Dra O

Looked at this one-owner 1998 454 today. Pics below. Do you see TONS of cash being tossed into this thing? I like the low miles but I don't like the electrical "arrangement." 1360 miles - one owner that used it for hunting - owner said it has been outside, as is, for 5-6 years (he originally told me 10 years). -a marine battery charges EVERYTHING (I didn't think this was possible) - he did this primarily for the wench - a charged 12v battery didn't turn anything on the instrument panel - a charged marine battery would help but I didn't have one in my back pocket -no oil detected after taking off cap and I put my finger in DEEP. no gas in tank. brake fluid reservoir not dried up but has dark/old fluid -tires w/ good tread but cracking walls - some rims rusted but appear to be straight -air box dry but filter old/useless -original carb - didn't take out to inspect -foot shifter felt good/cycled through the gears -pull start worked but I failed to check for spark -and then there's the WIRES... and WIRES... and WIRES. Basically neuroanatomy 101. More like Arctic Cat Nightmare 101. New wiring harness on ebay runs around $70 - but this guarantees nothing. But the plastics are good Thoughts and opinions welcomed. "Run away" -- "You're an idiot if you pay more than $XX for that piece" -- "Don't even THINK about it" Pictures below - may involve a second/third page more pics

The medical term for your condition is not the new Coronavirus but ATVV - ATV Virus - sometimes called ATVF, or ATV Fever. The fever will resolve once these two are running, at which point in time the fever will spontaneously reappear, causing you to drive TWO hours away to purchase more toys. It gets worse. And there is no cure. Sorry. They look older than my '99 King Quad. They may be in the mid-late 80s?

Would this list meet your requirement prior to purchasing an ATV? Remember, I'm at novice level - these are things I think the average Joe could/should check. Feel free to comment and I'll add it to my list. Going to look at what's supposed to be a 1998 Arctic Cat 454 on Saturday - likely a bit too much machine for my level.

not going past half throttle? did ya check the, um, choke? what a project, man! those wires - good grief, that's literally freakin' neurosurgery right there - all hail to new harnesses!! that thing is freakin' SWEET lookin, frank - you'll get it running - a little here, a little there - and we'll all learn something in the process i'm going to look at a 1998 arctic cat 454 this saturday - talked about it before - I doubt it's salvageable and i'm not gonna get all crazy about it like the honda 250 - just looking - taking battery and plenty of tools - will post pictures soon

no spark. pulled ignition coil and got the following readings below. meter is on ohms. for primary coil resistance specs read resistance range from 0.16-0.2 - if meter correct I'm way overboard at 1.5 or 2 resistance without spark plug cap should be 3.6-4.5: I measured 4.15 on the 20k ohm setting, which appears to be in range. does this tell me the cap itself is bad? when I hook up the new spark plug, the reading is 13.1 (from green terminal on coil to tip of spark plug) - if this means anything simple solution would be to buy a $7 dollar coil off ebay back to work

I've done a bit here/there on the '86 honda 250. oil/filter changed, new starter, new battery, new starter gear, cleaned Chinese carb (gaskets, float, ports in good shape) - turned engine over using screwdriver on solenoid and it sounded good (unable to get ignition apparatus to work - it's toast). question: if I hook the carb back up, put some gas in tank and use some starter directly into carb, will the machine run on it's own per the screwdriver/solenoid method if everything is flowing right re: fuel? will I harm or risk burning/shorting any parts using the solenoid to turn over the engine?

can't open the departing scene, man! might send video to admin and see if they can post it for ya. then again, it could be my computer.

Hopefully not a total hose job. Air box and gas tank are in good condition if I wanted to part them and other items out, as Frank mentioned. And it came with a sweet, fully-functional back storage compartment with all the parts that could sell once it's cleaned up. If I can get $150 or so for all of those parts it won't be a total loss. Time will tell. I bought an electronic service manual off ebay for $6 for my '99 King Quad and it has helped a lot. I gotta open my computer when I need it and can print pages as needed. Here's a link to an ebay electronic version of what you might be looking for at $6.99. Hard copies and other electronic versions go for a lot more. It worked for me, hopefully it'll work for you - but you be the judge on whether this is the case. https://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-TRX450R-ER-2004-2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL/143428294696?hash=item2164fe1828:g:1b8AAOSw66FakcNp

you're telling me. i'm pretty sure (from my limited knowledge) this was the grinding sound I heard when I tried to kick start it. I can only hope. I was able to move one of the other gears in the main part of the machine by turning the outermost smaller gear, which is promising. ideally i'd need to take off outer gear housing and inspect for metal shards - but i'm not there yet... and will likely need gasket, etc.

