@@cheetahcody6375 same i list every thing i my ads... it might be a FULL ad but atleast they dont need to aks me questions... its all there all i know and i have to the bike/quad sometimes they complain later the next day were i say like i said im no mecanic i listed and said all i know and did. am sorry i cant help more. othertimes they just contact u a couple of days later saying they are happy needed some work but they likke it. u got good and bad buyers, i neverjust list a item saying quad fort sale i list all i know and what needs done and what i have done. it that saves me time from having 20 people asking quesitons and i just had empty ads
Its never a carb clean. If they say that it basically means they dont know wtf is wrong with it. The last bike i bought that needed carb cleaned needed a new cylinder and piston haha.
Not true if it don't start but does on starting fluid its a carberatour problem just some people use that as an excuse whats more scary is the I don't have the key which most the time a key is what 5$ lol
Yeah that's the oldest trick in the book anytime somebody says it needs a carburetor claim it's usually followed by they lost interest or they don't have time to mess around with it yada yada yada they know damn well there's more to it than that
@@Ja-fh8io that's not true either if you have a hole in the Piston it's going to fire on starting fluid but it won't stay running if you have a weak stator it'll fire on starting fluid but won't stay running.. If its reedless it will fire on starting fluid when it's the crank seals
He is quite good. Not concerned with making machines cosmetically perfect just running well etc. I like my machines to run well & look showroom. Both ways are fine!
Watch out for that goofy decompressor on the exhaust cam. They like to break a lot. Also, if it ever doesn't crank, those predators have fuses in "water tight" rubber packs along the harness that like to fail.
With a vacuum diaprham you can't shoot starting fluid down without cheating the slide as its down until engine is running. May be helpful on something that don't have a tight valve and would start. Keep up the good work!
Wow. I used to love finding a great second hand treasure. I’ve got two dirt bikes that both came with issues, one from a dealership and one from a personal owner. Both claimed carb issues. My yellow bumble bee 🐝 had to have a whole new motor installed. This video was very helpful for my spring duties.. lol getting my bikes back to a running state.
Amazing how an electrical glitch had you tearing into carb multiple times, we’ve all been there . Shouldn’t be puffing smoke though but for $1200 you did alright!
valve seats can fix this issue probably getting a little leak through the seats. had the same issue with my 400ex did a top end rebuild and valve seats and fixed the smoking issue and shes alive now lol
my uncle has one of these same problem nice to see it was not to much to fix these are very good quads when i was younger i got to ride it very wheelie happy quad could pop the front tyres in 2nd 3rd and sometimes 4th
Your getting to be a better mechanic every time u do this. Videoing and editing is a huge pain but it helps a lot of people. Keep it up Joe! Oh and try to give the starter a break by not pressing the button for so long, think it burns out coil or ignition from the heat. M not 100% on that lol.
Your not wrong. He’s a guy that never gives up. I’d really like to see him get a parts washer. You can hear the grit when he’s assembling things. I’m telling you, with a little bit of guidance, he be great.
U never no how much u amaze. Me 4 wheelers n dirtbikes are me all my life just had one caught the carbrater n burnt few things right money's tight n havnt wrod in a year sucks but watching makes my day keep up the good videos for us u make me learn more n more everyday
You may be chasing a gost . Before jetting make sure all timing and valve lash Are good..and 0 intake or exhaust leaks. Theese make jetting kinda go in circles because leaks are inconsistent. 1st step to jetting is setting the fuel height in carb typically about 1/8" below the bill gasket. But can vary. . And always warm the engine before making adjustments. . remember the. Mixture screw is part of the pilot circuit. And should be between 1& 3 full 360° rotations counterclockwise from being lightly seated. .on 4 stroke carbs it adds fuel. And if it idles best with mix out of spec . Change the pilot and try different pilot jet and repeat the process...for the main .will it briefly give a full rev. ? Yes . Ok ..if it boggs down .try smaller main ..if it revs part way to full rpm and starts pooping and snapping like a crappy revlimiter at well below the standard full rpm. It's lean try bigger main jet... Once main jet revs clean does it backfire when you let go if the throttle .if yes further richen the pilot circuit. . .all that is ok ..slowly accelerate looking for dead spots between 1/4 and with. If there present change the needle height and retest. And lastly .going straight from idle to Fullthrottle. Us 5he accelerator pumps job to make as smooth as possible.
