Washing my naked 400ex? How to.

[deputy865]

Seems like a simple concept, washing your quad.. but my quad is naked right now (no plastics) and it is filthy!

Going back, I just bought a slew of upgrades for it which in turn resulted in me tearing it down to get to the valves, carb, etc.. My quad is disgusting. Dust, dirt, grime.. How do I properly and thoroughly clean this thing without doing damage?

Cleaning inside/outside of carb?
Cleaning head of the engine?
Cleaning airbox and it's components?
Cleaning the electrical components and surrounding areas?

It's sad to see my quad this way, because under all the dust, dirt, grime and crap... it's actually mint lol

Thanks for the input!

Shane

[DragonGunner]

Don't get water in engine or carb, tape or wrap stuff like that up. Hot water and dawn dish soap, put on oily places....then I use the power washer.

[Fix29]

Wizards Power Clean and a toothbrush work pretty good.

[JOHNDOE83]

Pressure washer and a scrub brush.

You cant damage anything unless water went in the motor.

[deputy865]

Can I spray the entire exterior of the carb down with carb cleaner? That way I know it is clean and I can just get it out of the way for when I wash the rest of the engine/bike?

What on the engine do I need to block off to ensure I don't get water in it?

[JOHNDOE83]

The only way water can get in is through the carbs "intake" or through the exhaust.

Just cover the carb hole and cover the exhaust hole and go to town spraying everything and scrubbing, its not rocket science.

They are made to be wet and sunk in mud and be in dusty situations.

[deputy865]

Will do. Just nervous about it. The second I think something is too easy, it ends up being a disaster lol

The last thing I want is something to go wrong after all the mods and tuning because I washed the quad incorrectly. Then go through the hassle thinking it was a modification I did the entire time, when it was just because I messed it up washing the damn thing.

[chronicsmoke]

Well I for one always wash my quad naked, that way I get clean too. That simple green stuff works great in all the nooks and crannies..


wait maybe I misunderstood the OP.. :blah:

[Blodg]

LMAO chronic!

[deputy865]

Well I for one always wash my quad naked, that way I get clean too. That simple green stuff works great in all the nooks and crannies..


wait maybe I misunderstood the OP.. :blah:

Hahahahha.. Well, while I'm at it.. Save the oceans, shower with your quad.

[Stickman400]

Kinda off topic but what does everyone use to keep mud from staining their plastic? I heard purple power or simple green cleans them well but does it help keep the stains away when you wash it next time? I've tried wiping the plastics with WD-40 after washing it, and it makes the shiny and keeps the stains off the color plastics, but the black never gets clean. I'm talking about the textured black side panel plastics on my 420 rancher, not the smooth 400 fenders.

[Scro]

You're gonna get water in places you don't want it with a pressure washer. Simple Green and a wheel cleaning brush will be more thorough, and take not much more time. Plus you will notice if anything is loose, broken, or needs replacing by using the brush.

1718104846

[Scro]

Kinda off topic but what does everyone use to keep mud from staining their plastic? I heard purple power or simple green cleans them well but does it help keep the stains away when you wash it next time? I've tried wiping the plastics with WD-40 after washing it, and it makes the shiny and keeps the stains off the color plastics, but the black never gets clean. I'm talking about the textured black side panel plastics on my 420 rancher, not the smooth 400 fenders.

The black panels on a 4x4 are tough. The best I've found is Simple Green and a stiff brush. After that, tire foam and a sponge will bring the shine back to them. You can use that on all the plastic to bring some shine back.

[JOHNDOE83]

on black panels try tire shine:bandit: