Anyone with experience with 1991 Honda Fourtrax TRX300FW??

So I've acquired what -was- a running (at least at that moment in time) 1991 Honda Fourtrax TRX300FW.

It ran well getting it up onto the trailer, then off the trailer at home, and up and down the driveway for my son and wife.

Then it was parked & tarped for several days, and today there's no spark.

Apparently came with the infamous 'tail-light warranty'; "when we can no longer see your tail lights, it's no longer covered."

Former residence says they fixed the lack of spark "by jiggling the on-off switch." Ummm, 'jiggling' never fixed shit. On a good day, if you're lucky, 'jiggling' -might- maybe tell you the general area of what still -needs- fixed.. but jiggling never fixed anything... Unless you're wearing a straw hat, with holes in it, barefoot, and drinking from a corn liquor jug, in which case 'jiggling' might fix something, but it won't be anything electrical or mechanical.

On the other hand, as kids, there were times we believed that if we stood on one foot, spun about in a pirouette, and lit a joint or cigarette at that specific moment, in that specific sequence, you could catch a fish every time. Yeah, I know.. we were kids...... and high...

But just to give it a try, my spine's fucked, so after speaking with some folks previously involved in the 'jiggling' process with the 4-wheeler, I aggressively 'jiggled' my spine. Nope; Still fucked.

So, per my previous experience with Ski Doo snowmobiles, I know for a fact that a CDI box can be active and operable one minute, and let you down in a heart-beat the next. So there's suspect part #1.

The thing reportedly has both in-line fuses (battery), as well as a fuse box near the battery. Suspect part(s) 2, 2a., "2b... Or not to be. That is the question."

Voltage regulator and rectifier, is more apt to go out entirely, but what the hell; when you're throwing $20s, $50s, and $100's at a problem, a person may as well be thorough, right?

Then there's the coil. I've seen fractured wire-wrap inside a coil short out intermittently, starting when cold, then ceasing as the thing heats up and the wiring in the wrap expands with the heat; back on my old '64 Ford, it did this ONCE. I found holding a large caliber handgun to the motor in my old '64 Ford F-100 helped the Ford immensely., Kinda' like the effective approach of 'jiggling.'

Then there's the kill switch, which is in a housing that, to replace it, incorporates the light switch for on & off, high/low, the kill switch, the starter button, the choke, and maybe a partridge in a pear tree, too.

I can get parts for it, but most of what I've found thus far are after-market, where I'm sure the quality covers a lengthy continuum. The kill switch/light/choke/starter button housing, etc. can be gotten (apparently) OEM from Honda, for a mere $88; bare-end wires included at no extra cost, from what I could tell.

The alternatives to this includes, 1.) Making it into a large lawn ornament, burying it partially, and planting flowers or veggies around it. Hate to do that, as when it chooses to run, it had 124 lbs. compression (Honda reportedly stated that properly broken in, the psi is 130). Not bad for a well-used 27 year old bush beast. Or at least a mini-beast.

2.) Find a suitable amount of explosive to plant under it, and obtain the required 200 psi charge to set it off, blasting cap, etc., and make sure to get footage of it, as it travels into the air one final time.

3. Run it (manually) off the end of a dock, again incorporating the footage idea, to make sure it can be uploaded to YouTube or some equally questionable on-line site.

4.) Put it out 100 yards or so at a shooting area, and see what various cartridges will do to its structure/motor/etc.

Aside from that, anyone extremely skilled with this specific cause of aspirin consumption? I'm all ears.. or eyes.. or something..

I have deduced that at this point in life, there are simply not enough drugs or alcohol to go any further into this tonight.

Ideas?

Thanks.

Wondering what the humidity and heat were like the days it was tarped.


Fuses are the cheapest to replace and see. The previous owner's saying it was an intermittent thing does lead to suspecting the other parts. Any small motor mechanics know the proper diagnostics or tools to approach this cheaply and efficiently?

When removed and tested, the CDI, coil, etc., tested good.

But with a CDI, I've seen them come and go like this; functional, not, then functional again. Rode an older style Tundra II R out of the bush one later winter that was doing that, and I simply didn't shut it down, once I got it running, idling loudly through every stop for a joint, coffee, hash, and beer break for almost 50 miles of trail coming back into civilization..

Switches can have shorts that can be intermittent, too, but less likely.

The coil in this case, if it were the demon, is acting in opposite to the coils I've seen develop intermittent function in the past; typically a (bad/shorted wrap in a) coil will fire when cold, and lose spark when heated and expanded. This wheeler just picks its own damned time to refuse to cooperate..

