Honda 185S starting problems...bad rings?

[Triker24]

Hey I don't know much about engines and stuff so I was hopeing you guys could tell me whats wrong with my uncles trike. it's a Honda 1983 185S. Last Spring it was running great but lately it won't start. So we checke dto spark plugs and they were covered in black gunk. We cleaned them and it would start but soon it would not start up again because more gunk was on the spark plugs. A guy my uncle knows said that it need new rings or something to stop the oil from leaking on the spark plug. IS this whats wrong with it? Thanks!

[crackshot]

Sounds like blown head gasket if oil leaking on plug.

[Triker24]

So it shouldn't have anything to do with bad rings?

[crackshot]

So it shouldn't have anything to do with bad rings?

Does it smoke when running?

[MTS]

Try a New plug first off, Honda 4 stroke Trikes are Extramely Picky about plugs...Use a NGK....and go from there, I have seen headgaskets weep on them quite often and still run Fine........Your carb could just need a clean and adjust too.

[travis712]

Does it smoke when its running? If it does, then yes it could be rings.

[Triker24]

We havn't run it in a year...but last time we ran it it would smoke a lot when in neutral. IDK if that is normal. I gotta look at the plugs and see if the black stuff is carbon or oil.

[Triker24]

Oh, and we have been replacing the plugs everytime we want to use it....but they always get black and then the trike won't start. Sometimes it won't start with new plugs...

[travis712]

We havn't run it in a year...but last time we ran it it would smoke a lot when in neutral. IDK if that is normal. I gotta look at the plugs and see if the black stuff is carbon or oil.


In shouldn't smoke any. If its fouling plugs and it's not running rich, i'd say just tear it down, hone the cylinder, check your piston, replace the rings, and get a gasket set. Adjust valves too, etc. It will be less then 60 bucks, and you'll have a good engine for another decade or so, lol.

[Triker24]

yea, thats what we are gunna do...hopefully it ends up running as good as it did when we first got it.