1986 Honda Fourtrax 250 ATV Carb Rebuild

Donovan has a 1986 Honda Fourtrax 250 ATV that he got from his grandmother.  I asked him if I could use it some around here to haul dirt or mulch around in a little trailer that I have.  He said "of course, but it's not running."  I asked if I fixed it, could we keep it here for me and him since he was heading to college.  He said no problem.  So, I hauled it here.

First, it's an '86 so it's older and needs some love to get back into shape.  Gas in tank had sat for 6 months old since it last ran.  Dumped it and put in fresh with a stabilizer since I didn't know how long it'd be till it ran.  Next, the starter was fried and the kick-starter had been stripped.  So, I ordered a new kick-starter and installed it.  It was difficult to kick and I could see my foot slipping off after a while and digging a gash into my ankle so I ordered a new starter.

In the mean time, I took the gas tank petcock off and tried to clean it.  I got it as clean as I could, but the tank tube was cracked and there was a hole in the bowl.  Honestly, I don't know if that hole is supposed to be there or not, but it didn't seem logical and the rest of the petcock was toast anyway so I ordered a new petcock.  Following the fuel system, it follows that the carb would have issues as well so I decided to rebuild the carb, and ordered a rebuild kit.  Also, the back, right tire was leaking from spots where the tire joined the wheel rim in places where it was bent out.  I suspect it was someone trying to change tires too aggressively.  I ordered a tube for that tire hoping I could get by with it instead of getting another wheel.

Although the ATV has some issues, it has been kind of cool to rebuild and fix it.    I do like to piddle.  So, parts are arriving now.  With the rebuild kit in, I thought I'd log a blog entry and show some photos of the carb rebuild.  Except for the first carb kit pic and the last "done" pic, the following pics were used as a pictorial help guide for reassembly.  A special thanks for D-Rays Shop YouTube videos on his Honda 300 rebuild.  It helped a bunch and he's actually near me in Judsonia, Arkansas.

This kit above is the Moose brand.

In the pic above, the little rubber stopper is in the wrong spot.  Should be in the hole just to the right and I fixed that on rebuild.

Rebuild finished with all new internal parts.  Had to run to Lowes and get some  new screws that had been stripped (2 internal and the 7 holding the bowl and top cover on).  I mention it for those who may notice it and are here for help.