2 new Ex machines wont start

[ExFamily]

I bought myself a 400ex and the wife a 300ex; both are brand new right out of the crates. We got them home and took a xmas eve ride of no more than 30 minutes. I noticed on the ride that the 300 started dripping gas from the overflow tube. The next day I took apart the carb and didn't notice that anything was wrong, so I put it back together and the leak stopped... Go figure. Later that day we took them both over to a friends (he also bought a 300 and a 400) we all went on a 2 to 3 hour ride where all the bikes ran just fine. We washed off the mud and went home. The day after xmas, we took the bikes to a car wash and power washed the remaining and hard to reach mud from the bikes. I also adjusted the throttles, like the board suggested because we both had slack in our thumb triggers. Again both bikes cracked up and ran fine for the test drives. I put them both away in the garage. I wanted to ride later that night and was unable to get the 300ex started. So I tried the 400ex, and I couldn't get it to start either. By now I’m a little upset. I let them both sit for a few minutes and tried again, still no go. I pulled the plug on the 300 and it seemed a little to black for a plug that only had 3 hours of run time on it. So I took the wire brush to it, to knock off the build up, reinstalled and still could not start the bike. I go back to the 400 and it sluggishly started up. It would barley run at idol and if I gave it any gas it would die. So I decided to let it run until it warmed up. Now it’s starting to run fine. I could kill it and then start it back up without an issue. I rode it for a few minutes and parked it again. Today I decided to give them another go. The 300 still won’t start and now the 400 wont start either. By now, I’m more than mad. I backed off both the throttles cables thinking that they were giving a little gas and flooding the bikes but that still has not helped. Now the battery on the 300 is drained and so are my patients.
Sorry for the long post, but I think it’s important to give as much information as possible, so it will help the troubleshooting suggestions. By the way the riding temp is around 65*, that’s why I want to ride so bad!!!!

[sickmojave]

:eek:

is the kill switch on the bars on?

is the choke on?

is the fuel on?

goodluck

[sickmojave]

BTW Welcome to exriders :)

[lilpoppy]

Is it cold where you live? You may want to up the pilot jet if it is really cold, it helps out a lot with cold starting.

[Colby@C&DRacing]

Welcome to the site.
:)

I have found the same problem that you are having is very common on new 400ex and 300ex atv's. The bikes are jetted really rich from the factory from mid to top and will foul a plug within a few hours on breaking. You will not be able to clean the plugs because they are gas fouled which will require a new plug to be installed. This problem should stop after breakin. hope this helps. If you ever have any other questions on the 300 or 400 give us a call we have allot of time on these bikes:D

[ExFamily]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have checked everything that would keep the bikes from starting and everything is a go.

I guess i'll replace the plugs and go from there. I know plugs should only be a few bucks, but i'm pretty mad that the dealer didn't prep me for this. Too bad the dealer is closed until the 5th of Jan. I should be able to pick up plugs at an auto parts store right?

Thanks the greeting to the board, there is a wealth of information here.

[K_Fulk]

Originally posted by sickmojave
:eek:

is the kill switch on the bars on?


I had that problem the day i bought mine lol. Abuddy of mine rode it and turned it off with that. I took it to the dealer and felt like an arse when they flipped that switch back over and it fired right up.

[Silverfox@C&DRacing]

you should be able to get them at the auto parts store Just try to get the NGK plug they seem to work the best in atv's but if you can't find the NGK you will be ok with another brand. Let us know if you can't find any we have them in stock.

again welcome to the site and congrats on the new bikes. I am glad to see that you got the wife involved also. :)

[sickmojave]

Originally posted by K_Fulk
I had that problem the day i bought mine lol. Abuddy of mine rode it and turned it off with that. I took it to the dealer and felt like an arse when they flipped that switch back over and it fired right up.