I just bought a 2010 Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS. All it needed was a carb clean. I paid $2,500 for it. Cleaned the carb and it runs perfect. Which btw ATV’s here in Tampa FL are super expensive. The next cheapest KTM 525 is $5k on Craigslist
had the same problem with mine when i put it up a few years ago. i need to get back into it with this new found knowledge lol Thanks man! hopefully after sitting so long it can still be saved!
Yea…I’ve heard the “just needs the carb fixed” before too…lol. I experienced the same hesitation on my Z400, turned out the emulsion tube was waaay over tightened & crushed, causing the needle to stick thus not being able to excellerate. Rebuilt entire carb with correct jetting to match…runs & excellerates great now. By the way…what jets did you finally end up with? Great Vid, nice job on the fix!
awesome video. with toys like this always always always do a compression test BEFORE buying. This can save you a HUGE headache. if the seller wont let you run a gauge on the motor, walk away !! sometimes hard starts, as seen here, can be valves that are out of adjustment. it's also very common for plugged pilot jets. or clogged filters, including petcock filters.
My rule of thumb is that if it doesn't run and it doesn't matter why they claim it doesn't run the price drops drastically for me to purchase it. It doesn't matter who they are and don't trust anyone's word when money is involved or you'll get screwed every time.
Got power core 4s on the Raptor and Warrior, loud as hell, forest service don't like em, 94.7 dB. Major upgrade over stock! 👌 my son's buddy has one same exact quad as you, carb is shit. I put a different carb on and its ran for going on 3 years now. Just winterize them right! Good luck.
Never just a carb, at least in my experience if so it's been a bad carb in oem carb place, no carb at all, broken carb epoxied together etc, and the best one, no jets etc. The infamous mower carb, Never know whatcha gonna get these days. Great quad Joe, keep up great work!!
Best thing in the world to use is a spray bottle with a little two-cycle oil mixed in with some fuel starting fluid don't always start. By using two-cycle oil you don't wash the rings out if you have to try to start it multiple times starting fluid will dry out the cylinder and bring your rings up and score the cylinder walls
I was always taught to do a leak down at Tdc, have a breaker bar on the crank so it won’t spin, put 100psi to it and that will show you. Guess you got to the same conclusion, just interesting how different people do stuff.
A flashlight or brighter lighting in your shop would help the videos. That or getting a hydronic lift table from harbor friend to get the bike up in the air.
Joe, You commentary about what you are thinking and why you are doing what you are doing is great and helps me understand the path you are following to get it going, Great job.
Polaris Predators seemed to be more sensitive to maintenance. I've heard great things & not so great things bout em. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a well kept running machine! I believe they have KTM motors too & are very fast. Anyone know for sure?
The 500 engine is a fuji japan made engine. The Outlaw 525cc engine was the one made by ktm. I like both myself but the 525 is the more sought after/reliable engine. The problem I've had with the 500 is it'll drop a valve and $&#% the whole top end. I'm on my 3rd rebuild since I bought it...lol.
I have one...03...is a beast...Rode it 2 yrs...did a carb teardown and clean..also adjusted valves. Bought it used..only unusual things i have done other than grease/oil etc
it looks extremely similar to a DRZ400 motor. The head and cylinder look like they might bolt right up. I would wager they were made in the same factory. The carb also looks to be the same mikuni carb. Other than the diaphragm cover being slightly different it's identical to the stock carb my drz had. When he took the flat needle out my first instinct was to tell him to remove the float valve as well to check the o-ring and little filter. They are well known to go bad due to the ethanol in the gas and contaminate the oil with gas if you leave the petcock on. Ask me how I know. The main jet bucket also has an o-ring that can go bad for the same reason and cause a rich condition.
@@Jam-hj1ht I have an 03 predator with that exact problem...lol. Needle seat o-ring is rotten. And I have an 03 scrambler 500 with that exact problem....so yes I would agree. As for the engine being similar... I agree they do alike but according to google it isn't a fuji japan engine. I'm no expert on the suzuki engine though.🤘
Love the content KEEP up the great work. I have a couple Honda 300 fourtracks. One of them Had a hard time Like this quad. I found the coil wasn't grounded very well. Grounding sleeve on coil pack Was thin And an after market part. Replace with OEM and cleaned up ground connection. runs great now.
That's a pretty clean machine for the price ! Hopefully it's nothing major. I've been looking for a Predator quad or KTM quad for few yrs in my area. They are fast machines. They were pricey new ..like a Raptor 700R. $10+ out the door. I'm a Yamaha quad guy but like Polaris & KTM machines. Does this Preadator have a KTM motor?
