ATC 185s died and wont start again!! please help!!!

[ben.simons]

my atc 185s all of a sudden died the other day. started missing and bogging down and then just died. prior to dying it put a brand new plug wire on it, new plug and syarted right up.... ten minutes later it died and cant get it going. thought it was fouling plugs, so i kept changing it bu made no difference.. plug was wet with gas when i pulled it so, tried adjusting carb, checked all wires, checked gas cap to see if it was working, and checked gas shut off valve AND STILL NOTHING!!! im not a small engine pro by a long shot.. can anyone help me out??????

[yamaha driver]

did u check for spark??

[jb2wheels]

One of the high fail rate parts on these engines is the stator coil and my expert internet diagnosis says that's the problem.

Grab a manual and a multimeter and troublehsoot before you buy any parts, though. Should be as easy as checking the resistance on the stator coil and it reads 0.

[ben.simons]

yeah checked spark. seemed a little weak but also the same it used to be when i started one pull. and as far as the stator... thats there the plug wire plugs in? and i have a couple extras on my parts trikes.. and to check it, just hook up a multimeter to the wire coming out and the frame?

[hoosierlogger]

Your ignition coil could be breaking down. They will act up like that when they get hot if they are on the way out.

[ben.simons]

and is that the thing the plug wire screws into?

[hoosierlogger]

yes it should have wires on it and it is fastened to the frame

[ben.simons]

are they the same on the 185s and the 200?

[muthey]

it depends on the 200 the stator is the wires coming out from where the pull starter is , there is a pulse generator behind the c.d.i. cover on the motor and it builds alot of red dust clean that out. Also try changing out the actual cdi, which is a black box with a plug to it that is mounted to the frame by a rubber grommet under the fuel tank. the coil is the part that attaches to the spark plug, try a different one of them if you have one. let us know what year and model 200 you have and we will be able to tell you if parts will match, pretty much the 200 es is the buggard child in it's own world for parts. Here is a link to the section where you can find a manual relative to your machine, http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/ if you right click on the manual you need you can download it to your pc which is alot easier. You will need a good digital multi tester in the long run so I recommend purchasing one.

[ben.simons]

I have two 1981 185s' and a 1983 200. My 185s that I'm talking about has a 200 motor. Today I bought some new plug (d7ea, d8ea, and d9ea and put the d7ea in and started right away. So I'm thinking its fouling the plugs some how. I road it around for a bit and now has been fine. Does this mean the mixer screw on the carb is too rich?

[hoosierlogger]

it is a definite possibility. your air filter could be clogged choking the engine causing it to run rich.

[muthey]

the next question after that is are you burning oil at all? even a slight oil burn over time will foul a plug

[wheelz420]

carb got a chunk in it , i have the 82 185s and it happens after a while, carb cleaning , jets n all should do the trick. till then it prolly wont start , lol just made a page on my build check out the carb i had to clean , couldnt even tell there was a needle sized hole there. http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/137261-1982-honda-185s-rebuild-i-started-a-year-ago-just-finished-it. luckily its really easy to do. good luck and make sure you put the rubber that goes in between the carb halfs on right or itll spill all the gas out.

[tri again]

Your ignition coil could be breaking down. They will act up like that when they get hot if they are on the way out.

Yupp.
Hairdryer works great to heat stuff up and compressed air to cool individual components off too.
I had a bum coil in my 150 that would star and run for a few min and die.
so when I KNEW it should start, I hit it with a hairdryer and it would not start.
Confirmed hot failure just beautifully.