Thanks for all the good information.
Williebee...you are quite the story teller. I always wanted a dirtbike as a kid and my parents would not let me have one. I have two boys (9 and 13) and they have been riding for about 4 years.(living my childhood out through them I guess) They really enjoy it. I have been in the market for an atv for a while, but just waiting for right deal to come along. Now we plan to have a great time. I am actually redoing an 87 Suzuki LT 4WD that their uncle gave them. Quite the challenge, but fun so far.
We plan to spend lots of time at the deer lease on these things.

Good to hear postive comments on the Honda. Both of the boys dirtbikes are Honda and they have been great. I must admit that the push button shift worried me a little, but I hear that they are pretty much bullet proof system. The reverse did not work when I bought the atv, but found wired pulled loose from sensor by reverse shift arm on tranny and viola...backs up perfectly.

Again, thanks. I will be back with more questions soon I'm sure.

 

My 86' Honda TRX 350FM Foreman held 2 qts with the filter , the 93'Suzuki LTFDX 4WD4x4 quad runner held 4 qts with filter and my 2006 Arctic Cat 400 FIS auto 4x4 hold's 3.25 US qts with filter ; and my brother dan has a 2004 Honda Rancher 350FM and i think it hold's 2 and a half qts also !

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Williebee

The tech manual's call for not completely filling an engine untill you're sure there , no leak's</end quote></div>

I dont know about your manuals, but Hondas manuals dont say anything like that at all, I have worked in dealership shops for ten years, and have never saw that.
Honda tells you to put in the recommended amount, and you can bet it will just about be spot on.
On his amount I just didnt remember.

 

