QuestionI'm working on a friend's Honda Recon that he says has not been running in about a year. I ran a compression check and got 120psi. The bike has spark and I cleaned out the carb because it was all gummed up. I tried to start the bike after all of this and it still wont start. When I put my hand up to the carb, it feels like it is pushing insteading of sucking. I thought maybe timing was off but when I took the valve cover off I saw that it wasn't an overhead cam engine. I'm not sure how to check the timing on this engine. Could you tell me how to check the timing or give me help in finding out the problem if it is not timing??
AnswerKyle,
If the bike was parked for a year,
I would suspect the fuel system.
Have you checked if fuel is getting to
the carb okay? The compression sounds
a bit low, put the engine on compression
stroke and see if the valves have some
clearance, they may be too tight or
may be leaking.
You can try some carb cleaner or
wd40 in the carb intake and see if it
fires. Is your spark plug wet or dry?
Do you have a good spark?
Try new plugs, check the spark,
make sure you have fuel and if
necessary clean carb again, the
jets can get very gummy after sitting
so long.
I don't suspect the timing as it
is electronic and the valve timing
has not likely changed since it last
ran.
If you have a leaking, or stuck intake
valve, it may be hard to get going
because of the compression loss.
These motors should have 150 psi or
higher ideally.
