What to look for when buying a used 400ex

[joshcb7]

New to the forum,Might be the wrong place for this or someone might have done it.I was thinking of buying a used 400ex in the next month or two and would like to know if there are any things to look for other than general good condition.I see alot of info about what to upgrade when you buy one but not sure if there are any specific years that are better or easier to upgrade or any models to avoid.I have seen alot of decent looking 400's for under $2000 just dont know much about atv's.

[CJM]

You want to check the following:
-wheels spin true/not bent, bearings are good
-engine sounds ok when running isnt knocking (ticking is normal on these)
-no signs of smoke. smoke at start up means valve seals worn out, smoke all the time means rings
-how often did they change the oil (acceptable is every 20-40 hrs imho)
-Whats been replaced if anything
-How often was it rode and by whom
-does the clutch work nicely, does it shift ok thru the gears
-Was the timing chain ever replaced
-Was the motor ever rebuilt, if so WHY
-Who serviced the quad, guy, dealer, etc
-Does the quad look beat up or mint/decent?

Basically so long as it runs ok, shifts good and doesnt look like someone beat it to hell your usually ok. I refuse to buy someones 440 setup b/c they usually dont ever do it properly. I also refuse to buy anything other than stock really unless I know the person b/c you dont know if the person who did the work did it right.

Look at it like this: 5 years ago I bought an 00 EX. I watched it on craigslist for at least 2 months. It had beadlocks, cut plastics but it looked ok besides a bent steering stem. I told the guy after I checked it out and rode it 1500 and he sold it to me. They were going for double that at the time and 450rs were 5k. After checking over it further when I got it home all it really needed was a few minor things and a steering stem. The kid was honest at least.

[powerbomb400]

Only a couple of things have changed since the 400ex came out in 1999. In 05 they changed the plastic and added reverse. In 08 they changed the plastic again. Overall its the same quad they came out with in 99. To me reverse made a big difference in deciding on buying one in 05. Other people will chime on things to look for. I would plan on spending a few bucks since you will be buying a used one. I love my 400ex and wouldn't have anything else.

[Rohr397]

Yeah for sure avoid DYI projects. Since it sounds like you don't ride much, chances are you don't need to look at built race bikes either. I'd just go for stock with low hours and not deal with peoples stupid homemade fixes.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by powerbomb400
Only a couple of things have changed since the 400ex came out in 1999. In 05 they changed the plastic and added reverse. In 08 they changed the plastic again. Overall its the same quad they came out with in 99. To me reverse made a big difference in deciding on buying one in 05. Other people will chime on things to look for. I would plan on spending a few bucks since you will be buying a used one. I love my 400ex and wouldn't have anything else. They also changed the gear ratios in the motor and the spockets (probobly better gears) in 05.

[joshcb7]

Thanks for the help.Im doing the same as you did CJM,watching craigslist.In the mean time i want to learn as much as possible.I also am not a fan of buying something thats been bored dismantled ect. for the same reasons unless it was done at pro shop.Knowing reverse was added in 05 is nice,might sway me a little.I had a 98 yz85 when i was young and have rode my friends quads but yea i dont know much about atv's and the 400 ex's seem popular.I know i should and will ride it first but being on a unfamiliar atv I wont be able to tell much other than the obvious.I saw a thread about a guy who got a lemon on craigslist with a bad piston and would just like to avoid any major internal issue's,Going back to "stock is best".

[powerbomb400]

I knew the changed the spline pattern didn't know they changed gear ratio. They changed the spocket ratio from 15/38 (1999-2004) to 14/39(05-up).

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by powerbomb400
I knew the changed the spline pattern didn't know they changed gear ratio. They changed the spocket ratio from 15/38 (1999-2004) to 14/39(05-up). I think they did at least cuz then if they didn't the 05+ would be much slower then the 04- models.

[CJM]

Gearing in the trans 05+ is slightly different and the sprockets are 14/39 instead of 15/38. In all honesty its pretty much the same.

