400ex MUST HAVE A RECALL

[4welrjeff]

The 400ex should have a recall. About half of the ex's do not start after a couple days of riding on a plug. NO IT IS NOT THE CARBARATOR as every seems to discuss on this problem on many other posts. IT IS THE IGINITION SYSTEM. The spark is weak and needs a very clean spark plug to start when cold. It will start will a new plug or cleaned plug.

Everyone should complain to the dealer so they can have a fix with a hotter spark.

-Jeff
00 400ex
87 Warrior (been starting for 15 years)

[Juggalo]

i've never heard of this happening.

[Razorback]

dude, all hondas are cold blooded starters. quads and dirt bikes. i see the problems during the winter, but when the weather gets warm, the problems disappear. it's just part of the deal. you can change your pilot jet, which will help the problem.

[ridered86]

yeah and while im at it ill tell em that the exhaust does not flo right so i might need the t-4 ive wanted maybe thats covered under the warranty or sumthin then i guess that they will have to put the jet kit in also at no xtra charge!!!!!



:D :D :huh :huh :devil

[Blake24]

:devil ROFLMAO :devil

what? Honda hasn't recalled anything to my knowledge other than brake pads that they had no control over. The cold starting is due to the small piolet jet the 38. Which can be fixed in about 15 mins. You don't even have to change the jet you just have to know how to use a choke and how to prime a motor.

[mcmike]

The only time I ever had a hard time starting mine, the plug was to blame, but it sat over a week without riding it. I figured it was just pi$$ed and needed more attention, now we're soulmates.:D

[twisted threads]

I have never had a problem with mine not starting also. My Ex can sit for weeks and all I half to do is give it a few pumps on the gas and hit the starter and it fires right up every time.

Good Luck!!

[Wheelie]

I also have never had this problem, my EX has sat for well over a month and starts easily with no hint of any problems. I have yet to foul a spark plug.



What mods does your quad have? Type of spark plug?

actually I had a problem like that also. mine would foul out a plug and was hard to start and would have to replace the plug. (did this like 6 times in 4 mos.)
I read all the posts here and figured that it was just cold blooded and needed a 42 pilot jet. I never got the jet in it and one day it fouled out the plug, the dealer was out of the stocker so I put in a DPR7EA-9. that is one step hotter than the stock DPR8Z and the tip is opened up more, Honda uses it in some utility quads.
no more fouled plugs. it got a little easier to start but still hard to keep running when engine was cold.
then about 2 mos. ago the CDI box went out. I put a new one on and WOW! the thing starts easier than new, idles smoother and stays running easier when engine is cold.
I will admit I still need the 40 or 42 pilot to fatten it so I can remove the choke cause it will stumble bad on a cold engine w/o using the choke for a minute or so.

Now for all those that dont believe 4welrjeff's claim to weak spark The new CDI box has a **** of alot bigger spark than the stocker did. Im still running the same DPR7EA-9 I have had in it for 6 mos. the old box had a pissy little spark that even on the new plug was 75% smaller than the new box's spark.

now get this, the local Honda dealer didnt have a CDI in stock, it was friday and a big ride was planned for SAT. the local performance shop had a CDI box for sale, the infamous White Brothers Rev box. now everyone claims this to add no performance but I know mine runs better, now if its running better cause the WB box is better or the stock box was weak I dont know but I thought about Honda having some bad CDI's also cause mine hard starting/fouling plugs since new!

[nakomis0]

Originally posted by 4welrjeff
The 400ex should have a recall. About half of the ex's do not start after a couple days of riding on a plug. NO IT IS NOT THE CARBARATOR as every seems to discuss on this problem on many other posts. IT IS THE IGINITION SYSTEM. The spark is weak and needs a very clean spark plug to start when cold. It will start will a new plug or cleaned plug.

Everyone should complain to the dealer so they can have a fix with a hotter spark.

-Jeff
00 400ex
87 Warrior (been starting for 15 years)

Maybe you should try JETTING it right. Its an abstract concept but it just might work. :rolleyes:

The factory always sets it to run 'fat'. Kinda obvious you would rather have it rich than lean.

Tell em you want a recall, you wanted it jetted specifcally for your altitude and temperature. And you want a service tech to come out and re-jet it when the weather changes or else your gonna be pissed.:devil

[MX26]

RazroBack, you racing TQRA in Weatherford?

