I have a 1981 honda atc 185s that wont start. I am getting fire at the plug (brand new plug) and gas to the carb. I took the carb apart and blew it out and checked the float to make sure it doesnt leak. The spark plug is not wet after trying to start it. I took the plug out, injected some gas into the cylinder and then put the plug back in and still would not fire.

The compression seems ok, but I dont have a tester to check it. Wondered if the cam chain could have jumped a tooth and the timing is off? Does anyone know how to check the timing on these old atc's? Any other ideas to try?

 

Make sure the keyway on the crank has not broken and thrown the timing way out. The easiest way to check is to take the slotted plug out at the zippy and line up the "T" mark on the flywheel against the indicator arrow on the case. Then take out your plug and shine a flashlight down and see if the piston is at the top. If not , its probably the keyway or jumped a couple of teeth on the cam.