hello all.i just acquired a 1996 honda fourtrax 300.the bike was my uncles and he hardly rode it but 4 years ago he passed away and my cousin received it.well,my cousin isn't very outdoorsy but was going to keep the atv for his sons to ride.well,they rode it for all of 30 minutes saying that they just couldn't ride it because it made them think of their grandpa.so,the atv has say around for 4 years with a full tank of gas.i bring it home,after pumping up all 4 tires,and commence to getting to work on it.i have drained the tank of the old fuel,added new 93 octane fuel with seafoam in it to clean the carb,changed the oil,added new spark plug,and new yuasa battery.when i TRY to crank it the starter works fine it just never tries to fire.i tried several times to fire it up with no luck.i pulled the new spark plug and it doesn't even smell like gas/oil.it looks like i just took it out of the package.what is wrong?the bike doesn't have many hours on it.where should i go from here?
thanks to all that will help a fellow honda man out,
whitearrow->>>----------------------------------->

 

You did good by puttiung fresh gas in it but you prolly need to take the carb apart and clean it too. There's probably a stuck jet somewhere. Also, are you getting spark? With the plug removed and grounded to the engine block somewhere, crank it and look for a big fat blue spark. If no spark, it may need a CDI box.

 

what are the steps to ground the spark plug to the engine block?
thanks,
whitearrow->>>------------------------------>

 

who makes the best,most detailed but easiest to understand,manual?clymer or haynes?
thanks,
whitearrow->>>--------------------------->

 

Remove the plug, attach it to the plug wire just like it is normally, then just lay it on the engine somewhere so the threads are against the engine block. When you hit the starter button, you should be able to see the spark jumping at the end of the plug. Of course, the engine will sound different and crank a lot faster because the plug is removed, but that's ok. Someone here can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you only want to do this enough to determine if you have spark. If you do it a lot, you could harm the CDI box which is designed to work when the plug is in the engine.

I have a Clymer and it is pretty good. Probably everything I'll ever need. The best manual is the Honda Service Manual, but it's more money than the Clymer and probably overkill for me.

 

As long as the plug is firmly grounded you won't hurt the CDI box.

You may however suck dirt directly into combustion chamber. BAD. with the plug in you can use compressed air to clear all debris away. You ought to do this anyways when pulling the plug.

Edit: Ditto on the carb, if you don't smell fuel on the plug the carb is probably gummed up after 4 years.

 

I feel for sure after sitting up that long you will need to pull the carb. Remove both jets and clean with carb. cleaner, make sure the float is not stuck. I would also install an in-line filter for awhile until all the old juck in the tank is gone.

 

that has a metal tank if it has rust in it drop a small chain inside and and swash around couple of times the petcock will need to be cleaned at that time and then you get to pull the carb like the others have said and please use a fuel filter hope you get her running soon good luck

 

that has a metal tank if it has rust in it drop a small chain inside and and swash around couple of times

A few handfuls of bolts and nuts works good too.