Incredible video - I learned so much in 40 minutes. I stumbled here after having some issues with a Polaris 90 that doesn’t like to stay running after it gets hot, but mostly at low speeds. I’ve replaced the ignition coil and adjusted the valves. Any other ideas?
With most small engines the first thing that usually goes wrong is the carb, not draining the fuel when one is sitting for awhile usually causes the problem
first thing to check for is spark, fuel and compression...thats the basics to a running engine, when you were constantly cranking it after you sprayed starting fluid i was like check for spark
These quads also, if the battery doesn’t put out optimum voltage, there is a limiter on the rev that will engage. These have to have a good battery in them. You can hook a battery charger up to the leads and test this theory this way. If it revs out with the charger hooked up to the quads battery cables then the battery needs replaced I had one with this issue that would start and do the same thing. New battery fixed it.
Just an FYI.. those harbor freight or cheaper calipers can be off by .03 which is noted on the packaging.. so those shims where probably 1.9 since you read 1.87..
I had an 03 Predator years ago and man was it a POS. The previous owner, a friend of a friend, was not nice to it so I'm sure that had something to do with the condition. I had to rebuild the top end as it was really burning oil. It would literally leave a smoke trail everywhere and I had to add a quart of oil every hour or two of operation. After the top end rebuild and some more seat time, it ended up needing a valve adjustment about every 3-4 hours of operation. The valves kept getting tight. Maybe the valve seats were shot. I finally sold it and went back to Japanese bikes. Just much less maintenance, IMO.
On a Polaris some times when timing is jumped it looks fine but the cam gears are press fit on the shaft so if the gears get hot and expand they can shift and will be out of time
Jetts,car clean, gas replaced... does have spark, compression, clutch being burnt Can add an extra metal plate, or sand and scruff metal plates if Groved deeply,replace...
My Yamaha warrior is sputtering just like that after running fine when I got it and I’ve been going through it for 2 weeks and literally nothing has made a difference. I think something is affecting the spark when I’m riding but I haven’t figured it out
Have the same thing bought from a guy and said it needed a carb clean would crank and fire up for about 3 seconds then shut off and would not start back up you could then turn the key off and back on and would repeat itself.
Dam your good bro! Bought a Honda quad last year (1995). Runs good but watching your videos over the last year gives me confidence that I can tune it up myself. Btw, did the oil turn out ok-any coolant leaking in engine?
It's a shame such a nice Polaris quad was abused & poorly cared for! Have 2 newer Yamaha sport quads are low hr & mint. Bought both new & will never sell em.
Have a question hope you can help . I just bought a Yamaha breeze like the one you made a video of few years back and the rear brakes are locked just like your was wondering where exactly did you spray wd40 to loosen it up
My dads polaris did the same thing. It's the fuel pump not pushing enough fuel. My dads wouldn't do over 15 mph checked wiring everything turned out to be the fuel pump
As always great content man🤙 I'm always looking forward to your uploads. Keep up the great work and keep feeding us these dope ass videos. Every predator I've seen or rode was always problem after problem. And owners always claimed it never ran right
Going through stuff in my shop a while back, found a polaris factory oil change tune up box for a Predator/Outlaw 500 with 4 qts of oil plugs and filters. 😮 no idea where it came from. Nice to have though. Bout a $75 kit.
Vital signs:. 1 spark.. pull plug and check for fire.. 2. check compression.. 3. chk for fuel.. 1st thing is use contact cleaner or a mist of start fluid to see if you get any start
Headgasket is cooked. You can tell by the oil. Chocolate milk is not normal in an engine only a 7 year olds stomach. There is coolant in the combustion chamber thats why your exhaust is smoking clear white. We can can tell its the headgasket because your compression is fine. You would also be losing oil from seeping past the piston rings into the combustion chamber.
When you was giving the back story of the quad, my thought was that don't add up as he said he knew you from the channel so saved it for you but then said it was last running in winter but went and tried to start it yesterday so it is obviously gonna be something electrical
Well I just subscribed to the channel like this content and question how do you find the toys you find for the prices you pay man here in KY that Polaris would go for like $2000 the way you got it.
thanks for making me buy a rusted out raptor to restore. i really enjoy your channel! keep up the good work your helping all us figure out years of problems that stumped us. Everyone loves to ride, sometimes you need to be able to wrench to ride, not everyone can wrench. thanks again!
