When it comes to all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) a friend of mine, Keith, of Connor Air Field, Port Hope said it best, “If you want to access your property quickly for maintenance, security or any reason you need an ATV.”
He is 100 per cent correct.
As with all equipment, ATVs are available from many manufactures and in a variety of horse power, options and colours. And like everything else, proper maintenance is a must to ensure they work when you need them.
The Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) are also becoming popular with their side by side seating, choice of cabs with heat and air, dump box and decent tow capacity.
With every piece of equipment I acquire, I obtain a manual with it whenever possible. Some after market manuals I have are missing information and the photos are so bad they might as well not be included. When embarking on repairs it is well worth the investment to get a good manual, with good descriptions, wrench size, torque settings and good photos. I would suggest this be included with the purchase of any dealer obtained ATV or at least placed on your birthday list.
Maintenance on these machines is relatively straight forward. I start with a good washing off especially in the front where the oil cooler is. Debris should be kept clear from this area at all times as the engine and transmission are connected which makes the oil an intricate part of the cooling system. These transmissions work hard and create a lot of heat. Debris should also be routinely cleared from the air cooling fins on the cylinders and from under the skid plate which covers the underside of the power unit and will collect everything that nature can provide.
A common problem with the starters is that the brushes wear and stick, preventing proper conductivity when electricity is needed, resulting in a dead starter. Tapping the unit can sometimes free up the starter as a quick fix but not as a permanent situation and the idea of pull starting a 400CC engine every time I want it to go is not my idea of having fun.
The only maintenance for a starter is ensuring that the attachment bolts and cable nut are all tight; there isn’t any more you can do until it quits.
The starter replacement on my Honda ATV went like this: first I removed the plastic body panels covering the fuel cell and engine sides, then I removed the air box from the carburetor. I disconnected the battery cables from the battery and the starter and then removed the three retaining bolts and wiggled the starter out of the engine case. A word of caution here, when I remove components that leave “holes” in the engine I cover those holes, including the carburetor, with a rag held in place with an elastic band or tape. I once caught a squirrel in the bell housing of a tractor after removing the starter and leaving the hole accessible, which then followed with an eventful eviction having to take place. It is oh too easy for hardware to fall into these cavities and cause major problems.
With the starter rebuilt I installed it in the opposite order with the assistance of a little grease on the “O” ring to help it slip into place, and I then torqued the bolts to the manufacturer specs.
Whenever you have a machine apart it is a good idea to check all electrical connections, and to check every bolt you can get to for proper torque settings. I also spray all mechanical connections with Krown undercoating as it has fantastic creep qualities and keeps things from seizing up.
- Dan Kerr