1999 Honda Rancher ES Won't Start
 

Hi everyone! I recently got my first ATV and I already have a problem with it that I was hoping one of you could help me with. I rode it for about 30 min. last night then I stopped and left the engine idling while I looked at something for a little bit. The engine suddenly died and now it won’t start. When I put it in neutral and press the start button it turns over and cranks strong but it doesn’t sound like its trying to ignite. I let it sit overnight and tried to start it again this morning and still no luck. It kinda seems like it’s out of gas but it has a full tank.
Anyone have any ideas about what the problem could be? It’s a 1999 4x4 Honda Rancher ES. That’s all I know about it right now. It’s still new to me.

maybe you could use a new spark plug

You might think about pulling the carb apart and cleaning it. Sounds like a daunting task but it's not too bad. If it's a 1999 and sat up for any length of time then the idle jet is probably plugged.

Thanks, I'll check both of those out when I get home from work.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Also, how long has the gas been in the tank? You may want to think about draining it and refilling with fresh.

not to be a smart a$$ or anything but you did say the bike was new to you, is the fuel turned on? also might want to pull the fuel line and check that fuel does come out and not plugged.

I would turn the petcock to reserve and use some starting fluid.

you also might want to check and see if the kill switch is on

Yes its new to me, but the guy that had it before rode it frequently, and I rode it with him a few times before I got it, so I know the gas is fresh.

I checked the spark plug. It looked okay, but I didn't see any sparks when I cranked it so I'm going to try a new one.

I didn't know it had a kill switch, where is it located?

Usually on the bar. Seeing that it has spark would be a good idea to eliminate an ignition problelm.

There is a drain hose off the bottom of the carb, and a screw on the bottom of the float bowl. Open the screw and see if any gas drains out of the hose.

If not, pulling the gas line off the carb to see if you have gas flow there would make sense.

If you have gas at the line and none at the carb's drain then I'd say the float valve is hung up or clogged.

If you don't have gas from the hose, if you pull the petcock from the tank, there is likely a fine screen above it which may need cleaned. If it's full of gunk, you might need to clean the gas tank.