@@gruened not trying to bum you out or anything but the predator was far from a "beast" compared to the 450s japanese manufacturers were putting out at this time.
@@gruened 😂😂😂 not even close, f*ck Polaris and their I.R.S. Suzuki had the most advanced quad of it's time. The predator couldn't even race as there was no class for a 500😂 epic fail of a quad, the predator
You should throw a jump box it as it’s turning over to slow, the spark at that rate is gonna be very low. Does sound like it could of jumped timing. But I would start with getting it to spin over a lot faster.
So I have a 04 and the little black box with black tape by your left leg it’s almost like a fuse might be rusty mine did this and once I cleaned the rust off the fuse it was a beast
Love all and trust few. Buyer beware. Everyone says "it just needs a carb clean." Nice quad and good job. Always be as thorough as possible when buying a used quad. Don't be afraid to break out a compression tester.
Sounded like ignition problem, i had similat with my honda had ignition coil fault when it warmed up, it start to cut spark on high rpm. In your situation spark didnt get enough power for ignite high rpm or rich mixture.
Dang you are one hell of a mechanic I would love for you to work on my bikes sometime that would be awesome I have a Polaris 500 it’s a 2001 but it is giving me fits I ordered a carburetor for it last week
Carb clean- full engine rebuild
A little TLC- full restoration
A great project- full restoration
Starts but doesn't run- carb clean, timing
Yup ☝🏼
Yeaaa lol. I'm an honest person & prefer dealing w/likewise folks.
@@Davido50 same here dude. I run over telling them everything that's wrong so they know what they are buying
@@cheetahcody6375 same i list every thing i my ads... it might be a FULL ad but atleast they dont need to aks me questions... its all there all i know and i have to the bike/quad
sometimes they complain later the next day were i say like i said im no mecanic i listed and said all i know and did. am sorry i cant help more.
othertimes they just contact u a couple of days later saying they are happy needed some work but they likke it.
u got good and bad buyers, i neverjust list a item saying quad fort sale
i list all i know and what needs done and what i have done. it that saves me time from having 20 people asking quesitons and i just had empty ads
Truth. 100%
Its never a carb clean. If they say that it basically means they dont know wtf is wrong with it. The last bike i bought that needed carb cleaned needed a new cylinder and piston haha.
Haha that's unfortunate
Not true if it don't start but does on starting fluid its a carberatour problem just some people use that as an excuse whats more scary is the I don't have the key which most the time a key is what 5$ lol
Yeah that's the oldest trick in the book anytime somebody says it needs a carburetor claim it's usually followed by they lost interest or they don't have time to mess around with it yada yada yada they know damn well there's more to it than that
@@Ja-fh8io that's not true either if you have a hole in the Piston it's going to fire on starting fluid but it won't stay running if you have a weak stator it'll fire on starting fluid but won't stay running.. If its reedless it will fire on starting fluid when it's the crank seals
It’s never a carb clean lol that is accurate
Nicely done. Haven't seen a bike that has stumped you yet. Turning into a master mechanic. Good job man. God bless👍😊🇺🇸
Looked pretty stumped at the end when it didnt run correctly. Did you even watch the video?
@@lastofthebest5102 Did you watch until the end when he figured it out?
He is quite good. Not concerned with making machines cosmetically perfect just running well etc. I like my machines to run well & look showroom. Both ways are fine!
his videos will help alot of people out . he has so much knowledge.
Thanks for pushing out so much content, learned alot about small engine repair because of you!
Specialize in dirtbike /Quad repair ..its huge $$ maker for good mechanic. Dealers in my area charge $100 p/hr on average!
@@Davido50 yep and they are easier to work on than cars. Especially 2 strokes.
@@Davido50 where do you live if you don't mind me asking state
You're so good at figuring these machines out. Learn so much from you can't thank u enough.
Watch out for that goofy decompressor on the exhaust cam. They like to break a lot. Also, if it ever doesn't crank, those predators have fuses in "water tight" rubber packs along the harness that like to fail.
I really like the look of the one!! It looks really fast too!! I'm glad it wasn't low compression!!
With a vacuum diaprham you can't shoot starting fluid down without cheating the slide as its down until engine is running. May be helpful on something that don't have a tight valve and would start. Keep up the good work!
Wow. I used to love finding a great second hand treasure. I’ve got two dirt bikes that both came with issues, one from a dealership and one from a personal owner. Both claimed carb issues. My yellow bumble bee 🐝 had to have a whole new motor installed. This video was very helpful for my spring duties.. lol getting my bikes back to a running state.
