A book of Problems... Part 1.

[rYan01400EX]

Alright - here we go! If you all can give me semi-detailed answers to my problems and let me know what I can do it would be extremely appreciated.

1.) To start it off, it runs pathetic. To me, I think jetting is the culprit here... When in neutral, with the idle maybe 1/4 - 1/2 the way in at steady increments - it cuts out. Also, when revving in first gear, it'll rev then drop, then rev even higher, then drop again, etc... I know this isn't the revbox, it's NEVER hit the rev limiter... ever! Now, to see if my jetting is causing it - I'm running a 155 and a 42.. I have a Big Gun Race Exhaust, ported/polished, new valves, and a 406 Wiseco 10.8:1 piston. Any tips here? Also, I'm 541 feet in the air if that means anything... Can someone explain the clip on the needle too? What does it do?

Moving on.

2.) Refer to #1. This leads me to #2. How in the world am I supposed to rejet if all the screws in the carbureator are stripped? I'm pissed. Gah.

3.) Stripped valve cover bolts and one stripped oil filter cover bolt. This has been asked before. I believe a helicoil will do.. or tap up one size..

4.) I've got an oil tank with a junky drain plug. It DOES NOT LEAK... but the whole bottom of the tank turns when I try and get the bolt out. Can this thing be welded?

5.) The swingarm bolt. This thing is the worst piece of junk created. That bolt is a pain in the rear. I'd like to put a bullet through my quad before I deal with that thing. Tips?

6.) I got a clutch that does weird things. I, personally, think the basket is junked. Also, the man who put my clutches in, DID NOT soak these in oil.. Would this cause them to burn up? I'll take this task on myself next time...

7.) Who makes rear fender supports for the 400EX. Someone did on here at one time. I need these since my fenders decided to just fall off the other day. I swear, I don't know if it's worth the trouble sometimes. But I like to ride and this thing will last me another 7 years atleast even if I have to make it..

8.) I have the tighest clutch pull in the world. I pull the clutch in twice and get tired. I've adjusted everything.. Probably things that aren't even on the cable I've adjusted. I also have a short lever and that piece is useless. Would HD springs do that too?

9.) Wiring.. is this hard to do on a quad? Cause mine has so many cuts on it... I have no electric start. This helps increase my leg muscles cause I have to push for 14,758 hours. Almost exactly that. Not the point - it has electric start - it should work. Can I bypass that clip under the front fenders and wire the start button straight. Maybe the start button is junk too. Who knows.

10.) I need an airbox block off thing where the snorkel tube went.. Anyone make these?

11.) What kind of piston is reccomended by you guys? Personally I think a JE is the line I'm headed towards...

I think I am finally done. If anyone can help me... I'll be super thankful... as of right now, my quad means a quick trip to the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls just so I can shove it right over the edge.. Please help a fellow quad rider out... Thanks!

[Kaleigh]

well i can answer #2 real quick.. on the bottom of the carb you will be a plug that is meant for a wrench.. I think it might by 18 mill.. if you take that off.. you can get to your jet from there...

as for stripped bolts.. you can just upsize.. and get them tapped..

as for your tight clutch.. i have the same problem.. just man up and pull.. :macho jk.. I heard thats from pulling the clutch and revving the motor.. I forget what it affects.. I read it somewhere when I first got my EX.. I really wish I remembered cause mine is hard to pull.. I even get tired and I have a Magura clutch.. :mad:

IF anyone knows about this clutch problem.. Please let me know.. Thanks

[rYan01400EX]

Appreciate the reply... am I able to access all my jets from that one bolt? Thanks - keep on answerin!

[ImplodedMindZ]

When u said the bolts on the valvecover and oil filter cover are stripped do you mean just the heads are rounded off or the head is broke off. b/c if the heads are rounded off you shouldnt need to drill and helicoil. Go to sears and get one of these (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00952166000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Bolt-Out%2C+Taps+%26+Dies&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes)
It will help u get bolts out w/ rounded off heads.

As for the screws that are stripped in the head. if you have a dremel take a cutting wheel and slice a small grove in the head of the screw to use a flat screwdriver on the screw for a better bite.

