Ok,
I am wanting to get this atv which is on the for sale board at work . But some things scare me about it . It says that it has a 440 big bore kit in it . With less than 5 hrs on the rebuild .He says it needs a new headgasket or a new head as it is allowing anti-freeze into the exhaust .
If I go and look at it , what should I look for ? I am just hoping it is the head gasket and not a cracked head .
If I remove the spark plug and the plug doesn't look like it has antifreeze on it, what will that tell me ? Or if it still runs fine but steams out the exhaust , is it probably just the gasket ?
Also, What is all this talk about a girdle and why is this necessary ? Is there problems with the cylinder or head breaking ?
I have a friend that had a tab that broke off around the base of the cylinder on a 400 sport . Could this have been prevented with a girdle installed ?
Thanks,
D.


BTW: Will this 400 sport bring the front end off the ground and possibly keep up with a Honda 400 ex ?

 

Most likly is the head gasket.You need to use a POlaris base and head gasket on these and retourque after the first warm up cycle to keep from blowing the headgasket.
From what you said in the other post you cant go wrong with the 400 for what you are giving for it.Even if it needs a head and cylinder you can get them off Ebay for less than $300.
The main thing to look for is counter balance oil.It has a dipstick down under the cab on the bottom of the engine.If it is dry or has antifreeze in it stay away.Oil in it should be nice and clean.
The girdle kit is a must on highly modded 400s or it WILL break a tab off the cylinder.Another must in ANY 400 is that it has a Weisco piston in it because the stock and other brands WILL break.
On keeping up with 400EXs no problem you will be hanging with the 660s and the Banshees.

 

did you mean to say "under the carb " not under the cab ?
Thanks,
D.
Thanks for all your input on this subject . I see you don't live that far away . I live in Iowa , if I get this ATV ,fix it and decide I don't like it . Do you think you could find it a new home ?

 

400 Sports are easy to get rid of.Most go to guys wanting a drag bike.But yes I could turn it for you IF you dont like it.And yes under the carb it is hard to get to and that is why folks dont service it like they should.

 

I went and looked at the 400 tonight . Here is what I found out , it is low on compression and will not run . I am thinking it was rebuilt wrong . I alos, found the plug on top of the crankcase under the carb. It is hard to get to, but I got it srewed out but there is not a dipstick on it . How do you know if it is full or not ?
Her is the stuff that it has :
Boysen reed valves,K&N air filter,EPI Racing Clutch,Total DG exhaust from the front to the back, and .040 over on the piston (not 40cc big bore kit) .
As stated, this thing is low on compression and was said to be blowing white smoke when it last ran . Also, the starter does not work , and the lower end sounds "scratchy" .
Is there a drain plug for the lower end ? I would like to drain the oil out and see what comes out of it . If there is antifreeze or shavings, I am afraid the lower end is shot.

Otherwise this atv has been ridden and needs some TLC . But it is complete . If nothing else, do you think with all the aftermaket stuff, could I part it out for $500 and get my $ back ? He originally wants $600 for it, if he won't take $500 for it, could I get my $ back parting it out for $600 ?

Thanks,
D.

BTW: it is a 1997 not a 1998 !

 

The crankcase (lower end is oiled by the oil in the feul) no oil in cases except for the counter balance.It can be checked by a plug in the lower front of the motor and drained by a plug on the bottom.
For the mods that are on it you can even give a DG system away to anyone that know about Polaris and the EPI clutch kit is about the same.But if you can get it cheaper you could come out on it with a new exhaust system and matching clutch kit and you can bore these up to .080 before going to a big bore kit. So if you can check the counter balance and there is oil in it you could have a fun machine to play with.Once you get to know these things you will find that they are great machines and very easy to mod to make huge amounts of HP.Not to mention that they are ADDICTVE.

 

Well,
The guy called me up and accepted the $300 I offered him for the 400 . I will go get it tomorrow morning . I sure hope I didn't get hurt for $300 . But I will see .
I will see whats in store when I tear it apart.
Merry Christmas,
D.

 

You got more than $300 in part away(if it don't work out for you)..............Don't feel bad about it...........have fun......learn....You got a toy to play with ...............and Merry Christmas also.............caper..............

 

I live in southeast Wisconsin, I will drive down to Iowa and cover your 300.00 if you want to get rid of the 400. I'm looking for a 400 builder for a drag machine. Doc PM me if you want to sell it.

 

you got a steal on that deal even if you have to rebuild or replace the counterbalance. go to www.partsland.com under atvs and find your bike and year model.then you can print out all the exploded views of the engine and also get part numbers and prices.