Amazing how an electrical glitch had you tearing into carb multiple times, we’ve all been there . Shouldn’t be puffing smoke though but for $1200 you did alright!
Yea at first she was puffin like a 2stroke!!! LMAO
I'd swap out that likely cheap oil that looked questionable to proper quality oil. I would have checked that switch as soon as I noticed it was junky.
Can be puffing smoke if it's white smoke and it's cold. I've had white 'smoke' pissing out of bikes :)
valve seats can fix this issue probably getting a little leak through the seats.
had the same issue with my 400ex did a top end rebuild and valve seats and fixed the smoking issue and shes alive now lol
I've learned so much from watching this channel, thanks Joe and keep them coming!
my uncle has one of these same problem nice to see it was not to much to fix these are very good quads when i was younger i got to ride it very wheelie happy quad could pop the front tyres in 2nd 3rd and sometimes 4th
It might run even better if you take the jets back to stock ones if you switched them like you said but good job figuring it out!!!
Wow that was impressive, valve adjustment preventing it from firing who would've thought
Most people who have half a clue of how an engine works lol
very common problem lol
It’s always nice to see these sweet deals come to life. Great job Joe 💪🏻
Your getting to be a better mechanic every time u do this. Videoing and editing is a huge pain but it helps a lot of people. Keep it up Joe! Oh and try to give the starter a break by not pressing the button for so long, think it burns out coil or ignition from the heat. M not 100% on that lol.
Your not wrong. He’s a guy that never gives up. I’d really like to see him get a parts washer. You can hear the grit when he’s assembling things. I’m telling you, with a little bit of guidance, he be great.
U never no how much u amaze. Me 4 wheelers n dirtbikes are me all my life just had one caught the carbrater n burnt few things right money's tight n havnt wrod in a year sucks but watching makes my day keep up the good videos for us u make me learn more n more everyday
You may be chasing a gost . Before jetting make sure all timing and valve lash Are good..and 0 intake or exhaust leaks. Theese make jetting kinda go in circles because leaks are inconsistent. 1st step to jetting is setting the fuel height in carb typically about 1/8" below the bill gasket. But can vary. . And always warm the engine before making adjustments. . remember the. Mixture screw is part of the pilot circuit. And should be between 1& 3 full 360° rotations counterclockwise from being lightly seated. .on 4 stroke carbs it adds fuel. And if it idles best with mix out of spec . Change the pilot and try different pilot jet and repeat the process...for the main .will it briefly give a full rev. ? Yes . Ok ..if it boggs down .try smaller main ..if it revs part way to full rpm and starts pooping and snapping like a crappy revlimiter at well below the standard full rpm. It's lean try bigger main jet... Once main jet revs clean does it backfire when you let go if the throttle .if yes further richen the pilot circuit. . .all that is ok ..slowly accelerate looking for dead spots between 1/4 and with. If there present change the needle height and retest. And lastly .going straight from idle to Fullthrottle. Us 5he accelerator pumps job to make as smooth as possible.
"Great shape, could use a carb clean" is craigslist speak for "I already cleaned the carb, still runs rough".
Had a similar issue with a old Yamaha that i sold because we couldn't figure it out. I hope it wasn't that easy :/
For $1200 that's still an amazing deal for only having to put 1 new valve shim in it
I just bought a 2010 Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS. All it needed was a carb clean. I paid $2,500 for it. Cleaned the carb and it runs perfect.
Which btw ATV’s here in Tampa FL are super expensive. The next cheapest KTM 525 is $5k on Craigslist
So what was the deal with the milky oil?
Did I miss something?🤔
had the same problem with mine when i put it up a few years ago. i need to get back into it with this new found knowledge lol Thanks man! hopefully after sitting so long it can still be saved!
Yea…I’ve heard the “just needs the carb fixed” before too…lol. I experienced the same hesitation on my Z400, turned out the emulsion tube was waaay over tightened & crushed, causing the needle to stick thus not being able to excellerate. Rebuilt entire carb with correct jetting to match…runs & excellerates great now. By the way…what jets did you finally end up with? Great Vid, nice job on the fix!
