250sx NOT STARTING!!!

[SPECK]

Ok, so I have been riding it lately and it has been working fine. I put a new air filter (kind of homemade) in it, drained the oil and put new oil in it.

So yesterday I go out to the garage, pull it outside and go to start it....

1 kick, 2 kick, 3 kick, 15 kicks, etc...so it is not starting. After a few more kicks it backfires.

I let it sit for a few hours and went back, same thing. The neutral light is lighting up, it sounds like it is turning over and etc.

So today I go out, same thing. I pull out the spark plug, that works fine.

I do not know much about engines/cars/atvs, just what I have seen my neighbor do I have kind of remembered.

HELP ME

[Dirtcrasher]

You gotta get yourself a Clymer manual or copy an OEM one and then join the fun. Spark? Compression? Fuel? and all at the right time?? Good luck...

[SPECK]

You gotta get yourself a Clymer manual or copy an OEM one and then join the fun. Spark? Compression? Fuel? and all at the right time?? Good luck...

I honestly do not understand what you just said, lol.

Lamens terms please..lol

[firefirefire90]

For any internal combustion engine to run, you need a few things to work hand in hand. You need Spark(iginition), Compression(piston), Fuel(Carb), Air(also carb), and timing(valves/Cam). If you do not have fuel, the trike will not start, if you CDI or your pulse copacitator discharge unit does not work, your trike will not work. If your strator is not working, your trike will not work. You say the starter light is on, so therefore i guess the battery is fine and your starter is fine. What i suggest you do right now is take the sparkplug out, but still attached to the spark plug lead and crank the motor a few times. Have the spark plug close to a piece of metal and if it sparks a nice fat blue spark you are good, if not you need to get a new plug then try again, if same thing percists come back and tell us all. Next thing, timing. Your valves in conjunction with your camshaft work together so when your pistion is at TDC(top dead center) you have highest compression so your fuel/air and spark work together to create power. When your intake valve is down, air comes in to mix with fuel and spark to ignite and make the piston go down. The exhaust valve then shoots down and collects the exhaust gasses to spew them out the exhaust. Also, you say your plug is wet so that is a good sign..this means you are getting fuel from your carb. Go on www.amazon.com and buy a Clymer manual for Honda ATC 250sx or whatever year you have. Understand this all now? Good luck mate!!

[Tri-ZNate]

Ok take the spark plug out and see if it is wet. If it is your getting fuel. Then have someone hold the spark plug, if ya get zapped ya have spark. Lastly have someone hold their finger on the spark plug hole and kick it over. If their finger gets pushed off you have compression. Report back.

[firefirefire90]

just for an example...this is how a two stroke works..:

If that is any help...thanks to Mike at RexKarz.com for the pic
EDIT: this is exactly how the engine works except without the valves and a 2 stroke uses reed induction..the reed acts as the intake valve...sorta.

[SPECK]

Ok, so I AM NOT GETTING FUEL. The spark plug was not wet, I didn't mean to type that.

I am going to try to do the "tablespoon of gas, then screw sparkplug back in and kick it" thing to see if it is the fact that I am not getting gas that is making it not start.

I am also going to try to put it on 100% choke and try to start it.

I just talked to someone on the phone and they said to do this.

If I was not getting gas, which it is looking that way, what would be stopping me from getting the gas and how would I fix it?

Thanks guys

[ClayW]

Squirt some starting fluid in the carb directly and see if it fires off for a few seconds. If it does your likely not getting fuel. Take the little bowl off the bottom of the petcock/fuel valve. Its prob full of rust. Clean it out, put it back on and try it again. That is a common problem. My 87 SX wouldnt crank. That was the culpret.

[Tri-ZNate]

I know this sounds crazy but your gas is on and you have gas in the tank right?

[SPECK]

Yes my gas is on, gas in the tank, the gas cap's "GAS" is on, etc...

I don't understand how to take off the piece you said though Clay.

Where is the fuel valve/what is it, what does it look like? And how big is the bowl piece?

More info. on the please Clay. lol

Slowly we are closing in on the problem.

Thanks tons guys

[Tri-ZNate]

the petcock is the thing you turn to either turn off the gas, turn it on or turn to reserve. The bottom has a bowl that screws in, just unscrew the bottom with some vice grips and clean out the little screen in there. If thats clean time to get into the carb.

[ClayW]

Its the little valve that screws on to the bottom of the tank that has the little ear that you can turn to where it says ON/OFF. This cuts the fuel off. On the bottom of that is a rounded looking bowl. ON the very bottom center of that bowl is a nut looking head. Unscrew that badboy and see if its nasty in the bowl and look up at the pet cock valve and see how it looks. You may have to turn it to the off position and spray some carb cleaner in there then turn the fuel on and let it pour out. THen put the clean cap on and try it. Oh yeah, make sure that you didnt hit the kill switch on the handlebar. I never use that on my ES. One day a kid moved it to the off position. It took me about a hour and a half to figure it out. I had checked the world. Pulled the starter out and everything. LOL.

[SPECK]

I will go try all of this:

-Clean "bowl"
-TBSP of gas into carb.
-Full choke start

Then I'll report back....

[ClayW]

Let us know bro.

[SPECK]

Ok, so after I put the gas directly into the carb, it began rumbling a bit more/louder. I also tried it with full choke which didn't seem to do anything really.

I tried taking the bolt off n the bottom of the On/Off/Reserve knob, but when I turn the bolt, the whole assembly turns....

So I am guessing that it is not getting gas, which would mean.....

What could be wrong?