starter teeth were basically smooth on this one - shreds of metal in upper part of gear box - 4-5 of the teeth on the starter idler gear were gone - nothing for starter to bite into plan: 1) ordered starter, battery and starter idler gear for around $100 2) might as well spend $15-20 on new ignition switch so I have a key to start the thing - I cleaned carb this weekend - lots of junk - diaphragm/spring intact - the main pin under diaphragm was just flopping around, not in the hole - float was intact - gasket intact - turned air/fuel screw out 2 turns to start with - also cleaned out trashy gas tank - petcock operable will try to fashion sheath of sorts for throttle cable using medical tubing from work - this should bide me a little time for now re: protecting throttle cable - original carb hard to find - just want to get the thing running if not running in a few weeks, set it aside, cover it up and either offer it for sale for $150 or more or attempt to part it out finally got front tires for king quad - once get these installed will finish that bad boy and get that project behind me

"I hear ya and agree, the best part about this type of situation is all the members that go through this get very good at pulling the carburetor off so making several adjustments gets less difficult." He's got that right - "Frank" was not the name I'd given him when he recommended that I remove my king quad carb AGAIN to make adjustments - but it was worth it - he's a great teacher - and you do become somewhat of an expert at putting it back on (and taking it out, and putting it back on, and taking it out....). here are some tools I used to help: old long allen head wrench (used to put furniture together) - grinded off end to width of air/fuel screw under carb: it's long enough to access from the side "ol' red" - rounded/sanded an old slot head screwdriver: comes in handy when inserting TIGHT ARSE rubber boot between air box and carb - this gave me fits to no end - a bit of grease on inner lining helps, too old open end 12mm wrench for throttle cable - thinned it out w/ grinder: helps with final tightening of throttle cable to carb - this was difficult to get started but eventually seats

Horrible, simply HORRIBLE! Are you kidding? They look brand new, man! Is it paint? Wax? Since I have no experience painting atv plastics, my only question would be how durable is it - if painted, how is the paint able to stick to the plastic AND REMAIN THERE? sanding / roughing and possibly priming the areas prior to painting likely helps with this. your experiment looks fantastic. and now i'm headed to the plastics posts. just read your post - makes sense - and it'll likely work. good test run for all.

https://www.d2moto.com/products/1985-1992-suzuki-quadracer-250-lt250r-throttle-cable?CAWELAID=230002470000188852&msclkid=6e9a568e5ee214d6d4960886939d82f2 unsure of the shipping from this site - most cables look like they run around $12-15 - Walmart uses third party sellers that have been decent for me on price and delivery

You know the drill re: youtube and carb rebuilds. you might take a look at that the post i have on here ("1999 Suzuki king quad fuel pump/petcock/carb advice") - it's pretty detailed and these guys helped tremendously. I had some really good advice on the float in that post. there are separate carb breakdown/cleaning topics on here, too. look on this site for a service manual for your toy - if not available here, look on ebay - I picked one up (PDF) off ebay for around 6 bucks. at least the beast is running, man! that's a HUGE head start i'll be following your post and seeing what the experts have to offer

I'm guessing he'll get a few more decades of use out of it after you've cleared it for use. Bravo, Frank.

I likely just kissed $200 goodbye buying a Honda 250 this AM from Craiglist. We'll see. - VIN number is off the front frame; one VIN site calls it a 2008 Honda 250 TRX - this baby ain't a 2008; other VIN sites list the VIN as invalid; might be that the owner (a shady dude from a shadier side of my home town) put a 2008 front end on it? No idea. - a HUGE hint (hint #1) would've been that there's no key to start the machine - gotta use a screwdriver. I'll likely be visited by police sometime in the near future. - owner acquired from another man - owner showed me video of him riding it this summer on a major interstate while very drunk (hint #2) - the machine sounded good in the video - no front headlight; owner said machine has new carb - looks Chinese - he didn't have original carb; air intake box is wide open - no long plastic connection sleeve leading into air box like on my 99 king quad; no visible oil leaks; oil is dark; air filter clean; decent plastic; no front right brake apparatus; left brake handle very loose and rear brake doesn't work - battery at this point is good; manipulate the ignition switch w/ screw driver and the green neutral light shines (this has since stopped working) - it's a kick start machine: when I kicked it down (hint #3), the compression sounded normal, almost "tight" but at the end of the cycle, there was some awful grinding noise coming from what sounded like either inside the engine or the starter area; I let it settle, kicked it again, same noise heard at the end of cycle; owner said it likely needs a new starter - I only hope it's this simple pictures attached - the throttle cable / zip tie pic is my favorite - but it works! it was CRAZY dirty prior to pressure washing - and the water in air box is likely secondary to the power wash - no water was in it when purchased gotta few things to complete on the king quad - will be changing motor/gear oil in honda and getting new oil filter over time - talk soon - hope y'all had a great Christmas

Haaa! I hope she does! Will post video if youngest child can get video from phone to laptop. And I may have another "project" soon (I officially have "the bug"... scary thought, I know). A patient of mine has what he thinks is an older arctic cat - maybe early 2000 model - it's outside his home - not ridden in years - gotta inspect, get specs and see what parts are available first. This whole process was very thorough - someone else can see exactly what we've done, step by step - try this, don't try that - and it's recorded here with pictures - it's BOUND to help someone having similar issues. Thank you all again - you guys ROCK!