huntingtexas those little Suzuki LT-4WD's are some stuff little quad's i've had some experieinse with those Suzuki LT-4WD's and they are great quad's , my cousin ( who's longer with us ) Bought a new 1989 Suzuki LT4WD Quad Runner in Feb. 1989 it had the orange plastic's front and rear rack's true 4 wheel independant suspention ( Suzuki was the first one to come out with the first true 4 wheel indepent suspention's , or (FIS ) Suspention ; and i may be wrong here but i think the first 4 wheel quad if i'm wrong someone will jump in here and correct me ! But i do know for sure the first big quad with 4wd that Honda made was built like a tank , and they were about as hard to ride and handle as a tank ; andi i don't know the year Honda made their first TRX 350 4x4 ! But it couldn't have been over a year or two before i bought my first ATV and it was a 86' , there was what looked like a stick on label under the front of the frame ; and in silver color print it had ( the month day and year it was made ) printed on the label - Made April 5th 1985 - And the year it was released as a 1986 Model ! So i know it was built in 1985 and released as an 1986 Model , I think it was the first year Honda Released The Honda TRX 350 with full time 4WD ; i will go out on a limb this far in saying it was the first year's run because of the way it was Titled as a Motorcycle ! Infact when went to the Courthouse To resgister the title and get a tag for it they sold me a Motorcycle tag instead of the big utilitiy tag's that they use to sell for ATV's and ORV's , They did sell tag's for atv's in Ga so atv rider's could ride to and from the designated trail's back when we first started riding the trail's on the Cohutta Mangment area ; but to ride on the major or main dirt road's that car's , truck's and all Licensed Vechicle's could drive on these road's that lead to the atv trail's ! At least one rider in a group had to have a Valid Drivers License and have an ORV License Plate and be aleast 18 yrs old on one of the atv's ! This is off suject, but who all on the forum that are reading this post remember the Blizzard of 1993 ? Even my mom who turned 77 yrs old in Feb. of this this year and told she had never seen one this big as long as she had lived ! and as long as i had lived i thought there were some as big as the one in 93' But it was just that was a little kid who played in snow that came up knees deep,to me as a little kid ! Now back to what i started typing to huntingtexas : The Suzuki LT-4WD these are tough little quad's period , and i have a Manual that cover some info on your quad it's not an O.E.M. Manual or as good as the Haynes , Chilton or even a Clymers ; and it only has 12 page's that cover your Suzuki is because the manual covers Honda! It doesn't even tell what year the one in this manual is , so it could be the first year that Suzuki started making the LT-4WD's ( But Of This I'm Not Sure ) Does your Suzuki LT-; but if there's anything on or in these page's all you have to do is ask and we will try to find a way to get them to you ! I'm not by any mean's a member of the " Geek Squad " but my youngest brother Keith is very close to being ( What Is It Coke Says ? ) The Real Thing ? Like i was typing to you awhile ago abou my cousin Darmom buying a 1989 Suzuki LT-4WD and that thing was torchered daily if not by Darmon , his youngest brother and his brother's freind's ; and it really did take a licking an kelp on ticking ! And if you keep it serviced the way they you're suspose to even if you're rough on them they'll last forever as long as you keep the oil and oil filter changed and don't forget the air filter and check the valve clearance's and ajusted with the first regular service to include the valve spec's within the first 100 miles and the owner's manual say's to check them and adjust them if they off spec and adjust if needed , i don't just go by the manual when it come's to how often to change my oil an filter /both oil and air filter's ; i check my oil and my air filter before and after every ride ! Dirty oil or dirty air filter , it's time to service it ; and check the air pressure in the tire's ! The first time my cousin took his Suzuki to the Local Dealer where he bought his quad from , when i got home i unloaded his quad and i started checking to see what all they had done to his quad ; the very first i checked was the tire's ! I took the seat off to get to his tool kit , i got the tire pressure gauge out of the pouch and removed the valve stem cap and put the gauge on the stem , and the little white gauge popped out like switch blade knife i the way it popped out i thought it was going to blow the end out of the gauge ; i had to let air out of every tire there must of had at least 30 lbs of air in all four tire's ! After i let all tire's air down to 5 psi it stopped bounching around so much , the first time around the track i stopped to wait for him to catch up to me ! He pulled up to me and said this thing ride's like a caddy what did you do to it ? I said they they had to much air in the tire's , if he had hit sharp rock or anything sharp in the trail it would have busted his tire for sure and if he had went to Suzuki with a busted tire i bet they would have charged him for a new tire even though it was one their kid tech's that over filled it ! The only way i could see an atv tire with that much air pressure in it would be to mount it when popping it on the rim and bead , and i don't think it would take that much pressure to mount and atv tire if it was done right ! I know that i had checked his tire pressure before and it would have that much pressure in the tire's i would ask him if he had taken it back to shop and he would either say yes or that he let his nefew put air in the tire i would tell him to use the tire gauge that came in his tool kit and fill it untill it read 5 psi on the guage Well i've got to go pay a few bill's so i'll stop typing noe , huntingtexas if ther's anything you that miht be in this manual just let me know ! ................wiliebee

 

I have the suzuki stripped down. Well, I have all the plastics, racks, handle bars and wheels/tires off.
My next move it to take a pressure washer to it. Should I be cautious of electrical items or anything else for that matter when I wash it? Plan to spray it down with some kind of detergent or degreaser and go from there.
On one of the rear A-arms (terminology?) there is a grommet that is gone, so will be replacing that. I have a post on the suzuki forum looking for plastics.
I will wait to wash it (will probably do the Honda also) until I hear something about protection from water.
Will try to figure out how to post pics of progress.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

You shouldnt use a pressure washer around bearing seals, such as where the axles go through the housings, the water can blow past the seal into the bearings and that spells disaster. Also pressure washers can rip off any decals that are on the plastic.

 