160 main, 45 pilot
missfire mate, when you did the spark test you should of noticed it was also sparking mid way up the spark plug, top of threads, change the plug
You don't know what your talking bout
@@chad1550 have a look you bell end, not rocket science
@@chad1550 😂
Nice I’m working on an 05 predator right now too, I’m just waiting for piston rings and flange bolts
awesome video. with toys like this always always always do a compression test BEFORE buying. This can save you a HUGE headache. if the seller wont let you run a gauge on the motor, walk away !! sometimes hard starts, as seen here, can be valves that are out of adjustment. it's also very common for plugged pilot jets. or clogged filters, including petcock filters.
check valves, and if it has a tps on the carb too might need to adjust the tps
My rule of thumb is that if it doesn't run and it doesn't matter why they claim it doesn't run the price drops drastically for me to purchase it. It doesn't matter who they are and don't trust anyone's word when money is involved or you'll get screwed every time.
Got power core 4s on the Raptor and Warrior, loud as hell, forest service don't like em, 94.7 dB. Major upgrade over stock! 👌 my son's buddy has one same exact quad as you, carb is shit. I put a different carb on and its ran for going on 3 years now. Just winterize them right! Good luck.
That was some pretty impressive trouble shooting, your getting very good with the 4 strokes.
I hope you realize you’re giving a free education to us all, anything I know about small engines is credited to you
Always enjoy watching someone who learned from UA-cam and very little practical knowledge troubleshoot an engine..
Never just a carb, at least in my experience if so it's been a bad carb in oem carb place, no carb at all, broken carb epoxied together etc, and the best one, no jets etc. The infamous mower carb, Never know whatcha gonna get these days. Great quad Joe, keep up great work!!
I have the same quad and the same problem it goes and stops and goes and stops and it was all of a sudden. You just fixed my bike too
Nice quad Joe, you'll enjoy it... They're pretty fast and smooth.
Best thing in the world to use is a spray bottle with a little two-cycle oil mixed in with some fuel starting fluid don't always start. By using two-cycle oil you don't wash the rings out if you have to try to start it multiple times starting fluid will dry out the cylinder and bring your rings up and score the cylinder walls
I was always taught to do a leak down at Tdc, have a breaker bar on the crank so it won’t spin, put 100psi to it and that will show you. Guess you got to the same conclusion, just interesting how different people do stuff.
I was wondering what psi you set the leak down air test at. Ty
Glad you uploaded early again today gives me something to do while I sit at home injured
Never hold a starter for 15 seconds like this guy did
A flashlight or brighter lighting in your shop would help the videos. That or getting a hydronic lift table from harbor friend to get the bike up in the air.
Joe, You commentary about what you are thinking and why you are doing what you are doing is great and helps me understand the path you are following to get it going, Great job.
Did you ever look anymore into the milky oil thing to see if it came back after the oil change?
Missed out on a running for for 1000 in the yoop last week. Lots of good deals rolling up there with the snow freshly gone
I had the same issue with my '10 xt660z Tenere. Solenoid was loose. Really a pain in the ass if you try to find the issue
i hate it when people leave stripped screws. Just go to the hardwar store and replace all of the float screws with cap-hex bolts. such a shame.
Polaris Predators seemed to be more sensitive to maintenance. I've heard great things & not so great things bout em. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a well kept running machine! I believe they have KTM motors too & are very fast. Anyone know for sure?
The 500 engine is a fuji japan made engine. The Outlaw 525cc engine was the one made by ktm. I like both myself but the 525 is the more sought after/reliable engine. The problem I've had with the 500 is it'll drop a valve and $&#% the whole top end. I'm on my 3rd rebuild since I bought it...lol.
I have one...03...is a beast...Rode it 2 yrs...did a carb teardown and clean..also adjusted valves. Bought it used..only unusual things i have done other than grease/oil etc
it looks extremely similar to a DRZ400 motor. The head and cylinder look like they might bolt right up. I would wager they were made in the same factory. The carb also looks to be the same mikuni carb. Other than the diaphragm cover being slightly different it's identical to the stock carb my drz had.
When he took the flat needle out my first instinct was to tell him to remove the float valve as well to check the o-ring and little filter. They are well known to go bad due to the ethanol in the gas and contaminate the oil with gas if you leave the petcock on. Ask me how I know. The main jet bucket also has an o-ring that can go bad for the same reason and cause a rich condition.
