I am going to look at an 88 LT230e Quad Runner tonight and wanted to know opinions on them and if there is anything specific to look for. I don't know a lot about these machines but it seems that most people who have owned them have had good luck with them. It seems to be in very good condition and the current owner has has it since 97. Thanks for your help, Mike

 

look for fixes in the engine cases a lot of people like to use jb weld which is not the right way to fix them definitely check by the front sprocket on the motor to see if the chain has ever came off and slapped the case,wiggle the rear end to see if the carrier bearings are bad,check for welds on the frame,check the a arms for slop,oil leaks on the motor ect and make sure you not him starts it when the motor is cold to see if it needs a valve job if it does it will blow blue smoke and then clear up after a minute.people have sly ways of passing off 4 wheelers that have a problem and the buyer wont know it until he gets it home i know because its happened to me just look it over really hard and if you don't see any major problems you will be fine

 

i agree twith everything you said. Definately look over the left side of the engine, really close. Even lt230e's get wacked by the chain, but even if the bearings are bad in the carrier its not that big of a deal, also the pivot bearings are not to big of a deal in the swinger.

Oil leaks, look around the header port and the end of the muffler. if you see any signs of oil, walk away. valve tap is common, i havent saw an lt230 that didnt tap until the valve were adjusted right. And you can almost bet you'll need an intake valve. they always bend, kind of a hidden weak link. People always set the valves to tight and crap happens. Also look for excessive silicone on the valve cover. thats a very bad sign, its either warped of silicone has enter into the oiling system.

Also beware of low compression. use the pull starter, if it almost yanks your arm out of the socket, you have good compression. just like in the kick start model the lt230s, i have a lil over 200psi comprssion and it almost breaks my darn ankle to start my lt230s.

 

yep i agree its also not a bad idea to bring a compression tester and i forgot to add check for rigged up wiring my 230 was so rigged it wouldnt even start the guy before me thought i would be a good idea to put a battery on it for the headlights lol everything about my 230 was a nightmare but once you get them whipped in to shape they wont let you down

 

i had friends warn me when i got mine that the wiring would probably be chewed up. So i decided to custom make my own harness. 24kt gold plated connectors and a series of failsafes that make it worthless to the wrong person. basically i made an anti-theft system for my 230s. I have got just a little over $2500 in mine right now, and having the anti theft is a plus. i am the only one i know that has an anti-theft system for a quad.

i figured anyone with basic knowledge could by-pass an ignition, but having a hidden failsafe, is my ace-the-hole. and it only costs a few dollars to install.

 

ha that's actually a really good idea,my 400ex all you have to do is touch both nuts on the solenoid with a screw driver and its running,its the same way with my old 300ex to.i had to start locking my garage cuz my neighbos truck got stolen to be taken on a joy ride and was trashed and ditched in a field luckily he had full coverage but i don't have insurance on my quad so i make sure to keep the garage locked up and the funny think is i live in a really small town i never would of guessed that would happen you just never know

 

Well, I picked it up last night. It's pretty nice for a 23 year old machine. It has a little oil seepage around the valve cover and might need a carb cleaning and adjustment. The electric start doesn't work though. I can just pull start it for now. He said if he wiggled the plug attached to the left side of the battery box sometimes it would start. Does anybody know what that plug is? Is it the starter relay? I'm guessing it's not too expensive and I could try to replace it (if I knew what the part was called)

 

let me take a look at my parts catalog, and i will get back with you. i am a certified lt230 mechanic for the lt230s but i still have all the info on an lt230e. oh and by the way you have an 89 lt230e. you found yourself a first year lt230e. good find.

as soon as i find the part name and number i can track down where to buy one. and it wont be that expensive.

oil seepage is rather normal on the valve cover. lets face it, 23 year sealant is bound to fail at some point. if you cant get a pic posted of where its leaking. i can tell you how to get it sealed up good.

 

could you give an idea what the plug looks like? and its exact location.

here is the link for all the parts i can find for an lt230e:

http://www.bikebandit.com/1989-suzuki-lt230ek/o/m6357

also go on ebay. i buy tons of good parts there.

 

After looking at the part diagram it looks like it's the starter relay which makes perfect sense. It's attached to the left side of the battery box/holder. It was hard to tell it was the relay because it has the rubber boot on top of it. And about the model year, the title says it's an 88 and all I can find is specs and parts for an 89 or newer too which is kinda wierd.