Fishfiles 20,147 Posted March 8, 2021 White smoke on start up and then it stops is usually valve stem seals are bad 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 1 minute ago, Fishfiles said: White smoke on start up and then it stops is usually valve stem seals are bad I agree 100% but he said it smoked all day riding before. Got worse as the day went on and he used alot of oil on the days ride. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 That might be the case then cause I didn't ride for very long or very hard like the previous day. Where it was thick mud and revving pretty high while not moving fast. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 I almost put a quart in it after my ride. Today I didn't ride for maybe ten mins and it was just around my block. Open road lots of air Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 10 minutes ago, A&M OFFROAD said: I almost put a quart in it after my ride. Today I didn't ride for maybe ten mins and it was just around my block. Open road lots of air Yeah that means you burned half the oil capacity of the quad. Thats got topend written all over it. We had a 400ex that was a spare quad to pass around to friends that was purchased dirt cheap and it smoked like a fog machine. It would puff smoke when it started then stop completely for the first 10-20 minutes of riding. Then it would fog for misquitoes. For a while they were actually putting straight 30 weight oil in it. Then they graduated to chainsaw bar oil. I still to this day cant believe how well it ran. Always started right up. They would abuse this thing to no end. I bet it was 10 years they would go out there with what ever oil they had and top it off and fire it up and smoke the whole place out. Finally someone decided to hand it over to me so i could pull it apart and fix it. The rings were lined up and the clutch was toast. Besides that it was absolutely perfect. Like i said bullet proof. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 I don't know if I'd have that kinda luck but that sounds just about right just like mine, I didn't run it very long so it didn't get that hot I bet if I did it would smoke more Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, A&M OFFROAD said: I don't know if I'd have that kinda luck but that sounds just about right just like mine, I didn't run it very long so it didn't get that hot I bet if I did it would smoke more With a 400ex everyone is that lucky. Couldnt fully kill one dead if you tried. Believe me. I do all my homework and build it right so it can handle my kind of abuse. And my abuse really pushes the internals to there limit. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 So you think I should worry about it? I mean I want it to run good and don't want the thing blowing up on me when I'm 20 miles out on a trail. I carry oil with me everywhere I go. I still have all the plastic off and am going to mess with the valves here in a little bit. To see if the ticking or motor noise gets better Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, A&M OFFROAD said: So you think I should worry about it? I mean I want it to run good and don't want the thing blowing up on me when I'm 20 miles out on a trail. I carry oil with me everywhere I go. I still have all the plastic off and am going to mess with the valves here in a little bit. To see if the ticking or motor noise gets better I mean i would never suggest leaving one burning oil that bad. You are flirting with disaster. Im just saying the 400ex is very very hard to kill. That is why you almost cant lose money on one. Unless its knocking or missing gears. Condition doesnt matter. They are always able to be repaired. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 I'll let u know when I look at the valves how out they are. Question, when I slide the feeler gauge under the valves thing how easy should I be able to fit the .004 in. Will it be really tight? Loose? I think I need more help with that part for sure 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 2 minutes ago, A&M OFFROAD said: I'll let u know when I look at the valves how out they are. Question, when I slide the feeler gauge under the valves thing how easy should I be able to fit the .004 in. Will it be really tight? Loose? I think I need more help with that part for sure You want to have an even drag when moving it around. Shouldnt be easy. But shouldnt be super hard either. Kinda right in between. And it should be .004 intake and .005 exhaust Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 Okay cool! I'll let u know how they feel 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 @SlammedRanger you know how to get this off? It feels like it's freaking welded. I've about screwed any chance I have of getting it off with a socket. All the rest came off but we're a pain in the !. I've put all my weight into it and it won't budge. I tired heat too and it's not helped at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 Put socket on it. Use a dead blow and smack the socket good and hard. The shock should make it come loose. I had one i had to destroy just like that. They dont need to be cranked when putting back on. Just get them snug. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 Heat wont really help with this because they are both made of the same material. Heat works best on dissimilar metals. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 I don't remember cranking down on it last time I took them off. So just set the socket on it and hit it with a hammer essentially? Then try to get it off? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 As for the others the brake side exhaust valve is so tight I can't get .005 or a .004 under it. Clutch side is pretty snug so I might loosen it. The intake side that's off seems kinda tight too so I make loosen it a little bit, because I have to really force the .004 to get it under Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 Yep shock the metal. Hit the end of the socket with it down on the hex on the cap. The shock should help it pop loose. You can if you have a breaker bar put pressure on it and smack the end of the breaker bar right above the socket. Hitting it while putting light pressure in the removal direction can sometimes work aswell. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 Well that didn't work lol and I've stripped the thing to ! so I'll probably have to get some jb weld and weld a nut or something to the top of it and just replace it. Cause it's just about round now 🤣 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 Man. Your luck does suck! Maybe a pair of vice grips? I did have one fight me so hard i had to use vice grips on the outside edge of the cap. Its cast aluminum so its really weak metal so dont go crazy hard! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 I'll try some vice grips before the jb weld and see what I can accomplish! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlammedRanger 1,559 Posted March 8, 2021 1 minute ago, A&M OFFROAD said: I'll try some vice grips before the jb weld and see what I can accomplish! Im rooting for you bro! Finding all the valves so far too tight could be causing some serious issues. Not saying it would cause it to burn a quart of oil. But it wouldnt be happy! I will tell you that for sure! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 It's a no go on the vice grips 😒 I have a cheap pair so they just kept slipping a messing it up even more so it's jb weld for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A&M OFFROAD 52 Posted March 8, 2021 Well I finally got some jb weld on it. If I had access to a welder I'd have gotten it off already but I don't so this is the next best thing. Let's hope tomorrow it actually comes off 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,147 Posted March 8, 2021 the way I got them off is a chisel , grind the cutting edge down to a blunt edge , hammer the edge of the hex with the chisel , till it loosens then finish it off with some channel locks ( slip joint pliers ) , you need to buy a new one ay ways , they fit about 100 different models , so they are common and still available Share this post Link to post Share on other sites