Hello all,
I am real new to all of this quad stuff so please go easy on the new guy. I have just purchased a 1987 quadrunner from my boss. he charged me 300 bucks. there is alot of stuff that needs to be fixed on it (his son thrashed it). I have quite a few questions.
I have jb welded the left engine cover and started the engine and it runs. (only took like 15 kicks). I plan on purchasing a new engine cover, i jb welded it merely to see if the engine was ok. This is going to be my winter project, and i am not to afriad of spending some money getting this thing going.

1) I live in fairbanks alaska and it gets extremely cold. last year to -55 F. the quad has been sitting out in the woods underneath a tarp for a couple of years. is there anything i should check out that might have been damaged in the cold and in just sitting there?

2) besides the dealer where is a good place to buy parts online. is Vincescycle any good? or will i get ripped off. i also found a site, alphasports, is that any good either?

3) how much oil do i put in? how often should i change it once i am able to ride it?

4) it has a K&N air filter on it. Is this better than the regular? I have heard lots of downsides to using them. what do i oil the filter with?

5) The engine has a decompression switch on it. what is the purpose of this? just for easier start?

6) How do i know if the exhaust is still good on it?

7) how long does a chain usually last? should i have a spare on hand? on vincescycle they have a left engine cover guard. should i get one of these? or if i just check the tension of the chain often is it uneccesary?

8) the springs on the quad are kind of rusty and the paint is chipping off. should i get new shocks? how much do they usually run? I weigh 250 pounds, what shocks should i get? I dont mind spending money if they are going to last and improve the quad. do shock covers help extend the life of the shock, or are they purely for looks?

9) should i use premium or just regular gas? it there really a difference?

10) How big is the gas tank? how long (miles/hours) does one tank usually last?

11) is it important to have rear skid plates?

12) does the engine create enough electricity to run more than one headlight? or is one enough?

13) there are some rust spots on the frame. nothing horrible, just starting to rust. what kind of paint would be best to touch these spots up with? just Rustolem spray paint?

14) the cowling has been busted up and they riveted it back together. is there anywhere i can get a new one? of should i just repair this one.

That is all the questions i have for now. I thank you all in advace. and please be nice.....i am not all ignorant, just never had a quad before.

 

Boy you sure do ask alot of questions. WELCOME ABOARD !!!

Well it looks to me that you do in fact have a mission to rebuild from the ground up if I'm reading you correctly.
Lets start with the frame... rusty frame if you don't want to have it sent out to powder coat
it while it's stripped down, then you could just touch up the spots w/ spray paint sand them down first, or you could just spray the whole machine over .... your choice.

The shock covers.. they not only look good, but they also help in keeping dirt & sand from
aiding in wearing out your shocks early.

Shocks.. well you be the judge in that if they are whooped then get some new ones, like" WORKS"
they perform very very well !

The decompression lever is infact to make it easier to kick over.
The headlight should be good enough by itself, but if you are planning on putting on bigger brighter ones you may have to have your stater rewound to handle it. otherwise you'll fry your
electrical system.


I would use regular gas it's not gonna make a big enough difference.



Rear skid plates are a MUST HAVE, they protect the rear brakes as well as the swingarm &
chain & sprocket




If the chain looks worn & the sprockets are rounded on the teeth...then it's time for new ones.
it all depends on how you ride the bike on how long the chain & sprockets last .


I think the tanks on those were like 2. 3 or 2.5 gallons. it should also go along time before fill ups.

Plastics....... I belive you can still order them through Maier Plastics if it's just the hood you
need then it should only cost like $40.00.

theres more below this I screwed up this subject so some of it went below my writting and I don't know how to fix it. so look alittle lower, hope this helps you somewhat.





Filter oil.... just use a good name brand filter oil.

the exhaust .... if it's not rusted out & looks to be in pretty good shape then use it, unless you plan on moding the bike , then go with an aftermarket pipe.

 

thank you biggone you are most helpful. are nerf bars a good thing to have? i could see how they would be nice.

 

Hey check out ebay and get yourself a repair manual. I ve had 2 of these and they both came to me with the JB weld already installed , I left it that way and never had any problems. However I would check the steering stem for cracks. Both of mine were in need of repair. You definitly need to check it cause my friend let his go and it broke on him while going down a technical hill climb. When it broke into 2 pieces it caused 2 bad things to happen one he lost his steering and second and worse yet the throttle went wide open, ouch! Have fun and also try rocky mountain atv for new products

 

welcome i order my parts from rockymountainatv.com. some good shocks would be works. i would change the oil right away becasue when i got mine i did and it was very dirty because the last person did not change it ever. how long the chain last is based on how well it is taking care of and how hard you ride i dont have skid plates but i wish i did. K&n is a good filter and when you put oil in it just look at the glass window on the side of the case

 

I did forget to mention..... when changing your oil, make sure you change your oil filter as well !!
IMPORTANT !!Not your air filter, I mean oil filter.
Yes I agree, you should try and find a manual for your machine, it helps a great deal, on how to work on things that you can do yourself. Nerf bars help in a few different ways and ALL are plus's
get 'em if you can.

 

thank you all so much. I am sure i will have lots of more questions as i am fixing it up. when i fill up the oil, do i put in up to the top of the little glass window? I surely done want to add to much. and i am definately getting rear skid plates. and thank you quadduck, i would have never thought to check the steering. I hope your friend didnt get hurt.

 

Congrats on getting a great machine. I have an 85 Lt and I love it. It is built like a tank! When starting it you really do not need to use the decompression lever, it actually makes it harder to start a worn in machine. Make sure to check the axle carrier bearings, these are a high wear item and if they wear out and are not serviced they can damage the axle carrier and those are expensive. To check the axle carrier bearing, try to move the axle in different direction by applying force to the wheel. If it moves minutely then it probably is ok but needs checked before every ride and greased. (some of these had grease fittings, some dont), If you can move the axle alot, then replace those bearing, it will save you money in the long run. Also with a machine that has been sitting like it has it would be a good idea to replace the bearings and seals in the front end as well. Mine were pretty shot, and it made a huge difference in how the ATV handled, now it is like new!! Your front shocks are probably ok, the rear is was the first to go on mine. Vincescycle is a great wealth of knowledge about LTs, a good honest business guy, also APP Performance is where I got all my parts and had my engine built. e-mail me for more info on APP.

By the way the stock exhaust is REALLY restrictive losing alot of power! On the cheap, if you cut off the end of the muffler and hollow out the packing, then attach a Sparky to the muffler, you will pick up tons of torque!

 

funny thing, the axle carrier is already shot. from the looks of it mitchelle (my bosses son) the guy i bought it from, got sick of the chain getting loose and falling off and smacking a hole in the engine cover and just tightend it all of the way. needless to say it blew out the left bearing. well from the looks of it he drove it like that for a while. parts of the bearing fell into the housing and melted to it. I am pretty sure the axle is just fine.....nothing touched it and it is still true.
and they did a weld job to fix the lower left ball joint.

is there a cheap exhuast that i could get that would be better than the stock? under 200 bucks?

 

i cheap exhaust it the dg rcm alloy i think it is around 140.00 for a whole set up