@@Jam-hj1ht I have an 03 predator with that exact problem...lol. Needle seat o-ring is rotten. And I have an 03 scrambler 500 with that exact problem....so yes I would agree. As for the engine being similar... I agree they do alike but according to google it isn't a fuji japan engine. I'm no expert on the suzuki engine though.🤘
Love the content KEEP up the great work. I have a couple Honda 300 fourtracks. One of them Had a hard time Like this quad. I found the coil wasn't grounded very well. Grounding sleeve on coil pack Was thin And an after market part. Replace with OEM and cleaned up ground connection. runs great now.
As soon as you had the valve cover off I saw the milky oil. First thought....submarine! Not saying from experience of course...ops.
That's a pretty clean machine for the price ! Hopefully it's nothing major. I've been looking for a Predator quad or KTM quad for few yrs in my area. They are fast machines. They were pricey new ..like a Raptor 700R. $10+ out the door. I'm a Yamaha quad guy but like Polaris & KTM machines. Does this Preadator have a KTM motor?
No, it's a Fuji. The polaris outlaw 525 has ktm engine
Incredible video - I learned so much in 40 minutes. I stumbled here after having some issues with a Polaris 90 that doesn’t like to stay running after it gets hot, but mostly at low speeds. I’ve replaced the ignition coil and adjusted the valves. Any other ideas?
With most small engines the first thing that usually goes wrong is the carb, not draining the fuel when one is sitting for awhile usually causes the problem
first thing to check for is spark, fuel and compression...thats the basics to a running engine, when you were constantly cranking it after you sprayed starting fluid i was like check for spark
From your early videos to now you have gained so much knowledge and improved your skills a lot, keep up the great work👍
I think it has a bad head gasket. That oil was no way supposed to look like that.
These quads also, if the battery doesn’t put out optimum voltage, there is a limiter on the rev that will engage. These have to have a good battery in them. You can hook a battery charger up to the leads and test this theory this way. If it revs out with the charger hooked up to the quads battery cables then the battery needs replaced I had one with this issue that would start and do the same thing. New battery fixed it.
Just an FYI.. those harbor freight or cheaper calipers can be off by .03 which is noted on the packaging.. so those shims where probably 1.9 since you read 1.87..
Polaris uses the battery to power the CDI so, bad connection=bad running. I had the same problem with mine.
Adjust the floats and clean out the jets . Floats if not adjusted correctly can make it sound like it's flooded or starving for fuel
I had an 03 Predator years ago and man was it a POS. The previous owner, a friend of a friend, was not nice to it so I'm sure that had something to do with the condition. I had to rebuild the top end as it was really burning oil. It would literally leave a smoke trail everywhere and I had to add a quart of oil every hour or two of operation. After the top end rebuild and some more seat time, it ended up needing a valve adjustment about every 3-4 hours of operation. The valves kept getting tight. Maybe the valve seats were shot. I finally sold it and went back to Japanese bikes. Just much less maintenance, IMO.
On a Polaris some times when timing is jumped it looks fine but the cam gears are press fit on the shaft so if the gears get hot and expand they can shift and will be out of time
Jetts,car clean, gas replaced...
does have spark, compression, clutch being burnt
Can add an extra metal plate, or sand and scruff metal plates if Groved deeply,replace...
So many people just lie straight to your face when selling stuff. I could not do that. Money is priority in their eyes.
My Yamaha warrior is sputtering just like that after running fine when I got it and I’ve been going through it for 2 weeks and literally nothing has made a difference. I think something is affecting the spark when I’m riding but I haven’t figured it out
Yeah check all grounds!
Instead of starting fluid use the same fuel the machine you want to start uses put it in a Plochman's Mustard container use that to squirt the fuel 🙂
Thanks too your videos my son and I did a top end 440 kit on our 400ex,Runs great,jet kit ordered,thanks
Have the same thing bought from a guy and said it needed a carb clean would crank and fire up for about 3 seconds then shut off and would not start back up you could then turn the key off and back on and would repeat itself.
Dam your good bro! Bought a Honda quad last year (1995). Runs good but watching your videos over the last year gives me confidence that I can tune it up myself. Btw, did the oil turn out ok-any coolant leaking in engine?
It's a shame such a nice Polaris quad was abused & poorly cared for! Have 2 newer Yamaha sport quads are low hr & mint. Bought both new & will never sell em.
