need a little advice on chinese atv's please

[whitearrow]

good morning fellas. i have a 110cc chinese made atv that my fil bought for my son. he bought it when my boy was like 4yrs old. we tried it and had a couple hair raising experiences so i parked the bike until my son was a lil more mature. the bike has always been hard to start unless you cranked it every day. it has sat for approx. 2 yrs and i would like to get it running again. the fuel i put in it was stabil-ized so fuel shouldn't be in too bad of a shape. my question is where do i need to spray a little starter fluid to get it kicked off faster? it has always beed a [censored] to start so if anyone has any advice on these china mad atv's then please post up. i'm not real sure of brand name but it is some wacky yellow camo and does have a handy and well used remote engine kill switch.
thanks,
whitearrow

 

[JTK]

Yikes! 2yr old fuel? Even with stabilizer, I'd drain and refill it. The carb is probably going to be toast as well and need to be cleaned or replaced. New carbs are like $20-30 for them. The factory no-name spark plug needs to be swapped out for a name brand as well. I've got a little 110cc quad for my kids as well. Mail ordered it new last year. Mine's a little gem. It will sit for weeks at a time and still light right off and run like a Timex. The tiny battery needs a trickle charger on it if it sits any more than a cpl weeks. These ATVs are NOT for someone who doesn't like to wrench, because when things break, you're on your own. I don't mind that for something like this. Luckily parts are plentiful on-line. I've got the throttle stop threaded in such that it comes off of idle just a wee bit to keep the speed way down for the kids. I'm glad I didn't spend big bucks on one, because my kids aren't really into it. It basically sits in the garage or shed for a 'rainy day'. They're pretty much worthless resale wise, so you've got to know that going into it. IMO, they are fun if you like to tinker.

Joel

 

[tmorris1]

The neighbor has one of these. They spend more time working on it than riding it. Everytime a part breaks it is a big search to find something that will fit. All of the bearing in the read end went out after a few hours of riding. Good luck.

 

[JTK]

All of the parts are generic or are shared across all of the make/model Chinese jobs and many x-ref from name brand machines. People run into a wall when you try to search for parts for their particular 'brand' import ATV. That basically leads you to nowhere. Stuff fails on them for the most part because owners don't go completely over the machine and blue loctite every fastener you can. Keep everything tight and the failure rate drops substantially. Replace the bubble gum bushings and bearings and the occasional nut/bolt/washer with better off the shelf stuff and you've got a pretty darn good machine for the money. Shocks are an absolute joke on them too. They look the part, but offer NO dampening what so ever. They're like pogo sticks. Again, if it bothers you, they can be matched up and replaced with name brand stuff with no difficulty.

Joel

 

[JTK]

Whitearrow, you've probably got this carb on your 110cc. First thing is make sure the bowl vent hose is free & clear (the hose out the bottom). It's got to be able to breathe. The other side of the carb should have the idle speed screw and a mixture screw. IIRC, the mixture screw is the one closer to the air filter. If you've got brass caps pressed over the screws you can pry them right out w/ a small screwdriver. Like said, make sure the imitation spark plug is replaced with a name brand as well.

Joel

 

[JTK]

A bit OT, but they're improving in the full-size ATV realm. This is a 400cc 4x4. They can be had for around ~$3-4K for those with money to burn. I *think* this is a Yamaha copy.

Joel

 

[tmorris1]

If you have to do all that work and replace parts, you might as well spend a little more and get something that works. I enjoy doing maintenance, but I like to ride more and not leave me stranded somewhere.

 

[boraticus]

The engine layout looks very much Honda like....

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
If you have to do all that work and replace parts, you might as well spend a little more and get something that works. I enjoy doing maintenance, but I like to ride more and not leave me stranded somewhere.


Very true. If you're into hard-core riding, you definitely want to pay the big bucks. If all you're going to do is zip around your property or trail ride occasionally, these will suit your needs. Many of your name branded youth quads are just re-badged Chinese specials anyway.

Joel

 

[whitearrow]

thanks fellas for the advice,i'm gonna need it. like i said my sons grandfather bought it for him w/o asking me what my preference was. i have been a honda man for like forever. but, i have this now and i guess i will have to make do. yeah, i was gonna drain the old fuel and replace with new but i was asking where could i shoot a little starter fluid just to light it off until i get it going? jtk i'm with you as the battery absolutely sux for these things as i pretty much have to keep his on the charger all the time even when he rides it every day. it just won't fire up fast at all. we usually have to hit the starter alot to finally get it fired off. i bet this thing doesn't have 10 hrs on it as it is such a [censored] to get cranked. i think part of it is the owners manual that came with it was a complete joke as they don't cover much at all. not very detailed which is what i need.
thanks,
whitearrow

 

[JTK]

Are you using the choke to start it? You need to lift that choke lever up. Worst case it should take no more than 5sec worth or cranking to get it to fire if it's sat for a long time. The air cleaner element is clamped right on the carburetor inlet on the 110's. If you really feel the need to use starting fluid, you'll want to remove the little cone air filter and shoot some ether into the carb. I personally never use the stuff unless it's a piece of equipment on it's last legs. Again, check that spark plug. If it's an unmarked Chinese job, replace it and this will more than likely solve your starting issues. I've seen it happen several times.