Honda Technician i didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest a bout The Honda O.E.M manuel's stating to not to add less oil to start with a half than the manual say's the quad hold's . it's just that with over 20 Years as a Ceritified Small Engine Technician i know that the Quads are shipped with no fuild's n them or just enough to keep the engine's and diff's to keep anything from seaszing up while they're in the facory warehouse's waiting to be shipped out/ sent to the Dealer's , and that the owner's manual lists dry weight in the the owner's manual and that"s means nio fuilds or in the quad's just mean's that untill the Dealer recieves the qual there'sno oil and or gas in the quad;s untill they're shipped the Dealer's ! Dealer's prep is after the Dealer recieves the quad in crate;s , the Dealer or tech's they employ uncrate's the ATV and check's to see if any thing is missing ; and start assembly of the quad's ! And that's just a start of the the prep the Dealer does so i won't go through The complete Detail's on what all is done ! With you being a Honda Technician , but i will tell you that any Ceritfied Techniician know's that there's some oil still in the Small Engine that just draing the old out and putting with new oil in ! wheather it a new machine brought in for Servcing the first time ; or not you're susposed to run the engine unstill it get to operarting temp before drainning the oil so as to drain as much of the old oil , slude and metal filing as you can with the first change and every change of the oil and other fuild's after that ! Check a Haynes or Chilton Service And Repair Maual or anyother after market manual and in the oil and oil filter change you will find in the of oil and oil filter part of the manual to add about 1 half to 3 quarter's of what the engine hold''s , then start the engine and let it idle for 2 to 3 minute's to check for any leak's then if there are no leak's turn the engine off and let it cool down ! Then give the oil time to drain down into the crank case then you can you can start adding oli untill it's full ! Regular serve is the main part of an engine's Life Period , not just the oil change and ol filter but the Air filter need's really more attenition than the the oil , especially if you ride alot in dry or dusty condition's ; that's what i meant in a previous reply meaning that any type maual , wheather it's a O.E.M. or a Haynes ,Chilton are clyners manual that cover's your year Make and Model that cover from how much air to run in your tire's to a complete tear down and over haul ! So i hope you don't think i was trying to imply that i know more about ATV's than you do Honda Technician , i'm not on the forums to bash any brand of ATV or anyone's knowledge on the formum wheather they're shade tree machanic's or Factory Certified Technician's like your self ! I hope you will accept my apology for what it's worth , Williebee ! ....................................

 

huntingtexas i would use a regular water hose with an ajusting nozzle i was going to suggest using some of those spray on wash off cleaner's like the one's people use on their tire's and wheel's in anythight or hard the reach spot's you can't get to with be washing brush or the mitten type like people use , but with the plastic's,rack's tire's and wheels off you most likely won't need to use any of the cleaning chemical's i was about to talk abou ; you shought be able to get to all the tight places especially if you're going to restore it like new or at least as close to new as you can get out paying a forturn to do so ! If this is the case then the manual i have won't cover everything you'll need for a job like this ; but youre still welcome to anything in and on these page's you're welcome to anything i might be able to help you with ! ......................

 

-I went over a couple of my Honda O.E.M. manual's today, and you're right they didn't mention anyhing about putting in any certain amount of oil before; starting the engine ! They only State to make sure the engine has warmed up before you drain the old and removing the oil filter , the only thing i had right was the warm up and the part about checking for leak's after the oil change ; i double checked l my other manual's and it was tha Haynes and Chilton Manuals that say's on and engine that hold's a certain amount of oil to put about half to 3 fourth's of what they hold , then start the engine and let it run 2 to 3 minute's while checking for any leak's ; and let the engine cool down the add a little oil at a time untill you reach the full mark on the dip stick ! This is from the Haynes Owners Workshop Manual and the Chilton Manual , i guess what i like most about these type manual's like Haynes and Chilton is they cover everything the O.E.M. Manual's cover plus they include the special tool part's number#'s that the O.E.M. manual's do ; but the Haynes Manual go's a little farther by offering tip's on how to make tool jig's you can make from common materiial's and other tool's already in your average tool box that can be used for the special tool's called for in the O.E.M . Manual's that states you need to use this tool to do the job proper and right without damaging a part when doing certain repair's ! So you were right about the O.E.M.'s ! And again i hope you can except my apology if you thought i was trying to undermind you as a tech or anyone else on the forums , as that is not my intent i come to these forums to try and help someone who need's it ; and even more i hope to be able to ask for help on any problem's i may have in the future with my Arctic Cat 400 FIS Auto when i have anything go wrong with my ATV this is the first place i would come to ask for help ; and a thank;s to all to all the members of the forums for all their good work ! .............................................

 

Next question.
I have not ridden the Honda very much, so not sure if the fan is working properly on the oil cooler or not. I figured I could just jump wires to make sure it a comes on period, but is there a way to test and make sure it comes on at proper temperature. Don't want to get out in the middle of somewhere and it not work.

Thanks.