The coolant inside the cylinder is a pretty serious condition, and if ignored, could grenade the motor. But, the problem may not be as severe as it first appears.

The top 3 reasons for coolant in ATV cylinder include:

1. Blown head-gasket
2. Loose cylinder head bolts
3. Cylinder head fault

In this post, you’ll learn about the most common causes for coolant inside your ATV cylinder, how to diagnose them and what you’ll need to do to fix them.

1 Blown Head-gasket

A head gasket is a graphite material that’s sandwiched between your cylinder (Jug) and the cylinder head. Its function is to seal – seal the compression chamber, seal the coolant passages and seal the oil passages.

Head gaskets work super hard and are under extreme stress. It’s not surprising they’re a common failing component. Gaskets can fail in a few different ways.

Symptoms of a blown head gasket vary, depending on engine type and how the gasket fails. As you have found coolant inside the cylinder, it suggests the gasket failed between the cylinder and the coolant passage.

This type of failure allows compression gasses to escape into the coolant system, which may present itself as coolant blowing from the rad cap or a coolant hose pipe blowing off. Compression gases escaping into the coolant system can cause rad damage too. This type of failure conversely also causes the piston to suck coolant into the cylinder on the downstroke.

The engine tries to burn off the coolant with the fuel mix inside the combustion chamber. This often presents itself as white smoke from the tailpipe and also causes a telltale sweet smell in the air.

How to diagnose:

There are a few ways to diagnose a blown head gasket, a chemical test of the coolant system, a leak-down test, and a coolant system test.

I like to use a leak-down test kit. This is a simple test and involves removing the spark plug, fitting an adaptor, and compressing the cylinder with air at TDC (Top Dead Center).

A pair of gauges help add and gauge pressure loss, but you’ll usually hear where the problem is. In our case, we’ll expect to see or hear air coming from the radiator, so top up your rad and remove the rad cap.

The leaking compressed air will cause the coolant to bubble up.

What Causes Head-gasket Failure?

Overheating is one of the more usual and immediate causes of a blown head-gaskets. And while we know we’ll need to replace the gasket it is worth noting – unless we find the root cause of why the gasket failed in the first place we could be back visiting this problem again.

Here are all the most common causes of head gasket failure:

• Overheating coolant system
• Wear and tear – gaskets wear is proportional to use, the harder she works the sooner you’ll be replacing the gasket.
• Old age – even well maintained bikes will eventually need a gasket, just a matter of time.
• Old coolant – old coolant or worse using straight water promotes corrosion inside the coolant system. Materials like gaskets, rubber, and plastic components are under attack. In fact, some old coolant turns acidic and actually eats away at the cylinder head. Condition known as electrolysis.
• Warped cylinder head – incorrectly torqued cylinder head and contatant heating cycles will lead to warping of the cylinder head.
• Frozen engine – ineffective anitfreeze will allow an engines coolant to freeze in winter which may cause the head gasket to fail

But as you know, overheating the motor is by far the most common head gasket killer, and so next, we’ll look at what the most common causes of overheating are.

Common causes of overheating:

Your bike depends on air rushing past the radiator to cool the coolant. Slower-paced trail riding may lead to overheating where a bike’s coolant system is already compromised, such as a partially blocked radiator, sticking thermostat, low coolant, poor coolant quality, etc.

Here’s a list of the main causes of an overheating engine:

• Low coolant level
• Coolant leak
• Old coolant
• Air locked coolant system
• Faulty waterpump
• Faulty rad cap
• Blocked rad (muck etc)
• Faulty rad fan or switch
• Fuel type issue
• Faulty spark plug, incorrect gap, or incorrect plug heat range
• Piston carbon buildup
• 2-stroke oil quality or quantity issue
• Carburetor issue
• Head gasket issue
• Vacuum leak
• Ignition timing issue

Testing the coolant system

Using a coolant system test kit will help diagnose any issues with the coolant system.

It may also indicate a head gasket failure, but it is more common to use a different tool to check head gaskets and we’ll look at them below.

Of course, not all bikes come with a rad fan as standard, so if you do a lot of trail riding and your bike usually runs hot, (you notice your bike dripping coolant) then consider fitting a rad fan.

Old coolant or using straight water in your coolant system causes corrosion, and that can lead to early gasket failure and some other problems, like:

Premature gasket failure

• Electrolysis
• Overheating
• Water pump seal failure
• Frost plug failure
• Head gasket failure

How to fix blow head gasket:

The only fix here is to remove the cylinder head inspect all components and replace the gasket. It is a job you can take care of yourself, but you’ll need to be mindful of timing the engine correctly when reassembling.

You’ll need to consult a workshop manual as you’ll need to know the cylinder head torque specs and also the tightening sequence.

In addition, you’ll need to be clear about timing the engine, getting the timing wrong could cost you a top-end rebuild.

When a cylinder head is removed, it is customary to reseat the valves and replace the oil stem valve seals, neither jobs are complex or expensive but you’ll be glad you did it.

The only special tools needed are a good quality torque wrench.

2 Loose Cylinder Head Bolts

As you already know, as gaskets age, they degrade, and cylinder bolts can become loose. Loose bolts will reduce friction between the head and cylinder. And by loose, I don’t mean hand loose. I point out of specification.

Because the combustion chamber is under such pressure (about 200psi), it will find any weakness. Torque specifications are very particular to each manufacturer, and the sequence of tightening is particular too.

A new gasket must be replaced whenever the cylinder head is removed, and a torque wrench used to tighten the head bolts to spec.

Borrow or buy a torque wrench, get your engine torque specs and sequence and check your head bolts. You’ll likely need to remove some components to gain access to the bolts. Re-torquing the head may not be successful. The correct fix is to replace the gasket.

3 Cylinder Head Fault

Your engine may look pretty solid, but in fact, it’s hollow and not as strong as it may appear. Coolant moves around an engine in a circuit. The cylinder head and cylinder (Jug) contain hollowed-out passages that allow the coolant flow.

If an engine overheats, the walls of the water jacket or head passages can develop hairline cracks which will allow coolant to enter the cylinder, either directly or through the intake valve.

This is the worst possible scenario as this type of damage can’t be repaired. Another common failure is a warped cylinder head. The warping may be caused by overheating, broken head bolts, or incorrect torquing specification or sequence.

A warped head can be repaired, but it will need to go to a machine shop for analysis and skimming.

You may find these posts helpful:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Coolant In Cylinder (This is why) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

Coolant in your ATV oil will grenade the motor. This is the kind of problem that needs immediate attention. But don’t panic, you’re in the right place, and very shortly, you’ll have it figured out.

Top 3 reasons for coolant in ATV oil include:

1. Blown head-gasket
2. Failed water pump seal
3. Leaking frost plug

In this post, you’ll learn the top 3 reasons an ATV has coolant in the oil, you’ll learn how to diagnose them and what you need to do to fix them.

1 Blown Head-gasket

Head-gaskets fail all the time; they work hard and are under tremendous pressure. What is a head gasket? It’s graphite material sandwiched between your cylinder head and the piston sleeve (Jug).

Its function is to create a seal between the water passageways, the oil passageways and to seal the combustion chamber, so compression doesn’t leak.

What’s coolant passageways?

Your ATV engine creates a ton of heat, and if it isn’t managed, the internal engine components would simply fuse and seize. Hollowed out passageways inside your cylinder head and sleeve carry cool coolant to and hot from the engine.

The hot coolant, as you know, is then transported to the radiator by the water pump, where ambient air helps cool the fluid, and the cycle begins again. A head gasket can fail in a few different ways and depending on the engine type and where the gasket blows will dictate the symptoms.

As your ATV suffers from the coolant in the oil, at this stage, it would appear your head gasket has failed between the coolant passageway and the oil passageway.

This isn’t the most common way for the head-gasket to fail, but it does happen. The more usual way is coolant inside the cylinder.

The symptoms of coolant to oil passage gasket failure include:

• Milky/tan or brown frothy oil
• White scum on dipstick
• Very high oil level
• Low coolant
• Unexplained coolant loss
• White smoke

How to diagnose :

Your coolant system is a sealed pressurized system (1 bar/15psi). There are several ways to test for a failed head gasket. I like to use a leak-down tester but it is possible to use a coolant system test kit too.

The leak-down tester pressurizes the cylinder and checks for pressure loss over a given period of time.

However, a failed gasket usually makes itself known by the telltale sound of air from, and where the air leaks from is where the gasket has failed.

To use a coolant system test kit remove the cap and pressure the system using the hand pump tester, and check for leaks.

It is similar to the leak-down tester in that the sound of air leaking is the indicator of where the gasket has failed.

As our coolant and oil are mixing we’ll expect to hear air leaking from the oil filter/ dipstick port. Go ahead and remove the dipstick and listen for air escaping from the crankcase area.

This indicates gasket failure between the coolant and oil passages. But as you’ll learn in the next section, it may not be the only reason you hear air escaping from the dipstick. If you find your head-gasket has failed, it is a job you can take care of yourself. You will need a torque wrench and torque specifications, but it isn’t a hugely difficult procedure.

Overhead cam engines will be more challenging, as incorrectly refitting a timing chain is easy to do and could potentially grenade the motor.

2 Failed Water Pump Seal

The water pump should really be called a coolant pump as it moves coolant. Anyhow, its job is to keep the coolant moving around the system. The cooled coolant is pumped to the engine and returns to the radiator to be cooled, and so on.

The pump is usually mechanically driven by the engine. It’s positioned on the side of the motor. A shaft with an impeller on the water pump side passes through a seal and bearing to be driven from the crankcase side.

A failure of the water pump seal can cause coolant to enter the crankcase and mix with oil. However, if this is the problem, a weep of coolant should also be present at the bottom of the water pump housing, which should alert you to a problem.

The second possible failure of the water pump is model-dependent. Some models use an o-ring or gasket to interface the pump housing with the engine.

As the pump housing and side cover are integrated, a failure of this o-ring or gasket will allow coolant to leak into the crankcase.

How to diagnose:

Coolant pumps wear out, just like brake pads, so if you own your ATV long enough, you’ll be replacing it. Suppose your water pump hasn’t been replaced in the last five years. Go ahead and replace the water pump seal, bearing, and gaskets.

While replacing, inspect the impeller and shaft for wear and for evidence of failure. A worn bearing allows play and that will cause the seal to fail. Rebuilding the pump and replacing gaskets is worthwhile maintenance, even if it’s not the source of your leak.

3 Leaking Frost Plugs

Frost plugs are cup-shaped metal components about the size of a dollar coin. They’re fitted to all water-cooled motors and offer protection against freeze-thaw action. When coolant isn’t strong enough, it freezes and expands inside the engine, pushing the soft metal frost plugs out of the engine.

Without frost plugs, the forces are strong enough to break the engine apart. Frost plugs don’t usually cause too much trouble. They’re press-fitted into the cylinder head and block and are tight enough to create a seal. Common problems include corrosion and leaking.

Most frost plugs are fitted to the external of the motor, meaning if they leak, you’ll know about it. But some models fit frost plugs under the cam cover, and a leaking frost plug here will cause coolant to migrate to the crankcase.

This is a rare condition, but I’ve met it a few times, and worth checking before you pull the cylinder head, as you’ll have the cam cover off anyway.

ATV Coolant

Coolant contains anti-freezing agents and is often referred to as antifreeze. Both terms are correct. Fresh coolant is important, it should be changed every three years (including the thermostat), and antifreeze strength checked well before winter arrives.

As coolant ages, it loses its strength and turns acidic, and can eat your engine from the inside. Old coolant not only risks your engine from the effects of overheating and freezing but also risks corroding other coolant system components like:

• Head-gasket
• Frost plugs
• Pumps
• Thermostats
• Rubber seals and gaskets
• Internal engine water jackets

Coolant does a lot more than most ATV owners realize. Your coolant is specially formulated and contains additives that:

• Raise the boiling point
• Lower freezing point
• Protects internals from corrosion
• Lubricates and protects rubber seals

You may find the following posts helpful:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Coolant In Oil (Mechanics advice) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

Leaking gas is dangerous and obviously needs your immediate attention. The risk of your ATV catching fire is real, and if you park in a garage, the situation could be life-threatening.

The top 5 reasons for ATV carburetor gas leak.

1. Faulty carburetor needle valve
2. Float stuck
3. Float faulty
4. Dirty gas
5. Faulty carburetor gaskets

In this post, you’ll learn all about the top five reasons your ATV carburetor bowl leaks gas, how to diagnose them, and what you need to do to fix them right now.

1 Faulty Carburetor Needle

The carburetor bowl fitted to the base of your ATV carburetor is a reservoir of fuel that stands ready to feed gas to the engine as it demands. The bowl contains two important components that work closely together, the float and the needle valve.

The float, as its name suggests, floats on top of the gas inside the bowl. It pivots on an axis and is directly attached to the needle valve. The needle (needle valve), which is a metal valve with a rubber seal (or the seal may be part of the needle seat), moves off its seat as the float falls. This opens an orifice and allows gas to fill the bowl.

As the bowl fills with gas, the float rises and causes the needle to seat, blocking the fuel orifice once again.

What’s the problem with needle valve?

The float and needle are in constant operation so long as the engine is running. Needle failure is very common. These guys work hard and are submerged in gas all their working lives.

Some carburetors consist of a needle with a seal incorporated. Others may employ a needle with the seal in the seat.

The rubber seal is what causes the issue. They become perished, develop cracks, and split.

A damaged seal will, as you can imagine continue to allow gas to fill the bowl. When the bowl overfills, it will exit the overflow pipe if fitted. If not, it may continue to fill the carburetor and flood the air box or cause a condition called Hydro-locking.

Hydro-locking – a condition where gas fills the cylinder and prevents piston movement.

Hydro-locking is more closely associated with water ingestion but is a common symptom of leaking carburetors.

If you find your engine does suffer from hydro locking be sure to change the engine oil after fixing the root cause of the issue (usually carburetor needle valve). The crankcase becomes contaminated with gas and dilutes the engine oil reducing its ability to protect your motor.

Common symptoms of leaking needle include:

• Leaking gas from carb
• Gas in the air box
• Overfull oil level
• White smoke from engine
• No starts
• Hard starting
• Black smoke from engine
• Misfiring
• Stinks of gas

How to diagnose a leaking needle:

Turn gas off and remove the bowl. Some carburetors may require removal to remove the bowl. With the bowl removed, turn the gas on and lift the float. If the needle continues to leak, you found the root cause of the problem. Go ahead and replace the needle valve.

How to fix:

Fixing this is pretty simple, and you can easily take care of this yourself. Order a complete carburetor repair kit. If your model has a carburetor seat with a seal and o-ring seal, be sure to change them out too.

To fit the needle, remove the float pivot pin, and the needle comes too. If your model has a replaceable seat, replace it too, together with an o-ring seal.

2 Float Stuck

You already know the float controls the needle valve and so it’s crucial to the fuel supply system. The float lives inside your carburetor bowl and determines the level of gas in the carburetor bowl.

Parking your ATV on very steep hills or loading it onto a flatbed can upset the float inside the carburetor bowl and cause it to simply stick in the lower position.

Overwintering your ATV, especially with an empty fuel bowl, can cause the floats to stick. I prefer to use a fuel stabilizer in the gas and fill the gas tank; it prevents lots of winterizing stale gas-related issues.

Anyway, if you suspect this could be your problem, the fix is simple. Park the ATV on level ground. Try tapping lightly on the side of the bowl. Try also bouncing the bike up and down. This should release the float.

If that fails, go ahead and remove the bowl drain bolt. If you can access the float, give it a little encouragement. Emptying the bowl and turning the gas on to refill will very often solve the problem.

3 Float Out Of Adjustment

Modern floats are made from plastic, but when I started as an apprentice, they were soldered metal float and gave endless trouble. Most modern floats are fitted with a metal adjustable tang that actuates the needle valve.

The constant movement bends the tang (made from lightweight material) downward, which has the effect of allowing more gas in, raising the upper level to a point where the gas floods the carburetor.

If your float is a one-piece plastic unit, it’s not adjustable and must be replaced if causing an issue.

How to diagnose maladjusted float:

The procedure is similar to checking for a faulty needle (lift and check for leaks) but also checking for free play in the float tang to the needle.

With the bowl removed, you can also measure the float drop and check the spec with your carb manufacturer. Other tools and accessories like clear pipe or transparent bowl made diagnostic a lot easier. But if in doubt, replace the float, needle, and seat, there aren’t expensive or difficult to fit.

Adjusting a float:

Remove the bowl and check for tang needle free-play. Removing free-ply may solve your issue, but it’s best to have the manufacturer’s specs for float drop and adjust to spec.

Removing the float:

Remove the float pivot pin. Some may require a small punch and some gentle tapping to remove. Others will just slide freely out.

Once removed, the needle valve will come also. Adjust or replace float, replace the float valve, and seat before refitting. If fitting a new float, the float tang should be set from new, but check for free-play before installing the bowl.

Adjusting the tang is simply a matter of bending using needle-nose pliers, refitting, and checking float drop.

4 Dirty Gas

Dirt in the gas tank can cause problems when it arrives at the needle. A fuel filter will catch larger debris, but crap still passes through the filter. Old gas lines perish and start to break down, and not just on the outside.

The inner walls of the lines break down, and small particles of rubber get trapped in the valve, holding it open. This, as you can imagine, allows the bowl to overfill and spill from the carburetor.

How to diagnose:

Check your gas lines. If they’re ten years old or more, they need to be replaced. Replace your gas filter too. An old filter will break down too and cause problems.

5 Faulty Gaskets

Carburetors use gaskets to help seal individual carburetor components. A rubber or paper gasket is commonly used to mate and seal components.

The two most likely carburetor gaskets to leak are the bowl drain bung gasket and the fuel bowl gasket. The reason for this is pretty obvious. They are the two carburetor components most commonly removed for inspection or repair.

The gaskets become brittle with age and are easily damaged. Over-tightening or pinching the gaskets on installation will cause them to leak.

How to find the the leak:

Turn off the gas at the petcock, dry the carburetor of excess gas. Use some baby talk on the gasket areas, turn the gas back on and look for the damp patch.

A carburetor rebuild kit will include all the gaskets. Lube them lightly before fitting, and don’t over-tighten.

You may find the following posts helpful:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Carb Leaking Gas (Fixed!) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

Oil leaking from an ATV manifold isn’t a good sign, and you already know that. But the fault could be something simple.

Top 3 reasons oil leaks from an ATV exhaust manifold include:

1. Crankcase over full
2. Blown head-gasket
3. Oil stem valve seal failure

In this post, you’ll learn the most common reasons for oil leaks from your ATV exhaust manifold and what you can do to fix it.

1 Oil Level

I’ll start with an overfull oil level since this is the easiest to check and fix. Overfilling your oil is easy to do but can cause some unexpected problems. The correct oil level is very important.

Too much will cause the piston at BTD (Bottom Dead Centre) to displace the excess oil to wherever it will flow. You’ll find an engine with too much oil, will develop oil leaks around the pan, dipstick, breather pipe, crank seal, exhaust, head-gasket, and anywhere else it can push it.

If this turns out to be your problem, it’s an easy fix unless, of course, you’ve damaged some seals.

Diagnosis

Allow the engine to cool and check the oil level. If it’s too full, and you suspect you overfilled it, you’ve found your problem. Just drain off the excess oil and ride on, but do check for further oil leaks.

However, there’s another possibility for the overfull oil level – a faulty carburetor float needle. The float needle controls gas flow from the tank to the carburetor. When it fails, it allows gas to fill their cylinder, which leaks past the rings and into the crankcase.

To test for this condition, smell the oil. If it stinks of gas, you’ve likely found the source of your high oil level.

To fix this, you’ll need to remove the carburetor fuel bowl, test and replace the needle, seal, and seat. It won’t hurt to also check your float level and adjust if necessary.

2 Blown Head-gasket

A blown head-gasket can happen for various reasons, excessive blow-by, too much oil, old age, loose head bolts, engine running too hot, etc.

Depending on where your head-gasket blows, oil can be drawn into the combustion chamber and blown out the exhaust valve where it leaks from the exhaust manifold.

This, however, is usually accompanied by plooms of smoke. If you do have a lot of smoke, you’ll also need to consider failed rings.

A leak-down test is the best way to check a cylinder issue.

3 Worn Oil Stem Seal

Oil stem valve seals are nylon seals that fit over the valve stems and sit on top of the valve guides. The seal to designed to fit tightly around the valve stem and prevents oil from escaping into the exhaust manifold. The trouble is, as the seals age, they become hard. The oil then sneaks past the seal, where on the exhaust side, it escapes directly into the exhaust manifold.

Your seals may not be worn. They may be damaged. Your valves move up and down inside a valve guide. Wear and tear on guides can cause them to wear out. This creates excessive valve play, and the valve damages the seal.

How to check valve guides and valve seals? You have two options. Remove the exhaust manifold and check the route the oil takes to the manifold.

Or, remove the valve covers and check the condition of the valve stem seals and check for valve stem play.

Replacing the valve stem seals is possible without removing the cylinder head.

You may find the following posts useful:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Oil Leaking From Exhaust Manifold (3 Reasons why) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

Finding black drips under your ATV can be worrying. The best you can hope for is a leaking drain plug, so I guess maybe we’re getting lucky here.

So why does the ATV oil drain plug the leak? The top 3 reasons an ATV drain plug leaks oil include:

1. Missing plug washer
2. Worn out crush washer
3. Over-tightened plug

In this post, you’ll learn why your ATV oil drain plug (also known as a bung) leaks oil and what you can do to fix it today.

Oil Change

After an oil change, it’s always good practice to replace the oil plug gasket, in many cases that’s a washer. I’ve been a mechanic for more than twenty-five years, and I’m plenty guilty of reusing the same oil plug washer when needs must, but doing so simply won’t guarantee a dry pan.

An untreated weeping oil plug, as you know, coats the underside of your bike in oil, and airflow pushes it back ways coating the rear end in a slick. A leak is irritating but could also be a safety issue, as oil could contaminate the rear brakes and tires, and road surfaces.

The other glaringly obvious hazard is running out of oil and killing the motor. You are absolutely correct. This oil leak needs to be fixed.

1 Missing Oil Drain Gasket

A missing gasket (washer or o-ring seal) is a common mistake to make, you’re changing the oil, and the old gasket drops into the waste oil, either unnoticed or forgotten. Either way, the result is a wet pan. But as you already know you should in theory fit a new gasket whenever you remove the oil drain.

The simple fix here is to fit a new gasket. That will of course mean draining the oil again, a pain in the ass I know. If your oil is fresh and you want to save it, be really sure the underside of your bike is clean before dropping the oil into a pristine container.

Crap falling into the oil is a BIG NO-NO, it could damage your engine.

2 Worn Out Oil Drain Gasket

A worn-out oil drain gasket is a common issue. As said, in many cases oil drain gaskets are reused over and over and simply wear out. The type of gaskets used to seal oil pan drains vary. The three most common oil drain gasket types include:

• Rubber O-Ring seal
• Crush washer
• Flat washer

O-Ring Seal

The rubber O-ring seal slips over the drain bolt and interfaces with the oil pan and creates a seal. This is a very popular type of gasket and is reuseable but is susceptible to damage. Typically a seal might last three or four oil changes. Replacement O-rings can be bought over the counter at any good parts store, but the o-ring rubber is special it needs to be oil resistant, most rubbers aren’t. Bringing your oil bung with you to the parts store will mean a perfect fit, I’d buy dozen while you are there.

Crush washer

The crush washer is one of the most likely gasket types to leak and that’s because it’s one-time use deal. As its name suggests, the doughnut-shaped ring washer is crushed as the plug is tightened. This creates a tight seal but using it a second time risks a leak.

Flat washer

A flat washer made from soft metal such as copper or alloy washers is the last of our common gasket types. They are the most forgiving but obviously wear out too. Copper and alloy are chosen as their soft metals conform to the plug and pan faces creating a perfect seal.

Mechanics hack for pan leaks

It is common practice to use pipe dope in some situations and in a pinch a mechanic may use pipe dope on the oil drain bolt. Pipe dope is a liquid sealer that prevents oil from leaking through plug threads.

3 Over-tightening

Over-tightening oil drain plugs are the cause of many an oil leak problem, and like all young apprentice mechanics, I was guilty of that and a lot worse. Over-tightening any of these washers may cause them to leak or worse strip the oil pan threads. Rubber O-ring seals are especially susceptible to splits or pinches.

Using the correct torque spec on the oil pan is important, most pans are alloy, which is a soft metal and easily damaged if overtightened. A torque wrench would be nice but isn’t necessary provided you have a feel for what’s tight. Typically oil drain bolts are M14 and are tightened to about 17 ft-lb (23Nm).

All manufacturers will have their own torque speck for the plug, but you really only need to use common sense. The more you work on your bike, the faster you’ll develop a calibrated thumb.

You may find these posts helpful also:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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Smelling raw gas from your ATV can be alarming, especially if you park it in the garage hot.

A smell of gas from ATV oil is commonly caused by:

1. Leaking carburetor valve needle or seat
2. Incorrect fuel float setting
3. Faulty petcock

In this post, you’ll learn why your ATV oil smells like gas, how you can diagnose the problem, and how you can fix it. We’ll also cover the dangers of contaminated crankcase oil.

1 Leaking Carburetor Float Valve

Your ATV carburetor is a multi-tasking precision piece of kit. It’s got three main jobs:

1. Mix air and gas and to a precise ratio
2. Supply the correct quantity for any given engine load
3. Keep a sufficient quantity in the fuel bowl at all times

When I smell raw gas from engine oil, I immediately suspect a possible problem with the carburetor float needle. A common symptom is, as you know, the smell of gas but also an unusually high oil level and possibly gas inside the air-box.

Your carburetor is fitted with a fuel bowl. It’s a reserve of gas that stands ready to supply the engine. The gas level in the bowl is controlled by the float, float needle, and seat.

The needle and seat block a fuel passage, and attached to the needle is the float which rises and falls with the gas level inside the bowl.

As the float falls, the needle unseats, and gas fills the bowl. As the gas level rises, the needle is once again seated, and the gas flow stops. A rubber seal is used either on the tip of the needle or in the seat. As the needle gets older, it perishes and splits, as you can imagine allowing gas to seep into the bowl.

The gas fills the carburetor and very often overflows into the cylinder through an open intake valve. Gravity forces the gas inside the cylinder to leak past the rings and make its way to the crankcase.

Hydro-locking is also common when bikes get stuck in water, but gas can also cause hydro-locking. When gas fills the cylinder, it can’t be compressed, so the piston won’t move.

Hitting the start button offers a click of the starter and nothing else. The rider understandably assumes it’s a flat battery.

Checking the Needle

A leaking needle and seat are so common that if you own your bike long enough, it will happen. To confirm a leaking needle, remove the fuel bowl. Some bikes won’t make this easy. You may need to remove the whole carburetor.

With the bowl removed and a fuel line connected, lift the float. Fuel should stop flowing. Examine the needle seal. It may be on the tip or in the seat.

If your carb model has a needle and seat, go ahead and replace both, nobody likes visiting the same job twice.

2 Fuel Float

The fuel float lives inside the bowl and controls the fuel bowl fuel level. If the float isn’t set correctly, it may overfill the bowl, which will have the same effect as a leaking needle. Setting the bowl will require removing the fuel bowl and possibly the carburetor. The float may have a metal or plastic tang, the metal is adjustable, but the plastic isn’t.

To adjust the metal tang, first, you’ll find your carb float specs. Then you’ll need to measure float travel and adjust the metal tang by simply bending it and rechecking.

A worn float with a plastic tang will need to be replaced as it can’t be adjusted.

3 Petcock Faulty

A petcock or fuel valve is fitted to your fuel line. Two types are common, the manual type and the vacuum-operated auto type. The vacuum-operated type employs a rubber diaphragm and a vacuum line from the carburetor. As the engine cranks, the engine vacuum pulls on the diaphragm and actuates the valve.

Problems with older diaphragms can occur and may allow gas to leak past the diaphragm and into the combustion chamber. Your engine will run extremely rich. You may notice black smoke, backfiring, and bogging. A rich running engine will cause misfiring, and that means un-burnt gas will make its way to the crankcase.

To check the petcock, remove the vacuum line. Gas in the line spells a failed diaphragm. You can also bypass the valve and block the vacuum line for testing.

Dangers of Contaminated Oil

The dangers associated with a rich running ATV engine are real, gas in the oil dilutes it, and that means your internal engine components aren’t lubed or cooled correctly. In addition, raw gas washing down the cylinder removes the protective oil coating. This means premature engine wear or total failure.

A rich running engine will also allow a build-up of contaminants inside the cylinder head, leading to overheating, pre-ignition, burnt valves, and seats. After you find and fix the cause of your leak, it’s very important to change your oil, oil filter, spark plug, and clean the air filter.

You’ll find the tools I recommend here on the ATV tools page and you’ll find common spare parts here on the ATV parts page.

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Oil Smells Like Gas (Fixed) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

Nothing wreaks your trail riding fun like an overheating ATV, and without spare coolant, it’s a real worry.

You may put water in an ATV radiator as a short-term measure. However, water doesn’t contain anti-freezing, anti-corrosion, or cooling agents, and so long-term use risks the health of your ATV engine.

In this post, you’ll learn why straight water in your ATV radiator can cause some real damage. You’ll also learn how to check coolant condition.

Straight Water Damage

You already know you can use water in your coolant system if you are in a pinch. But leaving it their long term causes some real problems. Boiling your engine risks blowing the engine, damaging the cylinder head, blowing head gaskets, radiators, etc.

Allowing your coolant to freeze can also cause some expensive problems. Cracked engine blocks, cylinder heads, busted radiators. All at-risk and all are a needless expense. Coolant/antifreeze is specially formulated to have a high boiling point a low freezing point.

But your coolant does so much more than that. It contains lubricates that help protects your water pump and thermostat, and seals.

Coolant also helps prevent corrosion inside your engine. Water in a coolant system long-term would corrode these components and the inside of your engine.

Coolant Condition

Coolant should be changed at least every three years. If it’s been longer or your ATV has been running water, I would do a complete back system flush replace the thermostat, and fill it with fresh coolant. Old coolant loses its ability to protect, but it also turns acidic, and that’s a silent killer.

Acid coolant will happily eat the inside of your system, rubber, plastic, and your engine too. So having coolant is important, but having fresh coolant is just as important. Changing every 2-3 years will prevent any risk of acid damage.

A bike that constantly uses coolant likely has a leak. Use a coolant system pressure tester to check the complete system.

Common causes of coolant loss, include:

• Bad rad cap
• Cracked radiator
• Loose hose clamp
• Leaking water pump

Checking Coolant

You can check coolant strength using a refractometer or dip strips, and that will tell you how strong the mix is very useful info. You can also check the acidity of the coolant using a simple DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Meter). The acidity carries a voltage charge which we can measure.

Set your meter to 5 volts dc and place the black probe on the chassis ground and the positive probe tip into the coolant. A reading close to 1 indicates you need a flush and a change of fluid. But if you haven’t changed the coolant in three years, it’s time to change it.

Coolant System

Your coolant system is very important for keeping your motor cool. Without it, your engine would get so hot, the internals simply fuses together.

The components of a regular coolant system include:

• Radiator – transfers coolant heat to the atmosphere
• Rad cap – regulates the pressure of the system
• Expansion tank – coolant reservoir
• Water pump – moves the coolant around the system
• Thermostat – helps warm the engine quickly
• Thermoswitch – senses temperature and turns on the fan
• Temp sensor – senses coolant temperature and sends info temp gauge
• Temp gauge – shows the temperature of the coolant
• Radiator fan – electric fan used to help cool the system
• Engine jackets – coolant passageways throughout the engine
• Frost plugs – plugs installed in the engine wall that helps prevent frost damage
• Coolant – coolant/antifreeze liquid used to protect from frost and heat

The coolant system is a sealed pressurized system, and your radiator cap helps regulate the pressure. A pressurized system is a real advantage because it raises the boiling point of the fluid. A sealed system is therefore critical to keeping your engine cool.

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post Can You Put Water In An ATV Radiator? (Mistakes to avoid) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

You can’t mistake the smell of raw gas, and in the case of a gas leak, that’s a good thing. Leaking gas and hot exhausts aren’t a good mix.

There may be a number of reasons ATV carburetor floods with gas. Here are the top 7 causes:

1. Worn carburetor float needle & seat
2. Float out of adjustment
3. Split fuel lines
4. Loose line clamps
5. Worn carburetor bowl gasket
6. Stuck choke
7. Timing off

In this post, you’ll learn about the most likely reason your carb leaks gas and what you can do about it. You’ll also learn about other possible causes and what you can do to fix them.

1 Needle & Seat

Your carburetor is an exact, mission-critical bit of kit. Any faults will make themselves known pretty quickly. Leaks are common. The float needle and seat are the usual cause. Your carburetor has a fuel bowl which is a reservoir that stands ready to feed the motor with gas.

As fuel leaves the bowl, it must be replaced. The carburetor float, needle, and seat maintain the bowl fuel level. The float (usually plastic) pivots inside the fuel bowl and rides on top of the gas. The float needle is controlled directly by the float.

As the gas level drops, the float falls, which allows the needle valve to unseat and let gas flow in. As the float rises, the needle valve closes again.

The needle and its seat must make a good seal. If they don’t, the fuel bowl will overfill and cause gas to leak from the carburetor or flood the cylinder.

The needle or the seal is fitted with a rubber seal. The seal simply perishes or cracks with age. Replacement seal and seat aren’t difficult to fit and are available for most carburetors.

2 Float

The float, as you know, acts on the needle and, in combination, directly controls the level of gas in your bowl. Most floats are fitted with an adjustable tang. Bending the tang adjusts the contact point and, therefore, the bowl gas level.

As carburetors age, the float tang gets weak and drifts out of adjustment. Too much gas in the bowl will either leak from an overflow or fill your cylinder.

Replacement floats are available too and are easy to fit.

3 Gas Line

Don’t discount the simple fix, a perished gas line is soooo common, and it’s a quick fix. Check your gas lines from tank to carburetor for fine cracks and splits. Check your petcock (fuel tap) too.

4 Loose Line Clamps

Loose, corroded, or missing fuel line clamps are a common cause of fuel leaks, but over-tightening clamps can cause leaks too.

Loose, corroded, or missing fuel line clamps are a common cause of fuel leaks, but over-tightening clamps can cause leaks too.

5 Bowl Gasket/Seal

Your bowl is fitted to the base of your carburetor and uses a rubber or paper gasket to seal the union. Paper and rubber gaskets can wear out, especially if the bowl has been on and off a few times.

The exact source of leaking gas is often hard to spot. Try dusting the outside of your carburetor bowl using some flower or talk, and look for the wet patch.

6 Choke Stuck

A choke that’s stuck in the on position will cause the engine to flood with gas. This is only applicable to some engines and only to those that have been repeatedly cranked without starting.

Check that the choke is moving to the off position, and adjust if necessary. Remove the spark plug and crank over the engine to dry the cylinder. Clean the plug and refit.

7 Timing off

This isn’t very common, but worth knowing if you’ve had some work done and had the timing components removed. Most engines will run with the timing out just slightly, which can cause some very odd symptoms, including leaking gas.

Remove your flywheel viewing cap and cam cover and check carefully cam sprocket marks (OHC engines) when at TDC.

Here’s a typical twin cam setup. If your timing makes don’t align, you’ll need to reset the timing.

You’ll find the tools I recommend here on the ATV tools page and you’ll find common spare parts here on the ATV parts page.

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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The post ATV Carburetor Flooding (Top 7 causes) appeared first on ATVFixed.com.

I’ve been a mechanic for over twenty years, and if there’s one thing that can kill an engine, it’s a low oil level. I’ve seen it many times, and it always makes me feel sad for both the owner and the bike.

Checking ATV oil level is a simple five-step process, begin by:

1. Allowing engine cool
2. Locate dipstick
3. Remove dipstick and clean
4. Refit dipstick
5. Read the oil level

In this post, you’ll learn how to find and check your ATV oil level. You’ll also learn which oil to use and how to add it.

Allow Engine Cool

Park your ATV on level ground, and if you’ve been running your engine, shut it off and allow the engine to cool for five minutes.

The oil, as you know, moves around your engine through a series of small oil galleries. It will take a few minutes for the hot oil to make its way back to the oil pan. This is important. Checking the oil level immediately after shutting down will give a false reading.

Locate Dipstick

The dipstick is exactly what it sounds like – a metal or plastic stick with high and low-level markings. It will usually be somewhere convenient on either side of the engine. The dipstick or cover will also likely be marked “OIL” or have an oil symbol.

The dipstick is usually screwed into the engine, and to remove it, requires turning it anti-clockwise. But before removing the dipstick, using a clean cloth, clean around the dipstick.

Dirt and grit will collect in the recess and can fall into the engine when the stick is removed.

Remove 7 Clean Dipstick

Go ahead and remove the dipstick. The most common type turn anti-clockwise. Clean the stick and familiarize yourself with the high and low marks.

The low-level marks – Some sticks may read “ADD” or “LOW” or “L” or have a stamped line or dot. Whichever your dipstick has, the lower mark always represents the low oil level, ie danger area.

Allowing the oil level to get close to or below the low mark is risking serious engine damage.

The full level marks – The full mark on a dipstick will always be the uppermost mark. Common full marks include “F” or “Full” or a dot or stamped line.

The Hatched markings – The hatched markings are the crisscross markings you’ll see on most dipsticks. If present, they will be located between the high and the low oil level marks.

An oil level that reads anywhere within the hatched makings is, in theory, OK. However, it’s always best to run your engine only when the oil level reads full, especially older engines.

Refit Dipstick

Now that you are familiar with the stick markings go ahead and dip the stick back into its seat. At this point, some bikes may differ. Some engines will require you to screw the stick all the way in and remove it to read.

Others will only require you to seat it and remove it to read. Your bike manual will tell you which. It may be stamped into the dipstick itself. If in doubt, just seat the dipstick and remove to read.

Reading The Dipstick

When you remove the stick, hold it virtually. Some dipsticks can be challenging to read, especially on a sunny day. You may need to re-dip to confirm the first reading.

Moving to the shade to read dipstick helps, or lay it on some kitchen towel to help identify the oil height.

Adding Oil

OK, so you’ve dipped for oil, and you need to add some. Adding oil is easy. You shouldn’t need a funnel, but it does help. When adding oil, add only a little and allow a minute to settle before checking the level. Too much oil is bad for your motor. It’s not as bad as too little but can damage your engine.

Symptoms of too much oil include:

• Blue/white smoking engine
• Hard to start
• Oil leaks from engine
• Oil leaks from exhaust
• Engine won’t turn over

Oil Type

Your engine maker will dictate your oil type, but your model will also include a temperature chart. If you use your bike in extreme weather temperatures, check the oil type chart. Colder climates will require lighter oil types.

You may find the following posts helpful:

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• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Cunningham

John Cunningham is a technical writer here at ATVfixed.com. He’s a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. He’s worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars and trucks to ATVs and Dirt bikes.

www.atvfixed.com/about-john-cunningham/

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