Warrior won't start!

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JakeBloom

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Location
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I've got a 1990 Warrior and it's my first quad, we were out riding it all day and i could tell that it was warmed up pretty good.

I was crossing a (very shallow) creek and then trying to get up the other side, but the incline was pretty much straight up. i got halfway up it and then my back tires would just spin. i put it in reverse and tried one more time, to try to get some speed going up it, but i got stuck and knew that there was no point in trying to get up. so i put it in reverse (while on a steep angle, if it makes a difference), and backed up to get to a point to where i knew i could pull forward into a spot that i could pull out of the creek, and could not get it to go back into forward gear. i tried rocking it a ton, still didn't want to shift into forward. finally tried turning the engine off and it went into forward just fine.

drove it out of the creek (nothing got wet, like i said it was very shallow so i wasn't soaking the engine) and stopped to wait for the other guys to catch up to me (they were going the other way around). turned off the engine to wait. about 45 seconds later they pass by me expecting me to follow them, while i'm sitting there trying to get it started. at first i could get it started for a very short time and it would idle super low before dying, then eventually it would just try and try to start but the engine just wouldn't run.

to me it seemed like it was acting like it was out of gas, but i checked and it wasn't. tried reserve just in case, same story. we pulled it with the kubota utv back to my house, and my buddy was on the warrior steering and what not, and got it running while he was being pulled, but absolutely no throttle response whatsoever, and it died soon after.
after getting back to the house, we checked the spark and we had blue spark, but tried a new spark plug anyways. the starter would turn and turn, and every once in a while you could hear the engine turn over once, but it would die right away. choke and idle speed adjustment did nothing. checked the fuel line, and the carburetor was getting fuel.



if it helps to provide a little more info, sometimes after turning off the engine, i would hear a clunking noise, not too loud. after a bit of research online i did, i read that it was the one way bearing, possibly that could have some affect on it not being able to start or stay running? Also, we cleaned the carb not even month ago.



anyways, what are the possibilities that it could be? what should i look at first? I basically want to start with the minor stuff and if there's not a problem with something minor, then i want to work my way down to some of the more serious problems. what are some of the simple things i can check?


after trying to start it again this morning, i got nothing. i could definitely hear that one way bearing clunking around while trying to start it.. i might want to replace the starter clutch. when putting it in reverse and trying to start it, it did pull me backwards a few feet, not sure if that means anything or not.
 
If it were me, I'd take the carb apart and give it a good cleaning, clean the jest out too. All that up and down on the hill side might have moved any gunk in your tank around and it could of got sucked into the carb. the jets are tiny, anything in there way will kill the crab function.

Is your plug getting wet (gas)?
 
You only need three things for an engine to run.
Spark
Fuel/ Air mixture
Compression
If you have spark then try cranking it while spraying a small burst of carb cleaner into the back of the carburator. If it starts then you have a fuel problem, ie carburator.

If not start check spark plug for wetness, ie weak/ no spark. Many things on this one.

If neither of the above check compression. Simple check, remove spark plug, move coil wire out of the way as to not shock the piss out of yourself, place thumb over spark plug hole and crank engine over. It should have plenty of compression to push your finger off of the hole. If you have a compression tester you can use it, not sure what the numbers should be. And alwys do a compression test with the throttle full open.
Not sure if this helps.
It sounds to me like a fuel/ carb problem.
Ps. clean your jets with a toothpick or something soft, you don't want to make them any bigger. Blow through all of the holes of the carb with compressed air. And wear safety glasses.
Good luck
 
Ps. clean your jets with a toothpick or something soft, you don't want to make them any bigger. Blow through all of the holes of the carb with compressed air. And wear safety glasses.
Good luck

Guitar string is perfect for cleaning jets, or a thin pushpin or sewing needle.
 
That or a wire from a wire brush works, too. Summit has a carb cleaning wire set that I've been meaning to get.
 
We've got the carb taken off and are gonna clean it tomorrow. I gotta believe that it's the source of the problem. Will keep you guys updated.
 
i say **** carb cleaner, im a "berkible 2+2" fan, that **** melts away laquer like bleach makes mildew dissappear, and always compressed air. Im just sayin because what i thought was a clean carb, after i sprayed that **** a whole new layer of crud seemed to disappeared, just my thoughts:popcorn:
 
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