[Nausty]

omg my grips wore out. 400ex MUST HAVE RECALL imagine if this happened while I was riding and my hand slid off and I fell off the quad and i was next to a cliff and I fell off the cliff and I hit the ground and no one could find me. I should sue.

[Taco]

i got a 2001 that is a year old and still on the stock plug never even been pulled out.

[Zero Z400]

Actually its true...Appleman847's 400ex had a weak spark after it broke down. He brought it to the sh*tty dealer(Banzia) and he was buring oil and was runing low on oil and needs to get it bored out. They want like $500 to do it. I don't think its that hard....


Later

damn the same thing happened tyo me about ...um right now! i bought it about a month agao and it wasnt starting so i got a new plug today!!!!!!! this pissed me off so much

[frogburner]

Originally posted by 4welrjeff
The 400ex should have a recall. About half of the ex's do not start after a couple days of riding on a plug. NO IT IS NOT THE CARBARATOR as every seems to discuss on this problem on many other posts. IT IS THE IGINITION SYSTEM. The spark is weak and needs a very clean spark plug to start when cold. It will start will a new plug or cleaned plug.

Everyone should complain to the dealer so they can have a fix with a hotter spark.

-Jeff
00 400ex
87 Warrior (been starting for 15 years)


Man You are STUPID.... All Honda's are cold blooded... Your just STUPID..

[optikid123]

well the magority rules THIS THREAD IS STUPID

[Dave400ex]

I have had Problems with Plugs, but I think that is because of my Pipe. I finally have my Carb just like Tom wants it and he told me to leave it alone with my Jetting. So he told me to run a D&EA Plug. Maybe you should try that. I have fouled one, but it was because I was stupid in trying to start it after I had just cleaned it and sprayed all that water on it. The Plug is lasting now, but I have taken it out after every time I start it to clean it. It has some black on it still. I am going riding tomorrow. Hopefully it fires again and then I will check it, but the 400 Ignition.

[YLW400]

hmm. i have fouled ONE plug. that was right after I rejetted, I have had mine sice Dec 1st

[phatswinn]

the 300ex and recon should have a recall to because it wont start in the cold! and wait, my friends xr 100 does it too! omg maybe we should all just try a new plug it starts right off with a new plug! then just save the old one for summer cuz its still got some life, yea that might just work!:huh :huh

no need to call people stupid.
Yes the jetting needs to changed on most new 400ex's. but is it totally unreasonable to think the there may have been a batch of crappy CDI boxs out there that had weak spark? I agree that its probablly just the jetting on most quads but some MAY have a weak CDI like mine did. It doesnt take much of a brain surgeon to see if a spark is weak or strong. weak spark has nothing to do with the carb. I know that I thought I needed to rejet because I had the same problems, but after changing the CDI and to different plug the problem has never happened again, if its all just in the carb how did this fix it then?

[EricB]

yeah...um make sure the gas is on and um choke it if its cold..don't forget to prime it.

lets recall all yellow honda's too, i think the plastic reduces hp









sorry, hadta do it

[VarmintHunter]

I wonder if part of the reason people have trouble starting their 400EX is because of the pumper style carb. Everytime you thumb the throttle you shoot a big jet of gasoline into the cylinder head. Even when it isn't running. A friend of mine has a 400EX in his garage and his son likes to sit on it and pretend he's riding it. He sits there and thumbs the throttle over and over just filling the cyinder with gas. And he wonders why it won't start! Duh! It's totally flooded.

[eric02400ex]

When I first bought my 02 400ex it was fouling plugs right off the bat, in the summer. After 8 new plugs I called the dealer to see what he was going to do about it. He told me that when I started the bike to push the throttle twice, choke half way and start, it has worked perfectly since. just some advice.

[Teufel]

I had a problem fouling plugs when I bought my new 400. plug were wet and fire was visually strong. It appeared that the jetting was rich, which is typical for stock machines; talk to any experienced dealer/mechanic and they will tell you that the factory intentionally jets the off-road machines on the rich side to prevent a lean situation. Anyway I cut the fuel back and no prob.
Of course this was before any engine mods.
Think the 400 has inherently weak fire??? Pull the cap stick your ifinger into the end and hit the starter, that wil give you a new appreciation for the statorand cdi.

:cool: