Bought a fixer-r-upper KLF400B

[99prairie400]

bag limit, I can email you some pictures of my front set-up. What do you need pictures of exactly? I have guards in place on a lot of stuff up front so I'm not sure if I can take really good pictures but I'll do my best. PM me with you email address.

[99prairie400]

Alright, a new problem has surfaced.... After seeing the carb when I purchased it, lacking the needle jet holder I purchased a carb kit. Shindy for the KLF400B 96-99. It seemed in order and everything fit as I expected it to. I have the same problem now as I did before only now it's MORE pronounced. I assumed the problem was my made to fit needle holder but now the problem is worse then ever before.

Sitting at an idle the engine will hit about 15 "licks" in a row before "missing" one, sometimes cutting off, sometimes barely recovering for another 15 licks. Once off idle the engine runs like it's supposed to but will only idle about 5 seconds before it cuts off (or comes darn close). Anyone else had a similar problem?

When I bought the quad I adjusted the valves to spec and replaced the spark plug so I don't think it's one of those.

I think tomorrow I'm going to pull the carb off again and go through it one more time just to be sure.

[86klf300guy]

junk a55 kiehins i tell ya lol.

i just got my friends mojave running again after a engine change.we cleaned the carb boiled it replaceed everything and still has the issue of over fillin the bowl and eratic idleing.But has all the power in the world off idle.

i to am going to take that darn carb back down and go through it again i think the pilot screw hole has crud in it still.even after a good dip in the tank.

my 86 bayou still is doin good on the carb and its the same thing the mojave has.these carbs are finiky things i tells ya.kawa needs to stick with mikuni carbs with out that flippin diophram imo lol.

or just sell everyone a fuel injection kits and give um to us for 5 dollars for all the pain and suffering we had to go through to stop fuel leaks etc lol.

i will keep you posted on how the carb redo goes again and you please do the same 99 maybe we will find a hitch to this issue -corey-

[99prairie400]

I can attest to the finicky part but I'm actually wondering if what I have is a different kind of funky... I notice that the needle jet holder (kawasaki part number) has two different numbers. One number for Canadian and Federal models (CN, US) and one listed for the California model. I'm actually wondering if perhaps I have a California model quad. As I said, I purchased a carb kit for a '96-'99 Bayou 400. The only problem is, the main jet holder doesn't seat completely with the new needle holder in place (just as the spare needle holder for the prairie didn't until I ground it down to fit) It sits up where about 4 threads are exposed. The main jet doesn't hit the bowl, so I figured that's the way it was supposed to look and went with it. Maybe the California model quad's needle jet holder is shorter (and possibly tighter fitting to the needle as well for reduced emissions) causing the bad idle I'm experiencing.

How does one tell if they have the California model?

Will the VIN number decoder on Kawasaki.com tell me?

[86klf300guy]

im sure if it were a cali model it would have a polution system on it.

as for vin it should tell you were that machine was made and emmision controls etc.

as for that holder that screws in the bottom you may have the wrong length needle. you may have to shim the needle up with a washer1/32 of a inch to raise that needle up out of the jet a little.take the needle out and put the washer on the needle to where it hit that flat on the needle,and then put it all back together and see what happens.

i did this to mine to get rid of the poppin and hesitations it had .works like a champ

[99prairie400]

Well, Kawasaki.com doesn't mention anything about it being a California model. I'm assuming that if it doesn't say that it is, that it's not.

I took the carb BACK apart for a third time and checked the needle jet holder. The needle jet holder for the bayou is (what it seems to me) too long for the jet holder to properly seat in it's threaded hole. I put my modified Prairie needle jet holder back in and the engine started up and idled better (like it was before, still a little popping but not nearly as bad as with the Bayou needle jet holder) I then adjusted the pilot needle out approximately 1 turn (to 3 turns out from light seated) to get the idle more "crisp" and consistent. It seems to be idling much smoother and also, I noticed that the throttle response is a little smoother. I actually got the front tires to pull up off of the ground a few inches the other night. Haha, a machine with enough power to do wheelies is OK with me!