Have a question hope you can help . I just bought a Yamaha breeze like the one you made a video of few years back and the rear brakes are locked just like your was wondering where exactly did you spray wd40 to loosen it up
My dads polaris did the same thing. It's the fuel pump not pushing enough fuel. My dads wouldn't do over 15 mph checked wiring everything turned out to be the fuel pump
As always great content man🤙 I'm always looking forward to your uploads. Keep up the great work and keep feeding us these dope ass videos. Every predator I've seen or rode was always problem after problem. And owners always claimed it never ran right
Going through stuff in my shop a while back, found a polaris factory oil change tune up box for a Predator/Outlaw 500 with 4 qts of oil plugs and filters. 😮 no idea where it came from. Nice to have though. Bout a $75 kit.
my drz had a similar problem the stator coil went bad but was still sparking but not brightly
Anyone else say ohhh out loud when it back fired and his hand was right on the carb? No one? Okay me neither 😄😄😂
Great job joe on the diagnosis knew you would prevail the problems it had sounds great now mate take care and all the best 👌👍🔧🔧🔧
Great job, very well filmed and explained. Top Channel 👍
Vital signs:. 1 spark.. pull plug and check for fire.. 2. check compression.. 3. chk for fuel..
1st thing is use contact cleaner or a mist of start fluid to see if you get any start
Yeah bro you did real good on that the oils milky cuz it have fuel going back into the crankcase
Start with carb, then I'd check compression, sounds weak.timing could've slipped.
Cdi Box
I changed mine on my predator yesterday she cranked right up
I’ve got the same color and all
Headgasket is cooked. You can tell by the oil. Chocolate milk is not normal in an engine only a 7 year olds stomach. There is coolant in the combustion chamber thats why your exhaust is smoking clear white. We can can tell its the headgasket because your compression is fine. You would also be losing oil from seeping past the piston rings into the combustion chamber.
i need a project i miss doing this ..good job great vids
Great video. Thought for sure it was going to be timing.
When you was giving the back story of the quad, my thought was that don't add up as he said he knew you from the channel so saved it for you but then said it was last running in winter but went and tried to start it yesterday so it is obviously gonna be something electrical
She sounds Happy! 😆 if she could talk she would say thank you!
Well I just subscribed to the channel like this content and question how do you find the toys you find for the prices you pay man here in KY that Polaris would go for like $2000 the way you got it.
They always say it’s “just a carb clean” 😂🤣😂
thanks for making me buy a rusted out raptor to restore. i really enjoy your channel! keep up the good work your helping all us figure out years of problems that stumped us. Everyone loves to ride, sometimes you need to be able to wrench to ride, not everyone can wrench. thanks again!
also the polaris predator holds a special place in my heart, as do many of these quads from my teenage years. i bet shes a beast!
@@gruened not trying to bum you out or anything but the predator was far from a "beast" compared to the 450s japanese manufacturers were putting out at this time.
@@gruened Man the one near and dear to my heart as a teen was a beast 1989 LT250R Suzuki Quad... wicked fast
@@rapscallion3421 it blew all those quads away in the suspension department
@@gruened 😂😂😂 not even close, f*ck Polaris and their I.R.S. Suzuki had the most advanced quad of it's time. The predator couldn't even race as there was no class for a 500😂 epic fail of a quad, the predator
I'm interested in what that oil looks like after riding it a while.
I checked it, still clear!
Same here...you never showed that part...lol. Glad to here its still clear...must have been rain water or from pressure washing.
Great work!!!! Now it sounds like the main jet is too big! LOL
Had the same quad. Rear brake caliper needs to be taken off and piston pushed back in... Reinstall and then bleed. Tendency to get hung up.
Ahh man you always upload when I’m at work 😎😎 3 hours til I can enjoy 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😂😂😂
You should throw a jump box it as it’s turning over to slow, the spark at that rate is gonna be very low. Does sound like it could of jumped timing. But I would start with getting it to spin over a lot faster.
So I have a 04 and the little black box with black tape by your left leg it’s almost like a fuse might be rusty mine did this and once I cleaned the rust off the fuse it was a beast
Love all and trust few.
Buyer beware.
Everyone says "it just needs a carb clean."
Nice quad and good job.
Always be as thorough as possible when buying a used quad. Don't be afraid to break out a compression tester.
Sounded like ignition problem, i had similat with my honda had ignition coil fault when it warmed up, it start to cut spark on high rpm.
In your situation spark didnt get enough power for ignite high rpm or rich mixture.
You’re getting good at troubleshooting these things! Good job
Dang you are one hell of a mechanic I would love for you to work on my bikes sometime that would be awesome I have a Polaris 500 it’s a 2001 but it is giving me fits I ordered a carburetor for it last week
Good to know the high resistance from loose connection can cause ignition break-up