 

[Panzerman]

That 400 was alot more like a Honda then a Yamaha. The guy with the Chinese quad, you probably just need to clean out the carb, you dont need a new one, very seldom, if ever do carbs wear-out. There are two jets in them and the littler the motor, the littler the jets and they become clogged. Take off the bottom of the carb, ussually 4 phillip head screws, some small ones only have two. This is the float bowl, once removed, you will see the jets. The pilot jet is in-set and requires a small screw driver to go in and un screw it, then turn the carb up right and it will fall out in your hand, there is really no where for it to go, then there is the main jet, and it will be in the center and have a small hex head on it. Take these off clean them out squirt carb cleaner thru out the carb. Make sure you can see thru the jets, you may have to take wire thru them. The paper garbage ties work great for this, take a paper trash bag tie, skin off the paper to the wire and use the wire to run in thru the jets, reassemble and it should be good to go, sometimes the small jets become so bad, they wont un clog, just take the jet to a motorcycle shop, these jets are avaiable separately and although not real cheap, about $4, you can get them and just replace, if you are unable to clean, remmember, you need to see thru them.

 

[boraticus]

If you encounter jets that are so plugged that you can't put a wire through, put them in boiling water for a while. If necessary let them sit overnight in the hot water. Try to put the wire through in the morning. Repeat as necessary.

 

[JTK]

The cheapo 110's usually don't come with any kind of inline fuel filter or a shut-off valve. Most do have a strainer screen in the tank, that's about it. You need chainsaw/weedwacker fuel line, filter, a valve and clamps for that. I've also heard (but not experienced) that these import ATVs have some type of desiccant material packed in the carb bowl that's supposed to dissolve once gasoline soaks it. Some owners claimed to have problems with that.

In the event you haven't yet, change out the factory oil ASAP. Mine actually specs 15w40. The drain bolt is the one to the left. The one to the right that's kind of angled is the timing chain tensioner.

Joel

 

[whitearrow]

thanks fellas. jtk do the 100's have an oil filter? i looked it over but couldn't find anything that resembled one. so the oil drain bolt isn't on the bottom of the bike? that is kinda screwy huh. i still have the factory fill oil in it as it doesn't have but maybe 10 hrs on it. but i will drain and refill with rotella t 15w-40 along with some fresh gas and a good spark plug. does anybody know which ngk spark plug is a direct replacement for the factory one. or,should i just remove the factory one and take it to my local parts place?
thanks,
whitearrow

 

[JTK]

Yes, don't pull the plug that faces down, but an an angle. A spring and some other parts will pop out if you do. You want the one that faces straight down and is on the oil fill side of the engine. There are no replaceable oil filters on the 110's. The centrifugal 'gas-n-go' clutch shares the engine oil as well being a wet clutch, so your engine oil is doing double duty like most bikes & ATVs. In regards to the spark plug, You can use an Autolite 4194 (or x-ref of your choice), or NGK C7HSA. Both work well gaped at .0027" -.0028". If there's 10hrs on that Chinese oil, you really need to get that out of there. You might find that oil drain plug to be tight and loaded with a pipe dope type material. They come a long way full of oil and I suppose they try to eliminate leakage that way. Oh.. and they take just over a half quart of oil. You'll know if it's overfull slightly, it will smoke. Be sure to use the twist out dipstick/oil fill port. Many owners mistake the chromed cap on the stator side of the engine- the one with the flat-blade screwdriver groove. This will fill the stator cavity with oil. You're guaranteed a mess if you do that.

Joel

 

[whitearrow]

thanks jtk. i just looked at my sons and it is a hanma brand 110cc with a funky yellow camo pattern. i just googled it and saw what it cost new and no wonder its quality is sub par. i think brand new you can get one for like $600. anyway i'm gonna take your advice and change the spark plug and change the oil to maybe rotella t 15w-40, just a half quart really, and add some fuel with a healthy dose of seafoam and see how and if she will fire. is the oil drain and fill plugs on the rt side of the engine if you are sitting on it?
thanks much brother,
whitearrow

 

[tmorris1]

I would also double check brakes and safety items on these cheap bikes. I would hate to see a kid get hurt because the brakes failed, a wheel falls off, etc.