yes, fantastic news - and a great Christmas present from all who pitched in. great community here. I just wish there was a place to donate cash - and I mean that - experts should be PAID for their input. this group has likely saved me at LEAST $1000 - time, labor, diagnosing, parts, etc. - I am thankful. and i'll likely be back for more in the future.

the red button is the "off/run" switch - the switch my finger is pointing to is the choke. I think the issue has been solved, ladies - I got it to yard and started it up - it did bog down a bit but I fiddled w/ the choke and whatever happened, happened. but that's what scares me a bit - all I did was move the choke up and down - it's in exactly the same place - maybe the carb end of the choke cable had been stuck? trying to screw that outer plastic piece in was (verbal lubrication x10). Frank, I removed air filter and plugged the air hole w/ 2-3 fingers while running - it shut down - couldn't breathe. No bogging down, idles decently well - drove it through 3rd gear w/out issues. let it set for 20 min, started it, let it warm up, no bogging down. air/fuel pin is back to almost 2 5/8 (factory). still hesitant to put her clothes back on but her dress was washed - she'll look pretty soon. pic #1: underside of rear muffler - smokes a good bit here, too - does this piece having holes affect on the performance? oughta be fun cutting through that rust pic #2: choke switch: arrow points downward - if pulling it downward, it's going to advance the mechanism inside carb - the rod within the spring will advance into the "hole" in carb and plug this up, i'm assuming creating some type of seal; pushing the choke switch forward will retract the rod within the spring and open some important area w/in carb pic #3: muffler pipe - this area was smoking a good bit after the brief ride - haven't removed shroud - wouldn't surprise me if it has a hole

are you talking about the lever in the 1st pic? i'd no idea there was a choke on this machine - I've never touched that lever - this could be the entire issue, no? and pic #2 is the method you're talking about once it's all nestled back down in and hoses/lines hooked up? now that this idiot knows about the choke switch, i'm thinking of going back to 2 5/8 on the air/gas screw *** plan is this: put it back in once again, hook everything back up, start it, ADJUST FREAKIN CHOKE SWITCH and see if doesn't bog down if it bogs down, remove rear boot, cover air intake side of carb w/ fingers, rev it up and see if bogs down

No holes plugged - and it came out fairly easily - wouldn't have known about the status of the holes until it was inspected - very positive. I cleaned it with carb cleaner, ran small wires through the holes, blew through top / bottom while holding opposite end, then cleaned it again, dried with compressed air and re-inserted regarding frank's idea about the air restriction method: 1) "Put the choke at half way after its warmed up" - you mean the screw-in apparatus that's external to the carb - turn it one way, engine revs, turn it other way, engine slows down? I tried this before - turned it way up so that it idled high - then pressed throttle but it still bogged. i also turned I down but this didn't work either. i'll try it again. 2) "OR try and cover of the intake on the carburetor halfway with your hand and see how it throttles up. If it revs with a little restriction of air then its obvious that there is a fuel shortage happening someplace within. By creating an air restriction allows for a better fuel mix and that allows the engine to rev" - do you mean leaving the plastic boot piece off between the air box and carb, then partially covering that side of the carb while starting the machine? nothing's gonna jump out and bite or burn my fingers? I mean, I aint' a wuss or anything, I just like having all of my digits :-]

check this out - https://youtu.be/AOJlHIUUBk0 power mods - mikuni carb series #2 - disassembly/cleaning - at 2:10 looking at removing needle jet - this might work

you are correct. but i'm unsure how to remove the thing w/out shattering something! I've no experience working on ATVs but trust the expert's advice.... I was looking down through the main jet - i saw the holes but, obviously, couldn't tell if they were plugged. I'm pretty certain it didn't bog down when i got it. the only thing I've done is add a fuel filter - now, DO NOT LAUGH if the thing is on incorrectly - it may not matter - but i attached a pic. yes, the hose is too long but i had it on there just to get things going - i can shorten the lighter colored hose at any time. but it's got tight seals on both sides - even at fuel pump - no leaking of gas in these areas. but is it faced the right direction? would this even matter? it took a few cranks to fill up with gas when i put it on after rebuilding fuel pump but has remained full since. AND - after the first carb rebuild, there was a FEW drops of gas from the petcock - this has not returned after subsequent carb rebuilds and starts. the petcock turn switch is TIGHT as can be but i'm able to go from prime to run to reserve.

I can press as light as a feather or as slow as molasses on the throttle and after about 1/4 of the way in it still bogs down. Unsure if this is indicative of anything: when I start the machine (cold engine), it turns over and idles and I can push the throttle all the way and it doesn't bog. once the engine runs for about a minute, the bogging begins. is there something metal expanding after the engine warms up that might be affixed to an internal carb piece (ie valve) that might cause the issue? the 89mb video won't upload

I told myself not to get back online but I had to. I am weak. Got carb back on - runs great - video unable to upload (and it was < 90mb) - still stalling when pressing in throttle. back to work next three days.