hi have a recently purchased a 02 es rancher 4x4, the choke is completely stuck, after removing the carburator to fix a overflow leak, i ended up finally get the choke cable off, the cable is fine, the problem is the valve, on the carb, it is completely frozen seems no one ever used, could someone completely in dept explain what and how this valve is designed, and how or if did you fix it, as it seems quite easy to completely break it, and i don't want to purchase a new carb, also this is my first quad, do i acatually have to use honda oil? or is there a ceaper just as good oil? also my right front tire is quite wobbly, the rim looks brand new, and the gentlemen i bought the quad from is giving me 2 new rims, is there anything else on the front end that could cause the wobble want to know before this guy disappears forever

 

anyone?

 

Honda recommends their GN4 (petrolium) oil. It is good oil, and not all that expensive. Honda does not remommend synthetics (like their HP4) for bikes with autoclutches. Nice article-

http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm

I presume your choke is stuck OPEN??? I would try to lube all the pivots, etc., then gently see if you can loosen it up. There is a primer on the side, which you might be able to use in leu of a choke, in very cold weather.

As for the rim, put it on the OTHER side of the bike, and see is it wobbles there also. If so, it is the rim. If not, you may have hub problems.

 

Hello LittleBill....your problem with your choke cable is a VERY common problem on the rancher...I have a 2002 rancher as well, and my choke is beginning to stick as well....there is lots of info on this forum...just do a search and you'll find lots of information on how to fix it and/or how to repair it....as for the oil, here is how i look at it....there are endless debates on this issue, but noone has yet convinced me that other oils are DEFINITELY as good as the recommended oil....for the sake of a few oil changes a year, i will stick with the Honda oil, rather than save 2 or 3 bucks an oil change...it's 2 litres....the oil on a rancher also lubes the transmission, and there lies the problem with using other oils...i am sure that there might be other oils with the same properties, but until i am convinced, i'll stick with the honda oil....how wobbly is your tire?...could it just be a REAL BAD bearing??

 

wheel looks to be moving about 2-3 inches back and forth, quite wobbly, how much does a hub normally run?

 

I just did this a few weeks ago. Your starter enrichment valve is shot. Go buy a new one. They are about 40$ or so. Very easy to do. Pain in the a$$ to get a wrenh or your fingers on the nut.
Mine had split in half causing it to either be wide open all the time or closed or half way inbetween.
Trust me. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I also have a 02 rancher 4x4 with the same problem. As for the choke problem I really had to work on it to break it loose and get that little piston valve out. After I got it out I took some q-tips with some alcohol on them to clean the choke bore out. Another remody would be to replace the spring on the choke piston itself. That will help push the piston back into its seat after you pull it out. I am a big fan of the Slick 50 One Lube. The stuff works great and won't build up and get thick.

About the front hubs. I noticed some noise coming from my suspension and found out it was my front bearings in the steering nuckle/hub. Instead of just replacing the bearings and seals(the reason for the bearings going bad in the first place) I just bought new steering knuckle Assy. It comes complete with new bearings, seals, lower ball joint for about $73.00. I have found that the best place for factory honda parts is ServiceHonda.com. They have a easy to use website and have a downloadable parts list book with the break down of all the parts on the bike and an assy or part # for everything. It is about 100 pages long. Handy to have when you are working on your bike.
Part #'s for the steering Knuckle are: 51200-hn5-670 for the Right and 51250-hn5-670 for the left. Well worth the money and well worth replacing both. Hope this helps.