[MountainManiac]

So, I have done a lot so far. Shimmed valves, all valves are now in spec. Intakes were zeroed out. Exhaust valves were out a little, right side was .009, camsprocket side was .010. Got it all together still wouldn't start? Checked spark none? Messed with some shoddy wiring. Got spark back. Put it back together. Started a couple of times. Went to the store for a clutch lever and came back to start it and ride it. Won't start? Checked for spark. Spark is white. Not "blue" as i have heard on the forums. Redid the connectors on the suspect wiring. Still cannot kick start. I am able to pop start it from a pull. Bike runs great. It idles, has good power, no backfires. As soon as I shut it down it does not start. I went through the carb had some small concerns but overall it looked good.

My current suspicion is the coil, the plug wire, the stator, or a combination of one or more of those things.

No leak down test done. Don't know how to do it and probably don't have the tools.

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

First thing is check the kill switch , unplug it and see if it starts , , if not the issue then move on to the coil then stator then CDI , if you have , or have access to a Ohm meter i can give you the specs for everything if you need it


Seems to be a rash of electrical issues going on right now .....

[MountainManiac]

Welcome to the site !!

First thing is check the kill switch , unplug it and see if it starts , , if not the issue then move on to the coil then stator then CDI , if you have , or have access to a Ohm meter i can give you the specs for everything if you need it


Seems to be a rash of electrical issues going on right now .....

Yeah disconnected the kill switch a long time ago. Sounds like a good plan. I did check the ohms on the stator and I believe it hit 17 if that sounds right? I would like as much info as I could get I think sending this pig to the shop would bleed me dry? Tools needed would be helpful too. I have basic hand tools but nothing too special. My meter is super basic free version from Harbor Freight. Did I mention that I don't know much about using the meter either? So, some basic instruction about where to touch the leads.

[punkrockkiel]

sounds like stator. you need to get yourself a true rms multimeter to test it. sounds like your pull starting it and its getting enough rotations out of flywheel to get up power when it should make enough just kicking it. lowes has meters for like 60 bucks. I just got one so I know.

[MountainManiac]

sounds like stator. you need to get yourself a true rms multimeter to test it. sounds like your pull starting it and its getting enough rotations out of flywheel to get up power when it should make enough just kicking it. lowes has meters for like 60 bucks. I just got one so I know.

I have been reading some other posts and I think I might try setting the carb up. I bought this from a guy who planned to run it as a timberseld. It has colorado snow permits on it so I was thinking that it might be jetted for high altitude?

[JimDirt]

Yea 5000 ft + , would be my guess , so depending on your elevation , you will need to re-jet

This is a basic jetting guide , so use this and see where your at

Jetting Guide for Main Jet:(pilot 45) CRF450R/X

Sea level....165
2000 ft.......162
4000 ft.......160
6000 ft.......158
8000 ft.......155


Temperature/Elevation:
One main jet size (up/down) for every 2,000 feet or 25 degrees in temp.

Give me some time (most likely some time tomorrow) , and i will post up some images of the Factory Service Manual , so you can read and see what to look for in the wiring troubleshooting , and punkrockkiel is correct , you want a good meter , you also want a Peak Voltage Adapter (they are fairly cheap , you can find them on eBay)for some of the tests

The tests themselves are easily done by a backyard mechanical ability , everything is explained in the manual , which i would highly recommend buying , not a Chilton , but a Factory Honda Service Manual , they are around $50-$60 , but worth every penny (Ken sells them here , or look on eBay or any Honda Dealer can get them) , i have several Service and Owners Manuals in PDF format (for Honda's ,Yamaha's,KTM ,Suzuki , etc) , so i will post up what you need to test , and it should get you thru it fairly easily , if you get stuck on something , just ask , there is lots of knowledge in these forums

[MountainManiac]

Ok, so I finally got a little time to work on the bike again. I am able to pull start it. I checked the spark with a generic spark tester. I get good spark about every third kick. I took the carb apart again to see what size jets I had in it. Compared to what was listed mine seems really off. I have a MegaBomb header on the bike. I don't know much about the jets but I am pretty sure that the pilot jet is a 42 and the main jet is a 170. There is a really short one as well but I could not read any numbers on that one? According to everything that I have been reading this setup is way out? Additionally, I took some pictures of the rear of the carb. It has what looks to me like a homemade powerwing?

[JimDirt]

I get a "404" error when i copy/paste that link , , when your trying to post a image , it should have several different links , for forums , etc , when you copy a link into your post , before Submitting , use the "Preview" that way you can see if the picture itself posted

If you go by the jetting guide i posted you should be right where you want to be (what is your elevation ?) , if your at sea level or near it and its jetted for 5000+ it will not run , you could go from 2000-5000 , but your setup needs to be within the guidelines posted

The main jet (the big one on the long tube)and the pilot jet (the long skinny one forward of the main jet) are what you need to worry about , possibly the Needle Clip position as well (remove the top of the carb , remove the Allen screw and pull the needle out , the clip position is noted from the TOP , so the 4th clip position would be 4th from the top of the needle (not the tip)

You need to get your jetting squared away before you go any further , you can't troubleshoot without the jetting being correct

Also , check your Fuel Screw setting , (under the carb at the front in the center) , it should be between 1 1/4- 2 3/4 turns out from "gently" seated

[MountainManiac]

I get a "404" error when i copy/paste that link , , when your trying to post a image , it should have several different links , for forums , etc , when you copy a link into your post , before Submitting , use the "Preview" that way you can see if the picture itself posted