Another interesting note, and something to ponder on.. I have the "late model" KLF400B carb. It has a curcuit of the coolant loop coming from under the thermostat, into a coolant filter, through the tee which is fitted into the bottom of the carb, through a "valve assembly", and then to the suction side of the water pump. The majority of this is made through 1/4" tubing held onto the barbs with spring clamps (which I've found to be less than desirable). The second time I went to take the carb off, I was trying to remove one of the clamps from the tee and broke the end of the filter housing. The filter housing is also a transition piece from 3/8" tubing to 1/4" tubing so I went and purchased an adaptor and hooked the line from the head directly to the line going to the coolant pipe in front of the water pump. I then removed the tee that is jammed inside a blind hole drilled into the carb base (which made adjusting the pilot needle about 1,000 times easier).

So far, I've only allowed the engine to get to thermostat/fan operation two times since I pulled the carb the third time and devised the solution I currently have. So far, I haven't seen any problems with this particular configuration. The positioning of the tee in the carb base suggests that it's placed there to prevent the pilot needle from icing in extreme cold weather. I live in North Carolina and extreme cold isn't something we see so I figure that doing away with the filter and tee isn't going to hurt anything.

The filter and housing can be had for under $10 so money isn't really my consideration for wanting to exclude this particular piece from the works. My main arguement is the fact that I don't see a purpose for having all of the extra leak potential.

Why do I need the headache of having the tee and filter and the possibility of generating a small coolant leak I possibly wouldn't catch until it was too late? How much trash are they expecting to be floating around inside of the coolant system anyway? Does the tee serve any purpose to heat the carb other than de-icing? Any performance gains/ fuel economy gains?

[86klf300guy]

so the tee is just restin under the carb base not hooked into the carb right?

i wonder if they route it that way for pump psi?more restiction to slow the flow of coolant.or maybe to help the coolant cool down ounce it leaves the engine.

but if it is not connected to the carb then no i dont see no gains in any thing havein there.i wounldnt think it would act as a deicer bein the carb is so close to the engine and you have all the panels there to help hold heat in that engine/carb can use to keep it from icein,

so you may be able to bypass that tee where you live cause it doesnt get that cold.but then again the worlds changing it may snow sum day there lol.

glad to hear by the way you got her up and running good agin that a wierd one -corey-

[99prairie400]

I don't have any panels on mine. The KLF400 has a box built around the back of the radiator but then no other side panels.

The tee has a piece of brass shoved long ways down into it to separate one side from the other. It then has two o-rings to seal it inside the blind hole in the carb base. Hot coolant comes from the fitting in the head, through the filter (which I think is kind of a waste) into one side of the tee, up one side of the piece of brass, around the blind hole, down the other side of the brass, into the valve assembly, and then into the suction side of the water pump.

It looks like it has three purposes.
#1 filter the coolant
#2 bypass the thermostat to make it operate quicker and more reliable
#3 warm the base of the carb

I have the fitting out of the head hooked to an adapter. The adapter is hooked to the suction side of the water pump. No filter, no tee, and no "valve assembly". It seems to function as before I just want to make sure it's not going to cause trouble.

[rundownbayou]

hey i just started rebuilding my KLF400B again and it's not good and need some good cheap parts head, cam, rocker cover and maybe more it's not good just got into it tonight and found out that the cam is messed up and it messed up the head and rocker cover

[99prairie400]

If the cam went south and gouged the rocker cover and head out, chances are your oil pump messed up or someone ran it dry on oil. If that's the case, you may actually be better to part that quad out on Ebay and use the profits to purchase another quad off of craiglist that isn't trashed. I rebuilt my Prairie 400 and have more in it with the rebuilt engine and all of the other repairs than I could purchased a decent used 650 prairie for and I'd have a 650 v-twin rather than a 400 single.