As for having reverse, its nice but not really needed. Sometimes I wish I had it, but Ive learned to live without.

[TheAwesomehonda]

They probobly just changed the gears in the motor to work better with the reverse gears and then just switched the sprockets to make up for the gear change. To tell u the truth if I didn't have reverse on my 05 it probobly would have been replaced with a 450r :D

[joshcb7]

You want to check the following:
-wheels spin true/not bent, bearings are good
-engine sounds ok when running isnt knocking (ticking is normal on these)
-no signs of smoke. smoke at start up means valve seals worn out, smoke all the time means rings
-how often did they change the oil (acceptable is every 20-40 hrs imho)
-Whats been replaced if anything
-How often was it rode and by whom
-does the clutch work nicely, does it shift ok thru the gears
-Was the timing chain ever replaced
-Was the motor ever rebuilt, if so WHY
-Who serviced the quad, guy, dealer, etc
-Does the quad look beat up or mint/decent?



Thanks great info.How would I check the wheel spin?Have someone lift the end or jack it up?I understand the general idea of what you mean CJM just never done it so I may sound dumb. What would it mean if the timing chain has been rebuilt?When I hear the motor has been rebuilt I assume its had a hard life and steer clear even if it looks nice.Is that the right attitude to have?Even if the work was done at a shop I think I would rather have stock one.Do all timing chains go after a period of time?What I mean is if its just been replaced would it be one less thing to worry about?Or does it mean the rider beat it?I look at how the for sale ad has been made and figure out the type of person who owned it.Trying to avoid owners like me who dont know much.I also dont want to buy from the guy who knows everything trying to get rid of his scrap 400.Not in a rush to buy.Its still to cold to ride here.I know if you watch the forsale ads enough theres a chance of getting a great buy.Im sure i can live without reverse but it would be nice.The sprockets being different wont mean much to me...buying used on a budget :( .What could be considered normal stuff i might have to repair?I know there will be wear on tires and bearings ect.What would be a normal test ride?Not wanting to beat a quad thats not mine yet.Mostly how long though?I dont want to take a 2 minute ride have it seem fine and blow up when i get home.If you guys were selling a lemon what would you hide and how?lol

[CJM]

What you want to do is lift the frontend up and let the atv rest on its rear grab bar. Then you can spin the front tires and check them out to make sure they dont wobble.

As for the rest of it:
-Timing chain being replaced can be a good or bad thing, but unless it was done by a shop Id walk away. If the chain went then its possible the timing chain tensioner was/is bad and so are the guides to the chain. Replacing that all is a time consuming not so easy job. The chains do go eventually, but usually after MANY hours. Its a good way to gauge how much use the quad has had in its life.

-Knocking means it will sound like a bucket of bolts or someone smacking metal with a hammer. Any sound like that isnt good.

-Basically Id go over everything with a fine tooth comb. Most honestly dont have a clue wtf they are talking about. I personally dont like the person who works on thier own stuff (funny cause Im that guy LOL), but you just never know if they did anything right.

-The big thing is if it smokes at all I wouldnt even bother in your case. Me Id offer then WAY less than they think its worth and see if they take it cause Im gonna be rebuilding it anyways.

Ex: Buddy of mine wanted an 05+ cause of reverse. We searched high and low and he found one, went to check it out and we got there when it was dark (bad cause we couldnt see everything). The quad ran ok, I rode it around a bit and it seemed ok. He gets it and we find out its WAY overfull of oil, every single bolt that holds the valve cover on was messed up and or loose, timing chain and assoc parts were bad, and tons of other odd junk. Thing was it looked ok and it rode ok-but it was dark and of course in a residential area what can you do but ride it for 5 mins.

Ex2: I bought a pos old suzuki quad for the heck of it due to the price. It looked ok and rode ok but I couldnt ever get it started without using starting fluid. I come to realize that the carb had a broken tab that pulled up the choke. I rigged something up and voila it was fine.

But you just never know. If your not sure about something bring someone who has a better idea or post the ad here and we can at least offer some advice.

