coyote56

ok update...

I wasn't able to get as much done on the bike as I was hoping during my Christmas break. I got all of the back plastics off, I got the recoil starter off and got the engine lined up top dead center.... I was prepared to dig into it but then I had some issues happening on the other side of my farm I had to handle. I am hoping that next weekend I can get the head taken off and torn down for repairs. I am not a big fan of how the set the ending in time on this thing. It's enough to make me a little nervous about doing it myself. I guess we will find out next weekend.

On 12/6/2021 at 11:36 AM, Crawdaddy said:

I love passion projects like this.  Let us know how the restoration goes.  

I will continue to update the thread here as I go along. Right now I have been waiting for about 2 weeks for some parts to arrive. They were on back order from partzilla. I ordered new gaskets and new piston rings. The bike only has about 900 miles on it but if I am going to go ahead and work on the valves, I may as well just rebuild the entire top end while I am at it. They should be in before Christmas break and I am hoping that I can get it all taken apart and put back together with about a days work and have her fired up and running by the end of my time off.... then I will move on to the original bike and see if she is worth trying to repair. Either way that one will most likely end up being sold.

16 hours ago, pikachu78 said:

Will a fire extinguisher work on an electrical wiring fire?

 

yes it should as long as it is a class C

just don't throw water on it......

do you know the exact year? If you can grab the serial number (should be on the frame (back left upright) you can type it into the decoder and find out the year. Then you can go look it up on Suzuki Parts House and see some diagrams.

I am not familiar with that bike but I don't think it is 4x4. If it is the front pumpkin would have its own drain plug and a different type of fluid needed. The crank case oil should be working as your gear oil as well on the rear end. That is the way all of my old (90 models) Suzuki Quad Runners and my new King Quad (2020) are set up. Just make sure that you use a proper ATV oil. Don't use regular automotive oil, the ATV oil as additives in it to help with extra job functions.

what I normally do is go to Suzukiparts house, check out the diagrams for my bike and then find the part and the part numbers I need. Copy the number and type it into google, ebay or amazon and see what they produce. Then I will go by who has it in stock + price and shipping.

I will always be willing to pay a little more it the part is in stock. Right now I am waiting on 3 pieces of a 4 piece order from Partzilla.... drives me nuts. However given the current supply chain issues, it is to be expected. Especially when looking for parts for an older bike.

13 hours ago, Paul4x4 said:

Nice bike!

 

Just got myself my first 4WD quad (I'm mainly a three wheeler guy). I think it's a 1990 Quadrunner LT-F4WD. It's basically in mint condition, with only the engine's top end taken apart for some weird reason... All the removed parts came with the machine, so IF I'm missing something, it looks like it's only gonna be some nuts and bolts, worst case scenario! I'm slowly gathering information on it and start putting it back together!

there are actually a quite a few good videos available on youtube on these bikes. Also the older King Quad videos are helpful, these are the same bikes with a smaller engine. I think Mid Nebraska Motorsports and Schneids15 are great channels to check out for help.

I would be a little more than upset if I had spent that kind of money on a new Can Am and found out the thing was melting its own plastic off...

that being said I have never set a quad on fire (knock on wood) however I did set an old Honda Trail 70 on fire. I had the rear end slip out from under me in a mud hole and laid her on the side. A little fuel came out and hit the engine and she went up while I was still on my side under the bike. Luckily I was still in the mud pit and just started tossing mud on it to put it out.

On 12/1/2021 at 3:05 PM, Richard1234 said:

I didn't actually.  I just drained oil until it got back in the sight glass.  It was barely run with the oil as it would only run on full choke.  Is there a reason to drop the new oil?   

I am just always skeptical of maintenance done by previous owners. That being said, you can usually get a good idea if you talk to the previous owner for a while. I could tell by the way this guy talked all he ever did was add fuel and oil if it needed it. A lot of times on these older bikes, people just added oil when they needed it and never bothered changing the oil filter.... I can't trust a 24 year old oil filter in the case of this bike. I like to put new filters and new spark plugs on them just for the piece of mind and to know the job has been done properly. I have seen some guys use socks to replace the air filter.... the air filter is $5.

I am also very detailed person by nature. I was in law enforcement for a while and in military intelligence. I keep records of everything, my boats, pick up trucks, atvs, farm tractors and equipment each have a notebook in the glovebox or in my desk with a detailed record of maintenance preformed. Everything from your standard regular maintenance, minor repairs and major repairs. I give them to the next owner when I sell or whatever.... to be fair this may also be because of my German heritage and our notorious attention to details. 😂 However in the long run it has proven time and time again to be worth the time.