[rundownbayou]

i'm looking at all my options first before i buy anything Monday i'm going to a machine shop to see if they can do anything and i already have rebuilt the bottom end on her. the spring on the compression release was wrapped around the cam

[MrGiggles]

You can probably check ebay for a whole new used head or engine. Cheaper than a new bike or rebuilding yours maybe.

[rundownbayou]

Originally Posted by MrGiggles

You can probably check ebay for a whole new used head or engine. Cheaper than a new bike or rebuilding yours maybe.

so far the cheapest is like $350 and new is like $ 650 haven't looked for the cam or rocker cover yet

[99prairie400]

You absolutely have to purchase the rocker cover and head together. They are machined in the assembled position and no two are exactly alike or compatible. You may be able to find someone off of Ebay who will sell you a whole head. The head off of a KLF400 or a KVF400 will work, they were the same engine from the crank pin up.

Well, then are in the same boat as I. After I had rebuilt the rear final drive and brakes all the way around I was too invested in it to just junk it. Knowing how involved and expensive it was going to get before the end... it would have been a tough decision to press forward.

[rundownbayou]

OMFG i might have gotten lucky i found the head, cam, and rocker cover for $250 trying to find out mileage on it now

[99prairie400]

Are you talking about the one on Ebay? Buy it now for $249? You better jump on that thing with both feet if your cam/rocker cover/ head are messed up. You're probably not going to find one any cheaper or in any better shape than that one.

[99prairie400]

Well, I undertook another project!

No, not what you're thinking! It's not another quad... I decided after a half day of mud riding that the Bayou rear drum brake is....well.... inadequate at best and plain old crappy at worst. I have decided to replace the factory drum brake with a disc setup.

Unlike some of the Honda products, High Lifter doesn't exactly make a retro kit for the rear of a Bayou...it's to the drawing board (and Ebay) for me.

I purchased a Prairie 360 front hub and a Yamaha Warrior 350 rear caliper (which is actually the same as a mojave) and master cylinder.

I took a grinder to the drum and faced the "hub" part out of the middle of the drum so that I had a flat surface with 4 studs sticking through it and a few aluminum ribs on the backside.

I took a piece of 3" black iron pipe and cut it into a spacer with 4 pieces to engage some of the ribs on the backside of the hub. I took (4) 1/2" pipe pieces and drilled them 25/64" ID to fit a 10mm bolt and cut them 1.600" long. I then took an exhaust pipe extension and cut the bearing retainer plate down to just fit the OD of the exhaust pipe extension and welded the corner to make the bearing retainer plate as shallow as possible to fit the bolt heads bolting the rotor onto the hub. I then drilled and tapped the hub for the 10mm bolts and welded the 1/2" pipe to the outside of the 3" pipe.

I will take pictures tomorrow of the progress so far but figured I'd give a preview for anyone who can imagine it in their head tonight

[99prairie400]

Here are some pics, as promised;

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[99prairie400]

What? Nobody has anything to say about doing something about those crappy drum brakes?

Oh, my 28" gators came in on Friday so when I finish mounting the caliper I'll take some pics of the new tires

[86klf300guy]

DUDE. iv been sick sorry lol.... WOW is all i got for that .if you get them crappy drums to work better with disc you should sell the plans .or better yet corner the market on that one

are you doin it to both sides of the rear or just one ? and will it have a parkin brake lock on it?

i got a project of my own but i dont know if itll have bad results? take a listen .

i now have a mojave and i am thinkin of adding 1 inch length to the front a arms use a technic called rosette welding.were i will cut out 1 inch of pipe and put in a soild round bar drillin holes in the a arm to weld the (slug) and then slide over the same dia tube over the slug and welding the seams. use a tig welder of course.

but the thing that has me puzzled is i know itll hold up but will it affect my camber ?.and will i have to to go use a press to slighlty bend the upper a arm up to correct it?

im also goin to add 1 inch length to the swing arm in the rear.also i am thinkin i will have to relocate the lower shock mounts on the front ?

but keep us posted with pics and tell us how it all comes out in the end -corey-