I have been working in an 2004 arctic cat 300 4X4 that i bought 2 weeks ago. I was able to crank it up and drive it around the yard untill it quit. the previous owner said that it had not been ran in over a year. i know that it needs an oil change but would this be the cause for all of the white smoke? i also need to know where to start to do the oil change. thanks for the help

 

you have been working on it, but did not do an oil change first?

I promise I am not meaning to be a smartass here...do yourself a favor and find a friend who can show you how, or else take it to a dealer to have it tuned up...if you do not know the basics of an oil change, this forum is not the place to be learning how.

 

Sorry what i ment to ask is where would i locate the oil filter and if anyone knew the filter number for that type of 4 wheeler due to the fact that there is not an owners manual. the oil change is no problem i just need to know where the filter eg. by the right rear tire. but thanks for the help texas. sorry about the misunderstanding... i have also cleaned the carb. changed the air filter replaced the battery and spark plug. so now my next question is are the rings bad in the cylinder and how hard is that to do?

 

There are three nuts in the shape of a triangle on the motor. Look between the rightr rear tire and the fender. Down low will be the 3 nuts(the ones with a rounded top on them). Thats your oil filter,its a small paper type and im not sure of the filter number. I would just get everything you need from the Arctic cat dealer becuase you cant just use any oil for the 300. It needs a "Wet Clutch" safe type of oil b/c its a 5 speed. 10w40 is what you need for all year riding,and it will take 3 and a half quarts. I would also recommend finding a new after market air filter as the manual says NOT to oil the air filter,which caused my rings to wear out at 800 miles. Id find an aftermarket filter you CAN oil. stock i think is paper so you cant oil it. Good luck.

 

Is this quad water cooled?
White smoke (steam?) is caused by a blown head gasket or cracked head on water cooled engines.

 

I'd say it's a pretty good place to start. Where else would you suggest he ask that type of question?

Also, I'd highly recommend getting a service manual for the quad as well.

 

the smoke looks as if it is burnning oil? but it only runs for a few seconds and then shuts off. could it be trash in the cylinder?

 

Amen.

If you can't ask a question here... Where do you go. Appreciate the support. I am sure to ask a few basic questions here in the next few weeks.

 

Ryane-

my mistake, my misunderstanding.

The way your original question was phrased lead me to believe you didn't know the basics of an oil change, which would be difficult at best for someone to try and describe adequately enough to be able to teach someone how to do via the forum/internet...thus my answer of getting a friend to show you.

You may have trash caught in the rings...my first guess