pjm123a

Hi again all - Have made some progress - the speedometer did not work because of a broken cable. Just got the replacement today and will put in over the weekend. I have changed the oil and filter. To solve the carb problems I ended up buying a new one. Buying a new one from Yamaha would have cost an arm and a leg. I brought a new one from ebay. They are clones of the stock Mikunis. Got mine for $169 including shipping. If you are interested, just search ebay for yamaha kodiak 400 carb. Mine came today and I was able to swap out the old one in about an hour. My idling and shifting problems are now solved. The quad idles reliably. It starts easily and revs up nicely. I am actually thinking about starting to put things together. Only problem is that it seems to smoke a bit. I am thinking that when I changed the oil maybe I overfilled it a little. Could this cause it to smoke? If this ends up not being the problem, I could use some advice on what tests to perform and what the most likely culprit is. Thanks

Turned out I needed a 21 MM wrench. I had 19 and 22. Neither Lowe's, Home Depot, or Advanced Auto Parts had a 21 MM open end wrench or a set that included one. Finally picked up a set that included one at Harbor Freight. The bolt is finally out and the oil drained (and I now have a more complete collection of tools) :-)

Work on the Kodiak is coming along pretty well. I have found that as I've run it a little more the idle is better. When it is idling properly it also shifts ok. Before I do any more adjusting, I'm going to let it run through another tank of new gas. Heck running gas through it is fun :-) The one thing that I have not been able to do is an oil change. I just don't seem to be able to get a wrench on the drain plug and it is on there real tight. I'm beginning to think maybe it has a non-stock plug. Can someone please tell me what size wrench they use to take the drain plug off (2001 Kodiak). Is there some special tool that came with the machine that you are supposed to use (mine did not come with any tools). Thanks

Thanks guys for the comments. So far I have replaced the pads and pretty much rebuilt the rear brake. You can see what the pads looked like when I started in the pic. I've also changed the coolant. I ended up rounding the head on one of the caliper guide pin bolts. Took me a whole day to get the bolt out. A new caliper from Yamaha though is $277 so it was worth getting out. You can see whats left of the bolt in the pic. Including a pic of the quad. Have the front end opened up. Next up new filter and oil change. Comments, suggestions, words of encouragement are most welcome.

Hi All, Just brought a 2001 Kodiak 400 from a guy on ebay. Picked it up on Saturday. He said it was a 2000, but according to the serial number, I think it a 2001. They guy wanted $1200 and said it ran fine. I negotiated down to a $1000 before I went to see it. When I got there, he couldn't get it started. He said it would start and run for a few seconds if he sprayed in starter fluid, but he was out. So we ended up knocking off another $200 and I got an extra set of wheels. So, 2001 Kodiak (non running) for $800. What kind of deal is that (good, bad, OK)?? Spent all day Sunday working the carb. After taking it on and off, cleaning. blowing air, etc about 3 times, I finally found the problem. The float valve was gunked up and would not let any fuel in. That is why it only ran a few seconds with the starter fluid. Anyway, not it starts and runs OK. Took it for a nice long ride. Problems I could use some advice on: Seems to not always want to go into gear. Clicks loudly. It will work if I put it in gear with the engine off, then start it. I think maybe it is idling a bit high, but can't seem to find anything to adjust on carb. The throttle stop seems to be set OK. Speedometer does not work. One headlight (high beam) does not work. Brakes are really bad (almost ran into my workbench) :-) Any hints, or tips are most welcome. Thanks in advance!