[Kaleigh]

oh yea.. like he said.. if just the heads are stripped and the threads are good.. just use a tapout set. you can get them for 10 bucks are your local hardware store.. it should fit right into a drill.. its about 2 inches long.. one side has a little drill bit and the other side has a reverse thread on it.. this should help you get out any bolt or screw that is stripped at the head..

wiring should not be that hard if you're just gona replace it with stock wiring harnesses.. as for you start button.. you can rig a new button to it.. have you tried jumping it by the battery? I know this really isnt the best thing but when you legs start to hurt and you run out of options.. what else are you gona do..

just touch the 2 bolts together.. with a screw driver.. oh yea. make sure you have a rubber grip.. :macho
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[speedphreake]

"8.) I have the tighest clutch pull in the world. I pull the clutch in twice and get tired. I've adjusted everything.. Probably things that aren't even on the cable I've adjusted. I also have a short lever and that piece is useless. Would HD springs do that too?"

Try disconnecting the clutch cable from the motor. Then work the clutch lever. Is it still hard to pull? If it is, disconnect the cable from the lever and pull on the lever. Is that hard to pull? If not, I would put in a new cable. 3 things, the lever could be bad, the cable bad, or maybe need lubing, or something in the clutch itself or clutch release in the case.

[nat78]

10----Nacs used to make a snorkel plug, check there. I just took an aerosol can plastic lid and stuck in mine, fit perfect!

[northwest Texas]

1.) To start it off, it runs pathetic. To me, I think jetting is the culprit here... When in neutral, with the idle maybe 1/4 - 1/2 the way in at steady increments - it cuts out. Also, when revving in first gear, it'll rev then drop, then rev even higher, then drop again, etc... I know this isn't the revbox, it's NEVER hit the rev limiter... ever! Now, to see if my jetting is causing it - I'm running a 155 and a 42.. I have a Big Gun Race Exhaust, ported/polished, new valves, and a 406 Wiseco 10.8:1 piston. Any tips here? Also, I'm 541 feet in the air if that means anything... Can someone explain the clip on the needle too? What does it do? If you're using stock Keihin jets, then you might go up on the main jet maybe up to the mid 160's. You can also play with your fuel screw. Start by turning it in until it lightly seats counting the turns as you do so. That could be your culprit too. If it's 2 turns out, turn it to 2.5 and see if it makes a difference, then 3 and 3.5. Just try it and you can get an idea if it's helping/hurting and adjust from there. As for the clip on the needle. To lower the clip on the needle raises the needle and lets more fuel in. This controls the fuel flow up to 3/4 throttle where by that time it's up enough that the main jet controls the rest of the flow. If you were to raise the clip/lowering the needle, that would reduce the amount of fuel. Try the other adjustments first and see if they do anything to remedy your problem.


2.) Refer to #1. This leads me to #2. How in the world am I supposed to rejet if all the screws in the carbureator are stripped? I'm pissed. Gah. The stock screws are a soft metal and unless you have a good quality screwdriver, they will round out and give you the problem you have. You also don't have to tighten them very tight either, just snug. Either a good set of needle nose vise grips or as was suggested earlier, a groove cut through the head so a flat blade will remove them will work. Either way, new screws are in order. JetsRus has some screws that take an allen wrench. You could try those. You can change your main jet by removing the large 17mm (I think it's 17mm) nut on the bottom of the bowl. However, your pilot/slow jet (42 size you have) isn't accessible unless the bowl is removed.


3.) Stripped valve cover bolts and one stripped oil filter cover bolt. This has been asked before. I believe a helicoil will do.. or tap up one size. Best remedy is to have it drilled out and a heli coil installed. I had that done on one of my head bolts. The threads in the cylinder stripped out, bolt was good so I had Colby fix it for me while he had it.


4.) I've got an oil tank with a junky drain plug. It DOES NOT LEAK... but the whole bottom of the tank turns when I try and get the bolt out. Can this thing be welded? Probably the best bet is buy a used one off Ebay. You could probably have it welded but............I just don't know. I think there's a washer on the drain plug that goes missing that causes the problem you have. I've heard other's chime in regarding that washer.


5.) The swingarm bolt. This thing is the worst piece of junk created. That bolt is a pain in the rear. I'd like to put a bullet through my quad before I deal with that thing. Tips? By far, your worst headache. It's going to take heat, a couple big hammers, replacement nut, roll pin punch and lots of penetrant. An extra body and a lot of patience won't hurt either. If you want to know more, I'll tell you how I did mine but it's like writing a novel so I won't do it here.


