Maintenance tips for your quad.
Daily maintenance should include all of the following:
*All of these may sound very basic but are generally the cause of most problems in engines.*
1. Washing-Washing your quad before performing any maintenance is important. Most oils will not penetrate through to the desired mechanisms when put on to a dirty surface.
2. Grease-The chain needs to be greased one to two times a day depending upon the riding conditions. One thing I see with many riders is that they are too lazy to grease their chain, check their gear oil, and check their two cycle engine oil. Then they wonder why they have engine problems!
3. Check all hardware-Make sure that all the hardware is tight to the manufacturers' torque specifications. Many times the hardware gets loose from lengthy riding in rough terrain.
4. Check Air-The tires are important in handling and if you do not have the specified pressure you may not have optimal handling.
5. Clutch-If the quad is a manual clutch it is important to maintain the clutch by adjusting it daily and keep the right amount of clutch oil in the engine. The last repair you want to make is a clutch replacement, they are involved and can get a little tricky. For that very reason it is recommended that that type of repair be done by a professional. I am willing to learn about mechanical things myself so if I do not know how to do it I learn and it is done and I accomplish two things at once; I teach myself to do different repairs myself, and also save a lot of money.
6. Carburetor-May sound difficult but if you watch and listen to a professional adjust your carburetor for one or two times you can get good at it in no time. Basically you screw in the air-fuel adjustment screw until you hear the engine running lean and then turn the screw counterclockwise until you hear the engine running rich and then you just screw it in until it is in between the two adjustments.
7. Spark Plug-Important isn't it? Check the spark plug and observe the color and wetness of the deposits. If the deposits are tan your carburetor adjustment is ok. If the deposits are dark and wet the carburetor is running too rich and the air-fuel adjustment screw would be turned clockwise until the engine is running normally. This almost always results in running unevenly in cold conditions. If the deposits look white or are very light in color the engine is most likely running too lean resulting in overheating and will most likely run erratic. If this is the case then turn the air-fuel adjustment screw counter clockwise until the engine is running normally. This problem can be very dangerous to your engine and the adjustment may be the difference between along lasting and good running engine to a short lasting terrible running engine. One common problem is that a person might a clean plug for an overheated one. REMEMBER a two stroke engine will always discolor the spark plug after a considerable length of time. If the spark plug looks like new after a while of running you are most likely running lean and the symptoms would be overheating and the engine might sound like it is revving too high.
8. Grease-All of the grease fittings must be greased to manufacturers' specifications. Most grease fitting are sealed and are expensive and it is uncalled for to have to bye new ones, so my recommendation is to maintain your bearings as good as possible.
9. Use the Manuals-Even the Pro's refer to the manuals and even still have some problems. If you make repairs in the steps given in the manuals the repair will be done well and in better timing than it may take using different steps. You will be surprised how fast you will get acquainted with your quad and eventually you wont need you manual. Remember all quads are different and require different repairs and procedures.