My brother pushed his bike 2 miles because of that switch. I LMAO when my dad walked up and started it right up:devil:

[Chanman420q]

i blew a fuse one day and accidently hit the kill switch, took me 20 mins of trying to bump start it til i relised the kill switch was on... lol

[FFW]

I think we need to go back and re-read the original post. If he was able to sluggishly start the ATV do you think the kill switch was the culprit? :)


I'm voting for a fouled plug, due to lack of running time, for starters. I've had the same issue with my 440 shortly after I had the engine built. It went away with time. but....

I would investigate a mis-adjusted carb on both machines. Sounds to me like the dealer didn't PDI them at all. Of course it could also be the choke on both of them. They will start but run poorly.


:)

[2k2-300exnj]

did u happen to ride witht he choke on i did that once and fouled my plug and couldnt get ti started i felt like an idio but it was an honest mistake that i learned from

[400grl]

When I worked in service we were constantly getting 400's in with the choke on while the quad was being ridden - fouled the plugs and frustrated customers.....easy fix, and everyone does it.

Let us know what you find out!

[Bill Fuller]

Keep us posted sounds to me like a plug problem.Hondas are notorious for being rich from the factory.

[jaspurx]

maybe a weak battery problem , the battery works the ignition/starter both , if the battery is weak it will have very little spark.
definitely try a new spark plug , and try to pull start it , it will not flood with that method.

[ExFamily]

Update*****
I replaced the plug in the 400, and I still cant get this darn bike to start.

By the way, I've been riding bikes over 20 years now, leaving the kill switch burned me in my early years. And, I do not ride with the choke on, the bikes never get put into gear until they are warmed up.

With the new plug, and choke full on, and the throttle wide open it will start and then run for a second and then die!!!!

I feel like driving the damn things through the window of the dealer!!!!

I am a huge Honda fan, I own a CBR1100XX Blackbird. The frustrating part is I can hit the starter on it, and it will crank right up without a problem, but these damn quads are taking the wind out of my sails!!!

[AtvMxRider]

Well if they are new machines take them back to the dealer and raise hell.

[Guy400]

One thing I noticed when I had my 400EX--they are cold-blooded SOB's!! They do not want to start when they're cold. There's a routine that you must learn for each quad. I found on my bike that when it was stock I had to put the choke on, give the throttle 2-3 stabs and then push the start button. It would normally start up and idle very rough but if I would attempt to give it any gas it would die. If I just let it idle for about 5 minutes then it would run OK. You're going to have to learn your quad.

[ExFamily]

You better bet I’m going to raise a little hell with the dealer.

Like I said the crazy thing is, they were running fine. Easy to start, never died. Then all of a sudden, neither of them want to start at the same time... It’s not cold here by any means, I live in Houston.

I checked the spark from the plug and that’s fine. I do notice that when I give a little gas, I can hear the motor speed up a little. Is there anything else I can check? I have new plugs, checked the spark, it just wont crank (either of them).

[FFW]

Originally posted by jaspurx
maybe a weak battery problem , the battery works the ignition/starter both , if the battery is weak it will have very little spark.
definitely try a new spark plug , and try to pull start it , it will not flood with that method.

300 and 400EX's have pull starters?? Thats news to me! I better go out to my garage and check for that puppy. It sure would have saved me when I had a dead battery last year. And, tell me exactly how does pull starting prevent flooding? I don't mean to pick on you but your information is seriously flawed.

Actually it shouldn't matter at all how weak or powerful the battery is. If the engine can crank over at a reasonable speed there will be enough voltage to jump the gap at the plug.

Besides, this sounds like an oddball problem that a simple plug change won't cure. I don't care how cold blooded or tempermental a machine is, it better start easily when brand new considering he lives in Houston.


EXFamily, the only other thing I can offer is a bad load of gas in each tank. Chances are you filled them at the same time, right? You rode them initially with good gas in them and then filled them later. Did you use a gas can you have at your place? One that might have been sitting a long time?

