Need help with '83 Honda 200E

[saturnthegiant]

My '83 200E has had no problems until this week- it's started fouling the plugs, and yesterday i couldn't get it to run. The previous day it started and ran for a little while then died. The plug was fouled badly, i tried to clean it off but after a while it wouldn't fire. I bought a new plug and it started with the choke open, but only ran a few seconds and wouldn't start again. I took out the new plug and it was already fouled a little, but i still had fire. I also noticed a lot of gas in the bottom of the breather box. Is it possible that i am drowning it out? Does this sound like a carb issue?

[Yamada]

Maybe the float valve is stuck open, need a carb cleaning.

[saturnthegiant]

I figured as much......so this will be my first time to clean a carb, do you guys recommend getting a rebuild kit? Most of the posts i've looked through say the o-rings and gaskets will need replaced. Any other tips will help!

[oscarmayer]

buy a kit on ebay and rebuild your old carb. it comes with everything.
go to my sig and download the manual for your trike. a 200s manual will work as far as motor side is concerned (not starter stuff though) to get you the info needed to rebuild it.

these carbs are VERY simple. if you can do masic maintenance and know how to put something together the way it came out, then you can rebuild it.

2 cans of carb cleaner
1 roll of blue shop towels
1 ebay carb kit (get the kit with the preformed bowl gasket. makes it easier to install)

dissamble everything on that carb. make notes if needed where stuff goes. cleab with carb cleaner, install new parts and off you go.

[saturnthegiant]

Ok, i'm having a heck of a time finding a carb rebuild kit with the preformed bowl gasket!!! I've looked on ebay, they all just have a round gasket. Anyone have a link to another site to buy one, i tried Bikebandit and Dennis Kirk.


One more question, some of these kits just say ATC 200, are the carbs on '83 200m, 200s, 200e all the same carb?

[oscarmayer]

well if you can't find one, here's a simple trick to use those round ones.
get a small tube of black hi-temp rtv from the auto parts store.
using your finger, (putting small amounts onit at a time) spread it around the bottom bowl lip. make sure you clean any out with a towel if any get on the inside fo the carb bowl.
let it sit for 10 min. then slowly put the oring gasket on and push it into the rtv. now put the 2 bowls together (assuming the rest of the carb is rebuilt already and it jsut needs the bowl installed) and use your nail or a small flat head to push in (gently) any parts of the oring that pop out. the rtv will hold it in place and the hi-temp stuff once dry is not goign to be eaten by the fuel.


good luck! have fun, and take your time. read the manual and follow the directions on how to set the carb for factory specs.

[saturnthegiant]

Ok, thank you Oscarmeyer for your help, i plan to tackle this in a couple of days, once i get the kit in, so i may have a few questions again! I'm kinda looking forward to it 'cause i want to maintain these trikes myself and this will be the first thing i've had to tear into!

[saturnthegiant]

One more question, some of these kits just say ATC 200, are the carbs on '83 200m, 200s, 200e all the same carb?

Anybody know if these carbs are the same?

[oscarmayer]

yes the carbs are the same. the only difference (this is being debated acutally) that "maybe" the 200x may be 24mm vs. the 22mm of the other models, but they are all the same as far as kits go except the 200x carb has a few different parts.


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doing stuff yourself is always fun and very rewarding cause you get to see imediate results and go have fun right after!

[saturnthegiant]

Update: I brought it inside last night and turned the heat on in the garage, and after i let it warm up about 30 mins. it fired right up...... ! I guess this is a common thing?? I've read a lot of posts about some trikes being hard to run in the cold. It's purring like a kitten. While i had it in the garage i discovered that i had a pinhole leak on the underside of the gas tank. Took the tank off today and saw where it had a tiny leak along the weld on the underside of the tank. I used some sealer to seal the hole and i'm letting it dry as i type. I don't know how the leak happened as there's not a bit of rust under there or in the tank.

I went ahead a did a fresh oil change while it's sitting, and i'm still awaiting my carb rebuild kit, it should be here Tuesday. I guess even though the trike is running well in the garage i still need to do a carb clean/rebuild? I noticed it fouling the plug once before, in warm weather, so more than likely it's because of a sticky float valve, am i correct? The trike doesn't smoke and the idle and mixture settings i set according to the manual............

I read the manual and it doesn't look like a carb rebuild is too hard to do, even though it will be the first i've ever done........guess we'll see! Wish me luck!