[joshcb7]

What do you guys think about this?

2001 honda 400ex bored .10mm over to a 410 ex, full exhaust, jet kit, just rebuilt motor less then 10 hours of ride time on it, nerf bars, full skid plate, beadlock rims, BRAND NEW PLASTICS, and I just had it serviced with a new carb. oil change, air filter



Im a little unsure about anything bored cuz im pretty green when it comes to this stuff but the price is good.It seems like every time i find a decent stock 400 that hasnt been touched its selling immediately,Like I try to set up a time to look at it and other people are going and buying it in the dark the same day it goes for sale.I dont know much about bored quads and im sure im wrong on this but I think if its bored something went wrong unless your doing it for more power.I see some people go 440 426 416 but this is 410.Why would someone do this?Should I just keep looking for something stock or would the one I mentioned be fine for a noob?I dont plan on racing just trail riding.Just dont want the headache when something breaks and I have to try to figure out what parts I need cuz its no longer stock.Or is that not a problem if you know exactly whats done?I might not make any sense I know just trying to learn more

[CJM]

Well its certainly NOT a 410, .10 over doesnt exist. Its worth a shot in the dark if the person has paperwork for the shop that fixed it, otherwise Id pass.

btw .40 over is still just 407cc, so how they think they have a 410 IDK.

[250ex 2010]

From my experience, dont trust craigslist sellers unless they have proof 10 hours on the motor probably means 30-40. and it seems even more suspicious that they dont know the bore....
I like to buy stock, then you know everything that has been done to it and who has done it.
Just my opinion, matt

[250ex 2010]

Originally posted by joshcb7
What do you guys think about this?

2001 honda 400ex bored .10mm over to a 410 ex, full exhaust, jet kit, just rebuilt motor less then 10 hours of ride time on it, nerf bars, full skid plate, beadlock rims, BRAND NEW PLASTICS, and I just had it serviced with a new carb. oil change, air filter



Im a little unsure about anything bored cuz im pretty green when it comes to this stuff but the price is good.It seems like every time i find a decent stock 400 that hasnt been touched its selling immediately,Like I try to set up a time to look at it and other people are going and buying it in the dark the same day it goes for sale.I dont know much about bored quads and im sure im wrong on this but I think if its bored something went wrong unless your doing it for more power.I see some people go 440 426 416 but this is 410.Why would someone do this?Should I just keep looking for something stock or would the one I mentioned be fine for a noob?I dont plan on racing just trail riding.Just dont want the headache when something breaks and I have to try to figure out what parts I need cuz its no longer stock.Or is that not a problem if you know exactly whats done?I might not make any sense I know just trying to learn more

There is a reason that stockers sell so quick and you always see the "highly modified" on cragslist.

[DoonRider]

What he said ^^^^^.

Find a good clean stocker, even if you have to pay a little more for it. It's just like picking out the girl you're going to marry.

[joshcb7]

Yea im gonna avoid that one.If you guys saw the pics it was one of the "looks too good for the price"things.Im just getting impatient.Its just like you guys say about stock ones selling quick and modded ones sticking around.I wont buy it at night but I understand first come first serve.I say I"ll take a look as soon as you can show it and they say "after 6pm"and its usually gone after that.It takes an email to get decent pictures most of the time :grr:

[jgar]

I see you are in R.I., Iam just up here in MA. What has worked well for me besides what the others have said is I look for machines where there are no places to ride. Iam in central ma. where there are lots of places to ride but I always look for quads for sale around cape cod where there are NO places to ride. I got my ex in New Bedford for 1500 a few years ago. Looked like it came out of a time capsule.

[erik420]

I also got one from New Bedford in great condition about 4 years ago for $1500. Jgar has some good advise there. It was also mint with low hours. Ive been running the **** out of it since with no major issues. Was stock now has a few bolt ons and still runs great.

