Alright, as you know, I have an 05 KFX 400. The darn thing will not start cold. I have to roll it off and as soon as it warms up, no problems starting. I was directed to clean the carb. Removed it, disassembled it, cleaned all the jets and every other square inch of the thing. Float not sticking. Put it back on, same friggin thing. Will not start. I can pull the plug and tell that gas is getting to the plug (a new plug, by the way). I removed the plug to verify spark. Looks to be sparking fine. I poured a little gas on the plug outside the block and turned it over. It continued to spark but thats it. I guess I was expecting it to ignite the small amount of fuel on the plug. With the plug pulled, I squirted a little starter fluid on it (more flammable than gas) and it went poof and burned. What do you guys think???

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

try a compression test, could be it needs valves adjusted

What should the compression reading be?

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

if i remember right it should be around 140

oh yes valves for sure

Alright guys, I have removed the valve cover and am ready to see if, in fact, it is in need of a valve adjustment. I have a set of feeler gauges and according to my shop manual, the specs for intake are .1-.2 mm and exhaust are .2-.3. Also according to my shop manual, those measurements are to be taken between the cam contact (the arm from the cam that spins and opens and closes valve) and valve itself. I turned the crank to the compression stroke (lining the "T" in the middle of the timing hole) and could not fit the smallest feeler gauge (.10mm) in between contact (cam arm???) and valve. Seemed to already be in full contact with the valve. My question is this: Is the valve clearance taken between the cam arm and the valve? Just want to be sure that Im measuring at the correct spot before I proceed.

Thanks,

Don

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

The feeler goes directly under the cam lobe, and on top of the 'bucket'

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"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.
It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. "
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Edited: 04/28/2008 at 02:57 PM by hondabuster

Thanks. After I read a little more, beginning to understand terminology instead of referring to things as "the arm thingy" or "the jiggamajoo". The smallest feeler I have will not slide between the bucket and the arm lobe. Too tight I assume???

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

yup to tight, valve cant close and you lose compression

Alright guys, I have the valve clearance set to spec. I did run into a wierd situation though. The cam timing per specs according to my shop manual were different than the cam timing it was running on before I took it apart. Keep in mind, it ran great, just had to roll it off once. I notated all the timing marks and positions on the cam sprocket before I broke it down. Once I finished setting the valve clearance and timing (per shop manual specs, not back to what it was) put everything back together and gave her a try. Nothing. Just turns over. I could tell I was burning fuel because exhaust was coming out of the pipe. Only problem was, it was coming out of the air intake box under the seat as well. Is it out of timing? Could my manual have been wrong?? I have given myself a Friday deadline before I break down and let someone else fix it. Im in a hare scramble race May 10th and must have it going before then. Thanks for all the help guys.

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

sounds like it is not timed right, if it ran good before try it that way, sounds like intake valve is open at the wrong time, so exhaust will be wrong as well

Thats what I was thinking, just wanted an expert opinion. I will try re-setting it back to what it was and let you know. Thanks, Don

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2005 Kawasaki KFX 400-me
2006 Kazuma 90-my daughter

Can I throw a question into this mix? My 2001 Bayou 300 2X4 has problems with cold starts. I did a complete rebuild on the carb with no benefit. Sometimes the thing starts on first crank, and for God's sake don't touch the throttle or choke. If it doesn't start immediately, it floods badly and exhibits similar symptoms to those you have been describing. Any advice would be appreciated.
Jim

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"If you ain't gonna work...Don't Hire Out!"

2007 Rancher 450 4X4
2001 Kawasaki Bayou 300 2X4
1995 Polaris Trail Boss 250 2X4
....each has its own personality and is an individual challenge!

i am assuming it ran fine before? how does it run when you get it running? check compression spark and fuel

This has been a quad that would start on first touch of the starter, or first pull on the rope, but has always tended to flood if you push the throttle or choke before trying to start. Becoming a hard starter happened pretty suddenly. I suspect the float needle valve may need to be replaced, but visual inspection of the neopreme tip and the seat appear fine. It gets spark at the plug, but doesn't look particularly strong. I replaced the plug and used a squirt of B-12 in the carb throat this morning. It fired right up. I drove it about three miles, shut off the fuel and let the motor run till it died. I'm going to let it sit overnight, then try a cold start. The aggravating thing, is that when it starts, it runs great, but I can't let it be tempermental or it will quit at the most inconvenient time (Murphy's Law).

Jim

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"If you ain't gonna work...Don't Hire Out!"

2007 Rancher 450 4X4
2001 Kawasaki Bayou 300 2X4
1995 Polaris Trail Boss 250 2X4
....each has its own personality and is an individual challenge!

generally when the float valve needs replacing it fills the float bowl and fuel flows out of the overflow, into airbox, into cylinder past rings and into oil etc. pull your plug and see how rich it has been running. i have had a few machines that a shorted plug would be hard starting and would run well most of the time. test spark to make sure it is strong with a blueish color.

Thanks for the advice and support.

After dark I removed the plug from my poor starting KLF300, and with the wire connected I wedged it against the frame and hit the starter.... very poor spark. I pulled the wire and got no reading from an ohm meter. The wire checked okay, but the plug cap appeared bad. I unscrewed the plug inside the plug cap and found a 1/2" long x 1/8" diameter resistor and spring. The resistor showed no ohm reading. The only reason I was getting spark from the coil to the plug was "Skin Effect" where a small arc was jumping the resistor and allowing the plug to fire a weak spark. I replaced the resistor with a piece of ground off drill bit the same size as the resistor. Now I can't keep the engine from starting when I hit the starter.

EURIKA!

Now the next question.... Of what importance is the resistor? Does it really need to be replaced?

Thanks,
Jim

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"If you ain't gonna work...Don't Hire Out!"

2007 Rancher 450 4X4
2001 Kawasaki Bayou 300 2X4
1995 Polaris Trail Boss 250 2X4
....each has its own personality and is an individual challenge!