your motor real good, you may just need to do some minor repair work or make some adjustments. Make sure all the filters are clean, fresh fuel and oil, pull the carb off and make sure everything is clean in there, do a compression test, check the valve adjusment, new spark plug.

At the end of the rocker shaft, over the valve there is a slot head screw inside a jam nut. Just loosen the jam nut, turn the screw down gently against the proper size feeler guage placed between the valve stem and the screw and tighten the jam nut without letting the screw move back out of adjustment. There should be rocker arm access cap on either side of the valve cover that you can take off to get at the valve adjusters.

How is the leaky seal? still leaking?

I'd say the biggest difference between the two machines you are looking at there is the size. The larger buggie is going to be faster and probably have a better ride. The UTV seems like it will be more under powered, it has a lower top speed, but it will be able to get into much tighter areas and will be more maneuverable. Personally, I like to stick with machines made by a manufacturers that I know to make reliable products. A newer Yamaha, Polaris, Can-Am etc... 4 seat UTV will be a bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for. A good used one could be found for under $10k. I like the Polaris Razr myself, the Yamaha Rhino is a very popular machine too.

The 500R is alot of fun to ride, every now and then. The vibes that come from that non-counterballanced big bore motor tear the bike apart. It is alot better in the dunes, the soft sand helps absorb some of the vibration. The part where I don't have to mess with the valves is the next thing behind the power that the motor makes. It's also kind of fun to watch peoples expressions when I blow by their brand new Raptor 700s and 450s with a home made quad pwered by a 25 year old motor. I know all to well about the "phantom gear" I look for it on my LT-R all the time, but I never find it. The 500R will hit around 90 when I run the 22/20 inch tires instead of the 20/18 setup I usually run, so I don't find my self looking for the extra gear as much on that one. It will pull the taller gearing with the big tires, but it is hard to ride in the tight trails since it doesn't do slow real well, it takes alot of clutch work and that clutch isn't exactly easy to pull.

I really don't like saying this, but my advise would be to try and get rid of that thing and hopefully get some or all of your money back. I have had a fair bit of experience with Chinese ATVs. I have 6 different friends who though it would be a good idea to buy cheap Chinese quads for thier kids. I have worked on every one of them, multiple times. It is literally one problem after another, and parts can be extremely difficult to find. Many of these quads I have seen have broken literally just a few minutes into the first ride. I would buy a beaten and abused name brand quad before I spent money on a brand new Chinese quad. I'm not trying to be an as*, but this has truly been my experience with these things. If you can find the part, and you decide to keep it, I hope it works out for you.

Can't go wrong with Fox, they have been making riding gear pretty much since the sport began. I use a Fox chest protector and I think it is great. Too bad there aren't more ladies to chime in here, just a couple of guys, one of the gals may come along and offer some female opinions that you were looking for.

I love my R, it is a bit rude and unrefined compared to my LT-R. My LT-R rides like a Cadillac, and the CR 500 powered R is like wrestling with a bear, but when it comes to haulin as* and shredding dunes, you can't beat it.

I wish I could give a more specific guess as to what seems to be wrong, but it seems to me that the primary engagement mechanism for the front diff is worn somehow. Could be a sloppy bearing allowing too much movement and bumping the diff out of engagement with the input shaft. There are alot of possible causes from what I can tell, but I don't know alot about how these machines work. This particular 4wd system that Suzuki uses is unlike any I have ever seen. Somehow, it seems that locking the diff keeps that engagement intact. The way I would go about figuring out the problem if it were my machine is - (A) buy a repair manual and look through the diagrams of the front diff and 4wd system, check out the troubleshooting guide to try and get an idea of what might be going wrong before I - (B) Take the front diff apart and look for visual evidence of damaged or worn components. Hopefully someone with some knowledge of this particular drive system will chime in with some more helpful info. Until then, good luck.

Welcome, don't be shy now, stop by when ever you like. We would love to see you post some photos and info of your build in our project room.

I don't know much about the reliability of the Can-ams or which parts are most likely to be trouble. What I do know is that the Renegade sounds much better suited to what kind of riding you are talking about. It is a sport oriented 4wd, where as the Outlander is designed a bit more like a utility quad. The Renegade is made to be ridden hard, and I think they are really cool machines, if I were ever to buy a 4wd quad, it would be a Renegade 800.

Those extra adjustments are really nice, you can taylor your machine to fit your personal welding techniques and preferences. It takes some time to get used to what each adjustment does for you, but once you get it figured out, you can dial it in just the way you like it.

If the bearing that sits behind the seal is worn, the shaft could be wobbling around causing the seal to leak.

Indeed, it only takes me about 5 or 6 hours or to get down to Florence or Winchester Bay. I really want to hit Coos Bay this year. I am hoping to take a trip down to Oregon in the late spring or early summer, maybe sooner if the opportunity presents itself. I will be sure to let you know if I head down that way. I know all to well the neglect that many of these four stroke sport quads endure. I have been telling many of my friends over and over that they need to check those valves. I even offer to help, but they insist that if it starts and runs then it is ok. I guess some people need to learn the hard way.

I get things right from time to time:biggrin: Why do you say that the valve adjustment has to be done at a shop? I realize that not everyone should be tearing into their engine, but I do my own valves, just measure the clearance, if they are off figure out how much they are off by and swap shims according to the difference. Make sure your timing chain is set and torque the cam caps properly. I know it isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I think that most people who are competent with a wrench could do fine. Besides, I don't think valves are keeping the start relay from recieving the signal from the start button.

I noticed that you didn't mention anything about oiling your K&N, without the oil, dirt will run right through those things. You can get a K&N filter recharge kit anywhere K&N filters are sold. It will have the proper cleaning solution for your filter and the proper oil.

And this exact Polaris model would be????

I am thinking that a new CDI may be my next investment.

Alluminum welding works better with high frequency AC the higher the frequency, the narrower and deeper penetrating the arc will be. Obviosly, you want to find a setting that feels most comfortable to you. If you run too high, the arc gets too narrow and you are more likely to burn through your metal. If you have the option of a square wave AC setting, that is nice too, you can use a ceriated tungsten electrode and grind the tip to a point for better arc stability instead of having to put a rounded tip on the tungsten that makes the arc wide and more likely to wander. Adjustable balance lets you tune your arc for better cleaning or more penetration.

Good pics, looks really nice out there. I see you ride with a couple of guys on TRX 250Rs, your friends have good taste. I too have one of those, well, kind of.

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.

I wish I had nice weather like that here, I could have been riding too. Nice pics.

Your white smoke and hard starting could be the same problem, a blown head gasket. A compression reading under 100psi is low, a bad head gasket can cause that. White smoke is usually a sign that you are burning coolant, a bad head gasket will cause that as well. I think that your problem could be that you have had a leaky head gasket, and when you started it last, it blew out between a water jacket and the cylinder causing the water leak into the cylinder to get much worse and that is when the motor died. If alot of water is entering the cylinder, there is a good chance that it is getting pushed past the rings and into the crankcase. So I would check your oil as well.