6.) I got a clutch that does weird things. I, personally, think the basket is junked. Also, the man who put my clutches in, DID NOT soak these in oil.. Would this cause them to burn up? I'll take this task on myself next time...
8.) I have the tighest clutch pull in the world. I pull the clutch in twice and get tired. I've adjusted everything.. Probably things that aren't even on the cable I've adjusted. I also have a short lever and that piece is useless. Would HD springs do that too? I'm not too much of a clutch guru but there's several problems which have already been discussed. You need to isolate it to the cable, lever, or clutch itself. Grooves in your clutch basket could be the culprit also and if you have heavy duty springs, obviously they are going to increase your pull. Mine does it too, you're not alone. I don't know if not soaking them in oil would cause them to burn up. I just don't know there. I can tell you on my Tri-Z that sat for a long period of time I had to remove the clutch and resoak the plates cause they only wanted to spin, wouldn't grab.






7.) Who makes rear fender supports for the 400EX. Someone did on here at one time. I need these since my fenders decided to just fall off the other day. Did your fenders break or did the whole assembly come off? I'm not sure what you mean there.


9.) Wiring.. is this hard to do on a quad? Cause mine has so many cuts on it... I have no electric start. This helps increase my leg muscles cause I have to push for 14,758 hours. Almost exactly that. Not the point - it has electric start - it should work. Can I bypass that clip under the front fenders and wire the start button straight. Maybe the start button is junk too. Who knows. Maybe you'd be ahead replacing the whole wiring harness. Again, ebay. You can also take a screwdriver and short out the solenoid and start it up that way. Be careful that you don't weld the screwdriver to the two terminals. Touch one end and then make good contact with the other, otherwise, it will spark and try to weld together.


10.) I need an airbox block off thing where the snorkel tube went.. Anyone make these? You talking about the snorkel that comes from the bottom of the airbox and up and over the engine? I took a piece of an old towl and clamped it and it's held. I can get a pic if you'd like.


11.) What kind of piston is reccomended by you guys? Personally I think a JE is the line I'm headed towards... When rebuilding my quad this past fall, Colby recommended the JE and I also had it moly coated. I can't speak of a good/bad but on everything else I went with his recommendation and have been nothing short of pleased.

[DF400ex]

As fare as your oil tank goes, I had a big rock jump up and knock the whole oil drain part off. I had no access to a new tank for a few days so I had it welded. You can get it welded, but it's a PITA due to the oil in the tank. It held for the weekend, and I'm sure it would work for longer, but I would rather have a new one than a rigged one. Bottom line, get an oversized tank and oil cooler while you're at it.

[rYan01400EX]

Northwest Texas - dude - I appreciate all that! You are a major help man!

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

[northwest Texas]

No problem, when you get ready to tackle your swingarm bolt, let me know. Mine would rotate but it was stuck in the spacers that fit over the bolt between the engine and frame. Maybe yours is no worse than mine was.

[rYan01400EX]

It WILL come out. I'll make it.

[rYan01400EX]

Will the Air/Fuel screw make it cut out and miss as described?

[northwest Texas]

When did this problem start happening? When you made the mods or on it's own?

[rYan01400EX]

It ran good for about or month or so - then downhill from there. I've had the head and everything apart... cleaned, reassembled... Same thing... this leads me to a fuel related problem... but - thats where I'm stuck... It happened on its own - I didn't do anything to it there afterwards.. It is noticeably worse at sometimes rather than others.

[northwest Texas]

It could be a small piece of debris obstructing the flow in one of your orifices in the carb, be-it the main jet or something else.

You probably just need to take the carb completely apart and thoroughly clean it and go from there.

Other than that, sorry I can't be of more help.

[rYan01400EX]

Northwest, you've provided enough help man.. I couldn't thank you more.. Are the carbs easy to take apart?

[northwest Texas]

Yes, they're pretty easy. Take a towel and set it on the bench and take the carb apart over that. Little parts don't roll off as easy on the towel.

I just use some carb cleaner and blow that through all the little orifices/passageways.

A caveat of the towel is watch for any lint that might stick to anything when you put it back together as it don't take much to obstruct any flow

[rYan01400EX]

Right, thanks alot man!

[79400ex]

ryano1400ex, if you need an oil tank I have one. Just make me an offer.

[redline400ex]

New clutch cable and barnett clutch...

[rYan01400EX]

I've got the Barnett Clutch and Motion Pro clutch cable... It's still hard.