[DoonRider]

Good advice jgar, you're thinking.
Quads are legal to ride on the streets in a city northwest of here, so some of those for sale are basically street bikes. They are also clean.
When I buy parts for my old 250r's, I always try to buy from sellers off the west coast where the quad may have only been ridden in the sand as opposed to over rocks, through mud, and into trees, etc.

[01FOURHUNITEX]

Make sure you check the swingarm bearings and suspension linkage. I just bought an 01 400ex that "only" needed swingarm bearings, and so far has cost me about $400. The pivot bolt was seized in all the sleeves, so it had to be torched out, I had to have new bushings made for the engine cases and buy a new swingarm and all new bearings, bushings, new bolt, etc. turned into a nightmare

[CJM]

^ Thats a given with a 400ex, its just something that happens. You have a 6/10 chance it happens to you. I was one of the lucky few who had it easy.

[joshcb7]

So I went to look at a 2004 400ex today.It looked good for the age and ran ok.No smoke or big red flags.I was about to load it up and buy it but I checked the oil.It was high on the stick so I cleaned it a few times and checked,Still high on the dipstick.After making sure we were flat on the driveway I started it and let it idle.After shutting it off to check the oil again it was pouring out of the dipstick hole.Did I make a mistake by not checking the oil cold?Im not an expert but I dont think oil should come out of the dipstick hole.Im just seeing if I made a good decision not buying it.It had extended axles and pro taper bars,Other than that it was stock.So in conclusion is too much oil bad in 400exs or did I let a good deal slip away.Thanks for any help as always

[CJM]

The moron overfilled the oil. Is it bad, yea if its literally pouring out the dipstick hole. Chances are he coulda always overfilled it, but you never know. Since the oil circulates it really wont harm much unless it is very overfilled (I always overfilled mine slightly) but this sounds like the moron dumped a good quart to much in.

I woulda walked away too.

[joshcb7]

Yea after re-reading your reply to my first post CJM you said your buddy got one WAY overfull of oil.You might have been where I heard that lol.I referred to this post and used your checklist. The guy said he had it for a year and all he did was change the oil.Which made me nervous he only had it a year.When I showed him it was overfull of oil he asked me "why is that bad?"and I couldn't tell him exactly why it was bad, but I knew it wasn't good.What would it damage?Gaskets?valves?He said he rode it 3 times after changing the oil.I wanted to buy it and drain it but I feared the damage was done.Im not as qualified as everyone else on this site so I don't want to rebuild it.It sucks because its the best 400ex ive seen for a while.There are dozens of 400exs for sale but that was the only one nice enough for me to go look at.So now I'm disappointed after an hour drive each way.I am in Rhode Island for anybody selling a 400ex hint hint.The search continues...

[CJM]

The motor can only handle so much oil, you overfill it has literally nowhere to go. Had a crapsmen riding mower like that once, we bought it brand new already to go and it blew up after 3 hours-was WAY overfull of oil.

[2001400exrida]

excess oil goes out the oil vent line from the crankcase. they put the oil crank vent there for this reason. it rarely has an opportunity to do damage on something like a 400ex. One thing that you should know is that there could be an oil flow issue if the oil is filling in the tank there is a chance it's not circulating properly and therefore only going one way into the tank. IF the vent line is clogged it won't be able to relieve crankcase pressure either. Almost every atv this day in age has an oil overflow tube that will blow out the case vent, which usually leads into the airbox but not always. This is a vent line and is purposely designed to avoid overfilling and causing damage.

[markk]

I thought that the 99-00 used a little different front spindle and hub, and the 01-current used the new one. and also in I believe the 99-00 used a metal/rubber intake boot,, then I think in 01 they switched to the solid rubber intake boot as well...

[joshcb7]

I was just wondering what you guys think of something like this? http://newhaven.craigslist.org/mcy/4315327800.html ?Is it worth $2,000?Its about an hour and a half drive though.The scratches on the plastics and front end make me think its been through alot of brush.Any thoughts?

[Stickman400]

$1500-$2000 tops, looks a little too rusty and slapped together in spots to be "Mint" as he states.