Whats wrong with my new quad???

[erichsen18]

i just bought a 2002 honda 400ex and ive had it a week and i think there is already somethign wrong with it. here are the problems
-i start it up and let it warm up and then after alittle bit it will die. It just dont die like once either, it does it like 2-4 times before it will quit. Is this normal?
-i talked to the local honda dealer and they asked if the spark plug was black and i pulled it and it was so i bought a new one and it got black like after 20 minutes off riding and started dying again. they told me how to adjust the mixture and he told me to turn it to the back of the quad? what will that do? shoudl i do that? when i turn that screw to the front of the quad fuel starts pouring out of the overflow tube and now it keeps dripping now. What the hell is wrong with this thing? does the carb in need of desperate cleaning?

[Ty's400]

It sounds to me like you need to have your carb re-jetted. I had a problem like this too. It would start and then die and then I had a hard time starting it again. And every time I put a new spark plug in it would go bad. I simply had to just make it a little more lean because it was running to rich. So see about having it re-jetted.

[mcmike]

Dude you're turning the carb. bowl drain screw. 400ex's are very cold natured, sounds like you may be leaving the choke partially on. If you are sitting on it, the yellow lever should be all the way down or back. If you rev the engine very fast with the choke on you can gas foul the plug.;)

[drip]

It sounds like you may need to jet it.

[erichsen18]

Originally posted by mcmike
Dude you're turning the carb. bowl drain screw. 400ex's are very cold natured, sounds like you may be leaving the choke partially on. If you are sitting on it, the yellow lever should be all the way down or back. If you rev the engine very fast with the choke on you can gas foul the plug.;)

ok then if im turning the wrong screw, than where is the mixture screw at?

[JOEX]

The mixture screw is on the bottom of the front of the carb, it is slightly recessed and very difficult to get to with a regular screwdriver.

Is this a brand new quad or a used one? If it is used the previous owner may have made some adjustments to the carb that will need to found out before any other adjustments are made.

The stock settings are:
Main jet=148
Pilot jet=38
needle clip in the middle slot
mixture screw= 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 turns out from lightly seated

Joe

[erichsen18]

alright tomorrow im goin to adjust all that...will this stop my black plug problem and the frequent stalling?

its better to run richer than leaner right?

and running the screw out more will make it richer right?

thanks everyone
Ryan

[bmw500hp]

aint it so cool to remember the first day you got your ex?.I remember flippin over in the yard the first 2 minutes riding..neighbor almost fell off his lawnmower laughing!

[JOEX]

Originally posted by erichsen18
alright tomorrow im goin to adjust all that...will this stop my black plug problem and the frequent stalling?

its better to run richer than leaner right?

and running the screw out more will make it richer right?

thanks everyone
Ryan
Q#1.. Depends on what has been done to the quad prior to you owning it. I'm assuming it is used since it is a 2002.

Q#2.. Yes to a point. You can't ride it if is fouling plugs....

Q#3.. Yes

Joe

[JOEX]

Originally posted by bmw500hp
aint it so cool to remember the first day you got your ex?.I remember flippin over in the yard the first 2 minutes riding..neighbor almost fell off his lawnmower laughing!
LOL!

i remember my first day....the had sent me my quad with the choke on & I was so excited I just thought I could air up the tires & go so i did......it kept stalling & **** cause the choke was on, I ran it like that for about 20 minutes before I figured it out. :mad:

Honestly it sounds like a normal cold natured 400ex..