On 11/24/2021 at 9:33 PM, Richard1234 said:

Long shot, but did you get the oil level right in the sight glass?

I just bought a quadrunner and the owner had filled it up til he could see oil in the fill tube!  

I'm guessing being that full might cause some smoke!

along with some other issues... I am hoping you did an oil change.

I have bought another identical bike to this, it is in a lot better shape but it has a stuck valve. I figure if I am going to go ahead and repair that, I may as well put new rings in it while I am at it. Then again it only has 928 miles on it... so I kind of hate to tear into it that much but well.. its not that much of a bigger step.

On 11/10/2021 at 8:01 PM, Richard1234 said:

Hey all, just bought a rather ratty non-runner quadrunner that I am working on. 

Carb idle jet was blocked up of course and the clip had fallen off the needle!  Anyways, got it cleaned up and running, though rough.  Was wondering what the factory set was for the needle clip and the turns out for the mixture screw (the one inside the carb with access through the float bowl).  I guessed at 2nd down from the top of the needle and 3.5 turns out on the mixture, but it seems off.

Can anyone with a service manual let me know please. 

Thanks

I cant tell you what the needle clip setting us but the air mixture screw should be 2 full rotations out.

good news... I managed to get most of the afternoon off so I went and picked up the other bike. It is in far better condition than the one I currently have... other than the seat being completely destroyed. I didn't have much time to work on it tonight but I did get the seat off to do some poking around. The previous owner was not kidding about the thieves. They must have only stolen the bike for the carb, they cut every line going to it off except for the choke cable. I guess they took the time to unscrew it. However the broke the plastic fitting to the vacuum pump off in the line, so it was nice of them to mark it for me. The throttle cable they just cut, so I am ordering one now. They also stole two of the shifter knobs and the shifter panel on top of the gas tank. Looking like this one may be good to drive after just swapping over the carb from the old bike, flushing out the gas lines, new spark plug, oil change and hook up the battery. That would be a much needed break. It has about 900 miles on the odometer. I plan on getting her going and then starting to break into the old bike, should be a little easier now that I have another reference behind me other than the online parts schematic. The back plastic does have a big crack in it, I can patch that with a piece of aluminum and some rivets.

5 hours ago, Hagbard said:

I have had really great results with using a 50/50 mix of Acetone and ATF as a penetrant for rusty hardware. It creeps into spots other stuff doesn't seem to touch, the acetone evaporates and leaves behind some of the slickest stuff known to man.  Also love PB Blaster's CSP Corrosion Stop and Prevent spray, it seems almost waxy and clings where you put it. Almost like fogging spray for boats.

And I'm in the same boat skill-wise. I've turned wrenches on my own cars, and friends stuff, but never professionally. I got lucky and scored a really nice set of tools on the cheap, which helps a little bit, but without google and solid advice from forums like this, I'd be lost. Having the shop manual helps too. Between this place and youtube, (Schneids is good stuff) there isn't much you can't tackle. I If you need a copy of the manual, let me know. If you need valve seats cut, I know a guy in your neighborhood with a nice set of cutters.

 

I may have gotten lucky... there is another guy here in my area selling an identical four wheeler for a few hundred bucks. The one he has was stolen but recovered and the thief took carb and battery off of it. If it is still there next weekend when I get home, I will be picking it up. He says it was running next year.. if so I may just slap my good parts on it and then decide rather to just slowly rebuild the current bike or just keep it around for a parts bike. Figuring out what is going on in the transmission is more than a little worrisome to me.

Just now, Hagbard said:

I stand corrected. =D Unless thats just all pouring through the valve seals =P

😆 I was hoping I wouldn't have to. I'm not a mechanic but... the four wheeler was free so... it's a good learning experience. If I screw up to bad, I will just load it up on the trailer and drag it down to Suzuki. I am concerned about the back end, I got the wheels off and it's not the brakes locked up. Something is going on inside the transmission so I am going to have to take that cover off and see what is going on inside. I am gonna soak her down good with WD-40 this afternoon before I leave for work for the week. Hopefully next weekend I can get a lot more accomplished on it.

1 minute ago, Hagbard said:

Check that it's not just your valve inspection caps seeping oil right onto the exhaust like mine were. there was years worth of seepage crud all around the exhaust port and all over the pipe and heat shield. Took a lot of degreasing and power washing to get it cleaned up, after that the smoking was minimal.

If you do the top end, I'd say the valves are probably going to be your main concern. Just based on the conversations I've had here with Randy, my plan is to replace valves, seals, and either ream or replace guides, lap valves, and if need be have the seats re-cut. I honestly don't really suspect much ring wear at all, but it seems to be a relatively minor expense on top of everything else, so I might as well do the piston too, new rings and wrist pin bearing couldn't hurt. I'd wait and see the condition of the cylinder sleeve before ordering any rings or a new piston, personally.

 

update,

I have gotten the carb reinstalled and she starts up but... well... apparently I am going to need a top end rebuild...

On 11/5/2021 at 11:00 PM, Hagbard said:

Any luck getting this apart and figured out? I had a really fun time chasing down corrosion and loose connections in the harness. Worth cleaning the grounds too.

Well the wiring harness is good. It will start by pushing the start button so I have no issues there. However, given the huge amount of smoke it produces, oil coming from the exhaust and around the head.... I don't think there is any hope left that it will not need a top end rebuild. Luckily the same guy that posted the carb video has one of him rebuilding a king quad's top end and as I said... they are pretty much the same bike just 50 ccs difference.

I haven't decided if I want to wait until I get it all broken down to see what is going on in the bore before I order my rebuild kit or if I should just do it now with a .5mm bigger piston and just plan on taking it to be bored out.. opinions?

OK so I was able to confirm today from Schneids15's youtube channel... the plastic and the ring finger connections are your vacuum line hook ups. He has his fuel pump connected to the plastic and the petcock to the ringer finger outlet. He said it didn't really matter though, either way would work. The pointer finger outlet is a breather vent.

17 hours ago, Freedomflyer said:

Nice King Quad, Suzuki's are pretty bullet proof machines. Kind of you to get the 90 for your niece  she'll have a blast. Don't know much about the era of the one you're working on, I just know Suzuki made a tough machine.

We don't have parks we ride in here in Montana. We have access to Forest service property, 17 million acres worth and BLM property, (Bureau Of Land Management) 8.3 million acres worth of that as well, not that we have trails on every acre of those properties but there are thousands and thousands of miles to ride in the Western half of the state. We used to be able to ride the trails just by having a permanent offroad registration sticker but 2 years ago they started making us buy a trail sticker for each machine that is good for 2 years, mine expire at the end of this year, so will have to get 2 new ones on January. $20.00 for 2 years, not terrible,  more of an inconvenience than anything. We have quite a few trailheads within 20-30 minutes from our house, and often when we're out,  very rarely see anyone on the trails. The only drawback is we have limited times that we can ride,  beings we are at the altitude we're at, some of our trails don't open until the middle of June and some close the middle of October, others December 1st. Too much snow,  if they open them up people will tear them to shreds then they become very dangerous. And some of them are fairly technical even when they are bone dry,  a wrong move and you can slide off a trail and drop along ways before stopping, so a bit unnerving at times when we get caught in the rain or come to an icy or snowpack trail in early spring on the ones that do open.  I feel pretty blessed to live where we do and to have the freedom to ride on our local forested mountains. Here's a couple of pics of my machines,  I'll personal message you with some other pics that I've already posted on this forum,  don't need to bore anyone with repeat pics.

I started off as a kid with Polaris, then a Yamaha, then a Honda and then I got a Suzuki and I haven't looked back since. I guess the old Honda would be a second favorite but I had issues with it. The Suzuki I had as a teenager was a Quad Runner 250 4x4 like I am working on. It was used and got its fair share of abuse with hard riding. I still never had any issue with it. The one I am working on has had more than its fair share of abuse, but this is mostly by poor maintenance by the previous owner.

I have spent a lot of time out in the western states. I just came back from Colorado. I was out there for a week for work. I would love to come out there and do some riding, beautiful scenery. The only thing that concerns me about being in the wilderness out there is the fact you guys have grizzlies lol. We only have black bears here and they act more like over grown stray dogs than ferocious bears. They can provide for some humor when you come across them on the trails but a grizzly on the other hand wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Our families property was once a recognized animal preserve. We have a little bit of everyone from Foxes, Coyotes, Black Bear, Deer, Rabbit... my niece loves to try and see how many different animals she can spot on rides. The only problem with that here is that we have had an influx of new people moving in and new subdivisions popping up. Trespassing has become a big problem for us, especially during hunting seasons. We are always catching people on the property. I have a few videos of some snow rides I did last year, we don't get a lot of snow here so it was a special treat to have a white Christmas last year.... even if some nut job blew up the AT&T Building in Nashville...

we will see.... I just hate guessing. Things will probably make more sense when I get the front rack off and the plastic and can see what all is going on under the hood

well I just ordered a new petcock because the old stock one is all gunked up. I see a pump line coming from it but... only one? There is another? I guess you guys are talking about the pump that is next to the battery box.

I just ordered a new petcock off ebay with a pump built onto the back of it.... maybe I don't need that pump next to the battery box anymore?

20 hours ago, Freedomflyer said:

Any pics of your machines or area you ride? Gotta be some pretty area there. 

Honestly I have not taken the new bike off my farm land yet. We have about 200 acres or so. We do have Pickett State Forest about 40 miles to the north as the bird flies. I have taken my jeep up there a lot, amazing scenery and then about 60 miles away is Windrock which is also a great park. Here are a few pics of my rides. Also a link to a jeep ride with some members of my Jeep club including (at that time) a member of the Tennessee Titans. It became funny on that ride because we came up on a group of side by sides that had an accident, fairly serious. The guy had just flipped it on its side in a deep mud puddle. We jumped out to help, got them out and made sure they were ok. The guy was thanking and shaking everyones hand his side by side was all decked out in Titans flags and colors and he was wearing a shirt and had no idea it was one of their running backs that had helped pull him out. We got a laugh out of it later. The old quadrunner is what I am currently working on restoring and the Arctic Cat 90 is what I bought for my niece.

10 hours ago, Freedomflyer said:

Welcome, I am guilty of not posting here as often as I should, busy life. I don't do Facebook and don't plan on it, my wife is always staring into her phone, annoying! Hope you can find what you're looking for here.  Sorry but I can't help you, I'm a Can Am guy.

yeah... don't get me started on my old lady and the phone. I think those things are contributing to the downfall of society. If I didn't have to have one for work, I would be more than happy to throw that thing in the trash can.

I am loving this.

currently working on a Quad Runner 250 which is basically the same bike... anyway you could post some pictures of what your carb looks like? When I picked this one up most of the cables going to the carb were removed. Including the entire choke cable for whatever reason the previous owner had. I have figured out where that goes and have a new cable on the way. I know where the fuel cable goes, choke cable and the throttle.. other than that I have 3 connections on the other side that I have no idea what attaches to any of them. I am fairly certain one of them has to be for the vacuum line to the fuel pump but have no idea which one it is or what goes on the other two.

So I have got her to fire up but she billows out smoke. I am not sure if it is just the old gas or if it is the top end. I am hoping its just bad gas and a junked up carb. I noticed that most of the cables that are supposed to be attached to the carb were disconnected so perhaps that could have something to do with it. I took the carb off and got her cleaned down and put back together with a rebuild kit I ordered a week ago. It cleaned up nice. I am going to wait to put it back on when I get the new choke cable in. Someone had taken it off in its past and never reinstalled it. I am also going to go ahead and just completely remove the plastics. The back half is trashed and the front I will probably just end up selling and ordering all new plastics from Maier unless I find a decent rear half. Anyway removing the plastics will give me more access to the rest of the bike and I am going to be cleaning out the fuel tank and replacing the petcock assembly and vacuum pump next weekend.

Background on this Quad.

Over the past year or so I have been teaching my 7 year old Niece to ride. She loves it, I even went as far as buying her a 2012 Arctic Cat 90cc and getting it up and running. We have a bond, her dad (my cousin) is a deadbeat junkie who abandoned her mother as soon as he found out she was pregnant, so my family has all been helping her over the years. I didn't have a dad or a father figure growing up. That hurts and I didn't want her to feel that way, so I have been taking her fishing, to ball games, aquarium etc etc and now it has progressed into riding four wheelers. So after stopping by the family farm and observing and seeing what I was doing and watch us ride one of our old retired farm hands approached me with something interesting. It seems a few years ago he was making his rounds around his old family farm and came across an abandoned four wheeler in the creek bed on his property. He called the Sheriff, they came and got it and took it. A few weeks later they bring it back to him. They ran the serial numbers, it has/had never been reported stolen. Since it was never reported stolen and it was on his property, as far as they were concerned it was his. He put it in his barn and its been there for 4/5 years now. It was mine if I wanted it. Naturally I jumped at it and picked it up..

Turns out it was a 1997 Suzuki Quad Runner 250 4x4. A bike exactly like the one I had as a teenager. I have decided I want to rebuild and restore it as much as possible to what it was rolling off the factory floor. Maybe I am a little bias but  I think these were some of the best quads ever built. The four wheel drive transmission has always been cool as hell to me. Anyway this is going to be my rebuild thread on the bike.

These photos are from the day I brought it home. The front half of the plastic is in great shape. The back, has been destroyed, I am looking for a replacement. Since the day I have brought it home I have ordered a replacement stock airbox system, a cover for the battery box and a rebuild kit for the carb.