If you go by the jetting guide i posted you should be right where you want to be (what is your elevation ?) , if your at sea level or near it and its jetted for 5000+ it will not run , you could go from 2000-5000 , but your setup needs to be within the guidelines posted

The main jet (the big one on the long tube)and the pilot jet (the long skinny one forward of the main jet) are what you need to worry about , possibly the Needle Clip position as well (remove the top of the carb , remove the Allen screw and pull the needle out , the clip position is noted from the TOP , so the 4th clip position would be 4th from the top of the needle (not the tip)

You need to get your jetting squared away before you go any further , you can't troubleshoot without the jetting being correct

Also , check your Fuel Screw setting , (under the carb at the front in the center) , it should be between 1 1/4- 2 3/4 turns out from "gently" seated

I am about 2300ft above sea level and ride up to about 4000ft. I was looking at the exploded view of the carb and noticed that there is supposed to be a rubber o-ring at on the end of the fuel mixture screw. I have one of those extended ones that you can adjust easily. I had the bike running yesterday after pop starting it and I could screw the mixture screw nearly all the way in before I noticed any difference. The bike still will not start after being warmed up. I took the fuel mixture screw out and replaced the o-ring. I'm going to try it out again today. Based on the specs that you gave it seemed really off, having a 170 main and 42 pilot at 2300ft? I was going to order the 165 and the 45 and see if that changes anything?
I am not sure how to add photos to this site? This link might work?
https://goo.gl/photos/2yvpSRhn3hmVtwVP6
https://goo.gl/photos/uDPxXfA2y68vHXY99

[JimDirt]

The jetting i have is what you want , i am about the same elevation , and i have the R&D Flex Jet Fuel Screw (not sure if thats what you have)

You want to be 45 pilot , 160-162 main jet , and the fuel screw should be around 1 3/4 - 2 3/4 (anywhere in there is fine) , and 4th from the top on the Needle Clip position , as far as the fuel screw , the O-Ring is very critical for tuning , if the O-Ring is torn/missing/damaged , it will affect tuning dramatically , my 450R starts on the first or second kick when cold , and usually the first when warm

So try that for jetting and i think you will be much happier

And the links did work this time , and yea it looks like one of those Power Wings , i have never tried one , but have never felt the need either

What i use for pictures is Photobucket , its free and you can post pics directly to your post

Like this:

[MountainManiac]

Well, I took it out again today and we pop started it behind my truck. This thing will not kick start. I had some time tonight and I pulled it into the shop hooked up a spark tester and turned the lights off. I get nothing? I checked voltage coming from the stator while I kick it over. I didn't get anything really measurable? I am not too good at electrical but I used to have spark when I kicked it. Can stators go out gradually? My thought is that while pulling it the revs are enough to create necessary voltage to create the spark? Kick starting will not do the job. Is this reasonable. I am probably going to order a new stator anyways. I still plan to change the jets to your recommendation. I ran it today and I have to turn the mixture screw in almost all the way in before I get a major change. Not much change at all going the other direction?

[JimDirt]

Yes the stator can go out gradually , or all at once , same goes for the coil and CDI , having a voltage tester with a Peak Voltage Adapter (i got my PVA on eBay for $40.00) , you need it to properly test the electrical system , along with a good Multi-Meter

Last July , i had to replace my Stator,CDI ,and Coil all at once , as each had a issue , and my bike would run , but not idle , or it would be going along then pop and die , then it got harder and harder to start (this was over 2 rides/2 days) , then it would not start at all , after testing , PART of the Stator was bad (there is a low voltage side and a high voltage side of the stator) , but the other side tested fine , same goes for the coil and CDI

If not for the Multi-Meter and the Peak Voltage Adapter (and the Factory Honda Service Manual) , i would not have found the cause of the issue

Electrical issues can happen from a bad ground to poor connections , to just parts wearing or giving out , i have seen bikes run fine , then sit for a few months and won't run and find the Stator or CDI has gone bad from sitting

As for the mixture screw , remember , all the way in is leaner , and out is richer , as its a Fuel Screw not a Air Screw (opposite of a 2 stroke) , so when adjusting it will give a indication of weather its too lean or rich in jetting by how its turned , in your case , spark is a issue as well , so without proper spark , its hard to diagnose fuel related issues , as it has to get good consistent spark to diagnose fuel issues properly , so the spark issue needs to be addressed first , though the jetting as i posted needs to be within specs as well

[MountainManiac]

There is an end to the story!! So, after all the stuff that I did and all the great advice that I received I have learned a great deal about my bike and am now very intimate with my ride. I did a lot of adjustments that needed to be done and discovered some things that I will still need to fix. However, the problem ended up being the stator? I ordered a new Trailtech stator put it in the bike tonight, added some oil checked to see that there was spark and put it back together tentatively. Turned the gas on gave it some kicks and nothing! I am telling you I was about to give up. I then used some of the tips about starting the bike and BAM!! That bitch roared to life!!! OMG!! This process has been both frustrating and rewarding... I shut it down and tried it again... STARTED!! AGAIN!!! Thought third time is the charm... She's a runner now!!! I would like to thank everyone that had input on this thread and I hope that others will learn something from it as well. This bike had a lot of problems and I think that any of them could have been the culprit. I have eliminated a lot of possible causes at this point and I just have some jetting to do to the carb and then I should be golden. All in time for the Memorial Day Weekend Ride with about 30 of my buddies. Again Thanks to all of you.... Happy trails...

[JimDirt]

Glad you got it going , and yes electrical issues can be a nightmare to diagnose

Enjoy your ride !!!