I recently purchased a 2002 Foreman ES 4x4 (x2 selectable). I really like it but after the first tank of gas it has really started to smoke from the exhaust. I mean, it smokes like a BBQ pit! Because I thought it better, I'm using SuperUnleaded gas with no improvement. I've read some of the posts about water in the valves but am really hoping this isn't the problem.

Are there any other [simpler] fixes I should look at? I really work to keep this bike clean so I don't think dirt is an issue. It has a snorkel but I've opened the drain valve and no water came out. The previous owner "says" he never floated the bike and I tend to believe him.

 

What color is the smoke . .. ?
Black, White, Blue !??!

Maybe the guy with the bike did not rejet when he put the snorkel, so it may be that..
Well, I'm not too familiar with jetting, not sure if it would cause much smoke if not jet correctly ..

But it sounds worst than that..

Anyways .. I buied my Foreman 98 used and I had to change the piston rings, rebore cylinder and buy new piston ..
So, next time I'll buy a used bike, that's the first thing I will do ... Like that, you're sure that the Main part of the engine works correctly ...
But it may be overkill . . .

But it seems like you don't want to play inside the engine .. .So I hope that it's a minor problem . . .

 

Thanks for the reply.
The smoke color is white. There's alot of fouling at the end of the muffler. The previous owner mentioned that he had rejetted (whatever that means). I am a complete newbie to 4 wheeling so it will take me a while to learn all the ins and outs.

If I do have to redo the top end, do you have an idea of how much $$$?

Also, what damage am I doing to my bike if I keep running it like this?

Thanks,

 

Hmmm ... White smoke .... Correct me if I'm wrong ...
I think it's when there is oil in the combustion process . . .
Black is when there is a problem with Jetting (Too Rich )
Brown is when it's Lean . .

I don't think the problem is your Jetting .. Jetting is the term used to talk about the control of the Gas/Air mixture in the carburetor ..

So, let's say Oil is pumped in the cylinder .. ..
What is your Oil Level !? .. Did you changed your oil !? ... (- Check the oil without screwing the oil stick -)
What is the sound of the engine, do you hear loud ticking ? ? ..

You said the problem came after the first tank of gas.. Are you sure there weren't white smoke ?! ..

There can be some other problems, like the valves etc... but I'm not an expert in that domain ..

But I can tell you that reboring your cylinder, changing Piston and rings ...
It costed me about 50$ CDN for reboring my cylinder, about 60$ CDN the oversized piston, 45$ CDN the rings, and hmm about 30$ of gaskets
(- Not sure, I had to replace many gaskets, I rebuild the entire engine -) . . . Maybe you can find better prices ... These are the prices
of a local Ripper (dealer) .

If you bring your quad to a shop, I don't know how much it will cost .
If you do it by yourself, add some money for a good Repair manual . . and some tools .

 

Is your foreman water cooled.... Im wondering becuase white smoke usually means burning water or anti freeze during the combustion process....My truck used to blow white smoke excessizly out the right bank, and it turned out to be a cracked block allowing water to seep into the cylinder....if it is...maybe you need a new head gasket???

 

The Foremans are air cooled.
I would call your local repair shop and see what they will tell you.
I have never had that problem with mine.

Good Luck and keep us posted to the outcome

 

Thanks for all the replies. Based on those replies here's some more info that might help to lead to the cause:

I did check the oil level and found that with the cap screwed all the way in it was about halfway between the marks. I'm sure if I checked it without screwing it in, it would not meet the bottom mark.

I do hear some ticking (since switching to super unleaded gas). I related the noise to that. I am going to switch back to regular gas.

There was some smoke when I first got the bike but it wasn't near as bad as it is now. When I say smoke, I mean smoke! All white with fouling at the end of the muffler that feels kind of greasy (not powdery).

I'd like to get some more info before bringing it in to a dealer. More money is not what I'm prepared to tell my wife I need to spend......

 

Hmmmmm .. Ok, I did not understand what you meant by fouling ! .. If you say it's greasy then it must be oil!
Since your level of Oil is low ... you are burning oil (- I assume your oil level was Ok since last gas tank -) ..
Then, your piston rings are bad and let oil flow from the crankcase to the combustion chamber! ..

Fill your engine with oil to the mark, and check level with dipstick not screwed in ..
Then ride a bit like that, if you see that you are low on oil after letting the bike sit on a level surface for 10 minutes, then you
need to repair the Top End (- Cylinder piston etc -) .

That means that maybe you will need a cylinder rebore, and new piston rings ...
Not a big job if you do it by yourself, you just need to know what you are doing and need to be calm . . .
And you need a Manual and a Torque Wrench !!!

I did it, and I did not have experience with this kind of job... The only problem I got, was to distinguish which ring goes in the first
slot ...

Maybe the guy who sold you the bike knew that there was a problem . .

 

White smoke, is a sign of moisture . Being its an air cooled motor, it cant be a head gasket. Does the smoke disapate quickly, or does it hang around like a wood fire, smoke?
Wouldnt hurt to do a compression check, thatll let you know about the rings and valves.
Warm it up, and do an oil change, get the filter changed also. When you refill, with oil, make sure its between the marks, when the dipstick isnt screwed in.
Drain the oil into a glass container, and let it sit awhile. Dont disturb it, and if theres water in it, itll separate out in a week or so. Does the oil look milky?
I'd drain the gas tank, and let it separate out as well. The moisure has to come from somewhere. Make sure the tank gets dried out completely. Then gas up with good gas. If sea foam was added to the old gas, to stabilize the gas, before the sale, there may have been too much . If youve ever used sea foam before as a decarbonizer, youll know how much white smoke, comes out.
Did you talk to the guy who sold it to you? Maybe he can answer why it smokes.
Hows the spark plug look?
Mixture screw should be about 2 turns out.

 

It would take a Hell ton of water to get Deep white smoke ...
And what explains the oily muffler ?? ..

Water in oil . . ?

Or Simply Water in the muffler!??