No start HELP!

[tmcg]

I've got a 1983 Honda ATC that doesn't want to start. When you pull the pull cord with choke halfway on for the first few times it seems to try to start like you can here it begin to fire up but won't. After pulling the rope a few times and still no start I pulled the plug and it's soaked on gas. I don't know where to go from here I have cleaned all electrical connections, cleaned the carb, checked plug gap and she still won't fire up. Where do I go from here? Any help would be appreciated thanks!

[wonderboy]

Check for spark. Get a fresh spark plug (only a couple bucks from the autoparts store... get an NGK) and plug it into the plug wire but don't screw it into the head. Lay the plug on the head so that the metal of the plug touches the metal of the head and so that you can see the gap. Pull the rope and see if you have spark. Report back.

[dman10]

X2 on wonderboy, easiest way to check for spark.
Good luck, probably nothing too major.

[Beau]

sounds like it is getting to much gas. pulling the rope should not flood out the motor. if you have spark hold the throttle wide open while trying to start it. dont pump the throttle. is the airbox filling up with gas as well?

[Desertlion]

Spark, fuel, and compression. When I found my ATC I had to re-wire it and install a new switch on the handle bars. Check your spark to make sure it is getting into the engine.

Fuel: My atc was sitting for a loooong time before I rescued it and the gas was napalm when i opened the carb. A new carb can be found for like $8 on amazon. that should make sure your fuel/air is getting to the engine.

Compression: Much harder to deal with could need new head gaskets maybe? never had to deal with that thank God.

[rectifier]

Mine did this forever, though it always started eventually. It went blub blub blub at full choke but showed no ignition any other way.
Full throttle, full choke, clean the plug etc... It would start and run fine but every start was a pain.

It would spray tons of fuel back into the airbox too. Turned out the carb was shot. Despite pulling it all apart and finding no apparent problems, I ordered a new chinese carb for $40 (yay Canada, no $8 carbs here) and it runs just great now. Supposedly some of the seats fail/are destroyed over time and cannot be replaced.

To prove it is the carb you can disconnect the fuel, drain the bowl, clean the plug, air out the cylinder and try to start on ether or carb cleaner. If it will fire - new carb time

[tri again]

Fast ez fix?
Great suggestions here but I've had a few with the same condition.

You can try to unscrew the spark plug cap and nip off the last
TINY bit of plug wire so the cap has fresh copper to bite into.

Only takes a minute and costs nothing.
Chance of it fixing the problem? Guessing 20%.
Lots of good reports on cheap carb replacements

[Steve-Hoog]

Had one did that with a flaky new coil.