Mech

Not much experience but what I have bought have always needed retuning, sometimes quite a bit, and even if the carby was being sold for the very specific model quad. I suspect though that even if you bought a carby off the manufacturer, it might be a compromised tune made to fit a bike in any market, and probably needing tuning for your fuel and altitude etc. If it doesn't run good, fit your old jets and needle and everything if it can be done, if the new carb is the same make as the old.

It looks great. And yeah, we don't have that much room... but we do have a lot of ocean !

Google "honda parts online", and choose one of the many parts listings and diagrams for your year and model.

I've got a few acres of semi cut over pine forest, about sixty acres, steep to very steep, and with a swamp running length-ways down the center nearly.. Lots of skidder tracks and clearings to do donuts and get muddy. But these days the quad is mainly a workhourse for maintaining the drive and getting firewood in and going to see the sons who live over the back. Here, if we want a day out on the quads, it's off to the beach.. Ninety mile beach in the far north of N.Z., or remote beaches on the east coast.

That sounds like the good ethics mate... That's my policy too.. If I can't don't fix it, it's no charge, not for the labor anyway.. Parts as you say, needed to eliminate well diagnosed possibilities I have always discussed and negotiated before trying them.. The whole of being professional, is inspiring trust and confidence in your customers.

It's pretty damn hairy driving at much speed with the diff lock engaged. You should be able to change right up through the gears with super-low engaged.. You do need to wind it out a bit though before doing the changes so the gears don't bind and not want to shift.. Perhaps check the clutch adjustment too. The plug shouldn't get fouled. It might be burning oil, or need the carby adjusting,(We'd suspect to a leaner mixture, which is counter to my next line..), or need a new plug, or a new plug with a different heat range. Having to wind the idle mixture that far sounds like it's got a very lean mixture, perhaps an air leak into a vacuum hose or the manifold, or a low fuel level in the bowl. If the mixture is wrong, generally lean, they will/can race at warm idle when they were fine cold. I'd try to check the plug isn't oily, meaning, I check it's not burning oil/blowing blue smoke, then check/clean adjust the carby and vacuum hoses, then consider changing to a hotter plug if it stills fouls...

Looks good alright. And good work making time to get out with brother... it's just too easy to let those chances slip by.. Precious memories in the making.

Bummer. I hate that.. when you don't get to the bottom of it and the customer calls time.. I hate it so much I mostly try to convince them to leave it with me and I'll try in my own time.. Bad wiring I reckon, you moved some wire somewhere and it ran then vibrated out of place again.... Go on... have another look.. You know you want to....

Clutches inside the cases, and soaked in oil don't smell. Brakes smell, exhaust pipes can smell, oil leaking onto the motor or exhaust can smell, batteries can smell, burnt wires can smell.. er...that's all I can think of...

You got the seals the right way, so it must be the wrong size somewhere. is it leaking both sides ? That confirms the wrong size. You wouldn't have put a groove in the aluminum as you levered the seals out ? If you don't have any, get some vernier calipers, they can be got quite cheaply. They are the handiest measuring tool to have around the workshop. they measure inside, outside and depths.

There is a problem alright. The seals should stop oil even if it's over filled. It will almost certainly be that the shafts or the seals are the wrong size.. unless.. long shot here and please don't be offended... . you put the seals in facing the wrong way/back to front.. It has been done before. If they were leaking before you replaced them, then you should check the diff breather isn't blocked, but if it was pressurising you would have probably noticed a puff of air as you took the bung out. The seals inner lip should be about a mill or two smaller diameter then the shaft. If you don't have verniers to measure the seal and shaft, watch as you push the shaft in and it should be possible to see the seal get spread a bit bigger diameter as the shaft goes in.

Perhaps the end off part No 5...

Is it a cast part ? And does it look like it's been ground /machined finish ? Any wear marks ? It looks to me like it's not a wearing part, cast, and not ground or machined to a precision size. I don't know what it is, but those considerations will give some indication where it might, or will not have come from.

And it's even called a "Max" I see.. For "Mad", not maximum.. haha.

Oh ok. And the motor's in the rear I presume, so the front is quite light and rises up and down easily, to take the bumps out of the ride.. Very cool. I've driven a bren-gun carrier.. They work a bit like that. A surprisingly good ride for something with no suspension.

Ha.. Nice try..

That's three... I think.. I think I might have read once that kawasaki had a problem with chaffing the wires up near the steering head.. If you have a multimeter, use the ohms to check for continuity of all the relevant wires. Not all problems are electronic or components, sometimes wires just break or get corroded connections, mostly at the ends of the wires where they go into plugs or connectors.

Ha.. Yeah mate we all need a supercharger.. And does it have suspension ? Is the ride good ? It looks like fun... (wanders off with visions of Mad Max).

The tide's your backyard ? Lucky guy. I'm inland now but used to live right by the sea for years, and have boats and do commercial fishing, years ago.. It's great being near the sea huh.. When I say inland, that only means a twenty minute drive from here, so not too bad. The only trouble is, if I go down the beach, the sea smell gets me and I have trouble dragging myself away...

Ha.. yeah.. low tech kiwi..

Have you looked in the download section.. top of the page on the right ? Or else they are available online if you look.. Google will tell you. Put the make and model, workshop manual, and free download and you should be able to find several places..

Haha.. I like it.. my 6X6 plastic is really tough "and i havent been able to damage it yet" .. How fast does it go ? Does it have suspension ? Is the seat like a motorbike, or a car ?

Yeah I got tired of burning my hands.. "Necessity is the mother of invention"..

Nah mate.. I'm a kiwi, in the far north.

That's a nice looking(fishing ?) place you have there.