that is good compression. if you have water on the plug then you have a big issue for sure. next would be a leak down test to see if theres a head gasket gone. imo.

 

a leakdown test is when you pump IN compressed air? yes? same concept? some kind of spark plug adapter?

it did hold at 110-115 psi for about 15 minutes when i came in to post


I dont know if there's water on the plug, but there is excessive smoke. however, LAST winter i posted the same thing about the smoke....is this a result of the tuning and cold weather perhaps? running rich? smells rich, not entirely like antifreeze.

 

I have bad news for you. The coolant system is a closed system. If it's not leaking on the ground and it is going somewhere; where do you think it's going?

Yep, it's getting in the engine for some reason.

IMHO just pop the head and jug off and replace the gaskets. It will be as quick or quicker than doing a leakdown.

With a few bucks and a little time you will be back on the trail in no time.

 

I've never done this on an atv before...done head gasket on a chevy 350 though!

anywhere to find a writeup/how-to on doing this? how long should it take, in reality?

 

Excessive white smoke means you are probably burining coolant and have a head gasket leak.

 

Excessive white smoke means you are probably burining coolant and have a head gasket leak.
Agreed ! (You haven't said if you tried a NEW plug yet?)

 

You may want to check your stick on the counter balancer, you indicated excessive "White" smoke. If the stick has a Milky texture to it, seal is going