One last thing just caught me. Check the fuel switch on each machine and make sure they are in the on position, not off or reserve. I know...it's silly but it could prove useful to check :)

Back to the dealer if all else fails!

he meant jumpstart or push start where you click it in gear :rolleyes:

[FFW]

I figured as much 747 but can't I have a bit of fun, puleeze? :)

:devil:

[2001400ex]

Maybe it's just a lemon or something, can quads be lemons as-well?:confused:

You check your oil at all or anything?

[xc400ex]

Couple years ago I bought a new 300 it kept foulin plugs and gas running out of the overflow I took the carb apart and realized the float was plastic and couldnt be adjusted. I took it back to the dealer and they just went ahead and put a whole new carb on it. The 300's are bad for havin float problems. The 400 just has a misadjustment on the carburetor and also just check the airbox's make sure you didnt soak the air filters with water when you power washed them.

[2001400ex]

Nice thinking outside the box xc400, come to think of it you could've hit the carb. with the powerwasher you were using and blasted something right off your carb. Maybe even got some inside of your carb and that's why it won't start? But you said that you took apart your carb. and put it back together so any water would've fallen out. I don't know man sounds like an odd ball problem...I've never had any problem with my 400...:confused:

[ReconRider25]

my friend had a very similar problem with his 300ex.....we couldnt even bump start it. turns out water got into the cdi from when he was power washing it. might wanna check all ur electricals and that too. hope this helps.

[ExFamily]

Great suggestions from all. I'll drain the gas and put in some new. Where do i find this CDI thing?

[K_Fulk]

On the 400 Its the black box under the nose its in a little plastic holder. I'm not sure where they put them on the 300's but they look about the same.

[Warrioreater400ex]

look on the front right side up under the fender, there is a little black box clamped to the frame.... that is the CDI box, but as to telling if there is water in it, i dont know :confused:

[Martin Blair]

the very simple solution to this problem has alredy been posted.

it starts at full throtle probly because some gas has been shot in the moter from teh accl pump, choke the bike, turn on the gas, make sure the kill swithc is on, pump the gas 3 times and then try it.

[jaspurx]

mine has a pull starter , come on over , I have a rope to tie on you , and you will pull start it.
also , it does not prevent flooding , merely requires no extra fuel as air/fuel is drawn into the ports with higher velocity than the e-starter method due to faster rpm`s.

[FFW]

Originally posted by jaspurx
mine has a pull starter , come on over , I have a rope to tie on you , and you will pull start it.
also , it does not prevent flooding , merely requires no extra fuel as air/fuel is drawn into the ports with higher velocity than the e-starter method due to faster rpm`s.

Ok, well, I will have to take your word for it but I wouldn't be pulling you anywhere and that is a fact! :)

As for me I will stick with the electric starter and if the battery fails go buy a new one.

If it doesn't prevent flooding why did you state that it does? I'll have to defer to your obviously superior knowledge on this one!

:blah:

[polabareus]

I just bought a 250ex a couple months ago. When I first got it, it rode fine and I had no problems. After riding it in my woods a few times I felt comfortable with it and took it to my friends house about 8 miles away. I got there no problem but on the way back it started cutting out and sputtering (all the syptoms of not enough gas getting through) and it just died. The gas tank was half full and the tank switch was on on. After a while it would start sluggishly and take me a little ways and die. So I pushed it for about 2 miles and then I tried starting it and it ran although like complete crap. I didn't care and I drove it home along the edge of the road spitting and sputtering. So the next day I bring the 250 back to the dealer and they said they would take a look at it. The next day it was done and running great. The mechanic said the factory sprays some flame retardent stuff all over the bike pretty much on everything (Anyone ever notice the blue smoke that comes off of a brand new bike). He said before they sell the bikes their supposed to clean out the air filter box. Apparently some one forgot and some off that stuff got sucked into my carb and caused my problem. So im assuming you got the bikes from the same dealer and however assembled them at the dealership might have forgotten this crucial step. I would just wait until the dealer opens and have them fix the problem. However if you are mechanically inclined try cleaning out the carb really well and clean out the air filter box and the hose (or opening) that goes into the carb. That might just help you out.