Picked up a lt f160 a few weeks ago. I am a noob to small engines at the moment. I used to mess with them years ago but have forgot allot. Anyways , it will start up with the choke on (lever in the down pos) if I at all no matter how long I let it sit when I try to take the choke off (move lever up) it dies....Ive tried messing with the idle screw but once that lever moves up ... its dead.... while the choke is on it seems to ride ok but i assume this is NO good for the engine...

My other issue on top of that which isn't a huge issue but maybe has to play with it is the head light is dim... I have noticed that onece the engine is dying and ready to quit the light gets bright...

THanks
Michael

 

Well I assume a fifteem year old bike. My first thought is rebuild the carb. Have you had the carb off? Cleaned it and put it back on? What does your spark plug look like? Black, coffee, or white? When you have the spark plug out of the motor but plugged in and grounded to say the head and you crank over the engine, how does the spark look? Blue or white (good) or yellow or orange(not so good)? If your headlights brighten as your engine calls for less electricity to produce spark (ie dying), that usually means that what charges your battery is failing. Your battery is doing more work than it should to run the quad, it should only be needed to start it. After it is started, it is for the most part electrically self reliant.

 

And also, if it will ony run with choke on, the choke on richens the fuel mixture, meaning you are too lean (more air than gas in your mix) to run without the choke.Which could be a clogged jet. Id try taking the carb apart and cleaning it. Its not hard. Also check your gas flow out of the pet ****.That is the first thing I would do. Let us know how it goes.

 

I will work on that stuff hopefully before this weekend. I really appreciate your help. I will get back to you and let you know what I find out.
Thank You