Hi,
I have a 2000 Honda Recon that has been sitting in my garage for about a year of no use. I left some gas in it and did NOT "winterize" it or disconnect any batteries. I have found out the result of my negeligence by not being able to start up my ATV today.

The starter is skippin and clicking and won't turn the engine over. I tried the pull start but I could NEVER get it to work before. The guy at the place I bought it from (far away) suggested I bring it to him and pay him to do a full service (includ. cleaning out carbs and stuff).

I don't know much about ATV repair as much as I do car repair..but is there something I can do to fix my problem? Can I drain out the old gas and clean carbs on my own? Is it difficult? Thanks guys!

 

Empty the gas tank and put the old gas in your vehicle.

Empty the bowl of any extra gas from the bottom of the carb.

Refill tank with new gas (you might want to add just a spill of dry gas to your new gas)

Change oil.

Check and if needed clean your air filter.

Purchase a new battery and spark plug.

Good luck

 

thanks for the tips. How do I exactly drain the gas tank and the carb bowl? I have the basic manual which does not describe the procedure. Thanks again!

Do I need to buy any liquid carb cleaner? Is my battery dead? or just needs to be charged/jumped? I've spent less than 10 hrs. driving on this ATV.

 

Weird...after letting the ATV sit around for about an hour it came alive on the first try! Sounds and runs great, from what I can see, even on several month old gas!

 

If you have a charger, charge up the battery, and bring it to a napa or auto zone type store, they can do a load test on it to see if its still good.
There is a small screw at the bottom of the float bowl, unscrew it about 4 turns, and the gas will come out the tube at the bottom of the float bowl.
It may start easier, if you hold the throttle at a steady 1/4 open. Theres a good chance the pilot circuit could be plugged, and by holding it 1/4 open, youll be using the mid range circuit.
Next time you park it, if even for a week, shut the fuel valve to off( on the gas tank), and run the motor till it dies. Then, it can sit for 10 years, and nothing bad will happen to the carb.
If you know you wont be using the whole tank of gas, on the next fill up, put stabil or sea foam, in the gas ,while its still fresh. That will keep it good for about 2 years.

 

My first guess would have been that the battery was too low.

 

I don't understand how it sitting around for an hour caused it to work again....

 

Well I'm glad to hear its running!!! For future reference..if you want to drain the gas...look at your gas shutoff where you can turn the gas off...there should be a hose connection to your shutoff switch..unconnect that hose from your gas tank and let the gas flow out....as for the carb..its easy...your float bowl is at the bottom..usually it is held on by two screws underneath the carb...and when you get the bowl off you should be able to get to your pilot and main jet to clean them also...

....
..one last thought....You can do alot of your own work on your quad....it will save you alot of $$$ rather then taking it somewhere were they charge 60 bucks an hour.............if your manual doesn't explain how to do something...just ask the question on this forum......we'll help you!!

 

It reminds me of a 1970 something Cadi my mother had. The starter was bad so it would click. Until it was fixed, we'd hit the starter with a golf club. I guess this got it to move just enough that it would start right up. If it was a car, I'd check the battery cables, alternator and power level of the battery.

It doesn't seem like a starter would be going on a 2000 model but you never know. Did you check the battery connections? Maybe you just moved a wire or something just enough to get it to start. I'd go back and try to remember what I did between it not starting and when it started. Maybe you moved something without knowing it.

 

HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY DRAIN OUT THE OLD GAS OF A 2000 HONDA RECON?


I tried to follow the directions above but could not find such things. Can someone put the instructions in simpler terms?
The only hose that looked to me like the fuel line was a thick rubber one that went into the engine and was held onto the port w/ a metal clip. Other than that I could not see any "hose pointing straight down". People said the "float bowl" was on the bottom. On the bottom of what? The engine? I looked down where the oil would come out of and didn't see anything else. My shutoff switch (on the side where the RES, ON, OFF, etc.. is) did not have a hose connected to it. Please help!~