Located in-line fuses this morning. They're all good. Don't know if the output from the stator/alternator was ever checked for stability in output, or voltage, but it has a new battery in it, so juice sufficient to fire shouldn't be an issue at the moment, even if the stator was on the fritz.

Still searching to find if there's a secretly hidden fuse box, beyond the in-line fuses. I suspect there may be.

In terms of observations re. early design flaws, the voltage regulator/rectifier is bolted back up inside a fender well. Granted, it's a closed box with heat reduction ribs as part of the case, but placing electrical components and necessary wiring inside fender wells, even further back up and in, on vehicles used in suspect conditions to include LOTS of mud, seems to me to be inviting unnecessary nonsense.. But then, I don't get paid to be a Honda engineer, either.

What I can surmise at this point is that until this thing passes many days of trials and tribulations without a glitch, it'll be some time before I can feel at ease taking it into the bush. Period.

I'd ordered parts to include a Primary Ignition Module/CDI, and other items before going into surgery down in Los Anchorage a couple weeks ago..

They were brought to the house a couple days before my return, and my younger son had put them into play, fixing the intermittent ignition issues.

Found another 'necessary' obsolete electrical component or 2 (New in Box) in the opposite corner of the Continent, as well as other goodies there at a decent price, and they'll be coming as of tomorrow A.M. Even a brand new seat, complete with base, foam, and cover, assembled, OEM, for what amounted to a stout wish and a prayer.

Now working on locating an as-new 12 volt cooling fan motor, or a substitute that will work and fit, or a rebuilder that will take on refurbishing the corroded piece of hesitant, chopped, etc., part I have. May have to send it to the North East Coast, if an older fellow who does such work in town here locally can't get it done.

By the time we're done with all of this, I'll need 2 larger (than what's on there) rims for the front, and some serious mud grippers at all 4 corners, then blast and re-paint the racks and other metal, replace the front shocks, and re-paint the plastics, one foot-step on the right side, and we'll have a still-reasonable-in-price, 'newest' 1991 Honda Fourtrax in the bush this next season.

If it doesn't operate reliably, then there's no real purpose in owning it. ;^>)

Hi! We have 2 late 90s TRX300s and they've never missed a beat. I wouldn't be over thinking this. I'd start with the basics. If it's been stored in a damp area it's possible there is a corroded connection somewhere. Try disconnecting all connectors and checking all terminals in the ignition system for corrosion. Do the same with ground points on the wiring harness and fuses.



Just out of interest take the spark plug out, reconnect the plug wire and lay it against the cylinder head. Make sure the kill switch and ignition are on and see if there is any spark when the motor is kicked over with the kick starter. Also try playing with the kill switch while you are doing this so you can try and isolate the problem. You'll probably need 2 people.



I have heard the CDI units on these earlier ones can go bad. Apparently there are a few different ones and they're not interchangeable and look the same so perhaps secondhand off Ebay might be a gamble.

Thanks. Yes, they are as dependable as an early 90's Subaru. I told one dealer that when the Sun supernovas, there will be early 90s Honda Fourtrax and Subaru Loyales orbiting the Sun, and probably still idling.

The spark had come and gone, off and on. It was indeed the CDI/Ignition module. Now fixed, re. ignition issues.

My later 90s Ski Doo Tundra II R has expressed similar behavior by the CDI, which was why I suspected it; spark one moment, then no spark the next, then spark again. And so it goes.

But the oil cooling fan motor is one obsolete part I haven't thus far been able to track down New in Box, and am seeking a number of known-to-me (both far and near) sources who rebuild such motors.

I can put an alternative fan motor in there, and make it work (have another higher output 12v motor here now), but I try hard to stay to OEM unless I'm pursuing a specific high-performance up-grade.

Problem with the seriously reliable utility grade vehicles, those mentioned above or other, is the manufacturer tends to build a vehicle that will run for 50 years and untold miles, but starts obsoleting parts 6-10 years later.

A common standard among the New Corporate World we live in. I wanted a low-profile seat for my 2nd Electraglide like the 1st Electraglide had, and Harley had obsoleted the specific seat I needed in about 6-8 years.

If you're lucky, you find an outfit that specifically buys up obsolete parts, and sometimes can get stuff for reasonable pricing, as they did. Other times, it's pay through the nose.

But hunting original parts via computer and phone gives me something to do while my spine heals up from surgery.

So far I've been pretty lucky to find MOST of what I was seeking. Still hunting that fan motor, though.

Thanks again.

moose eater said:

Thanks. Yes, they are as dependable as an early 90's Subaru. I told one dealer that when the Sun supernovas, there will be early 90s Honda Fourtrax and Subaru Loyales orbiting the Sun, and probably still idling.

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Glad you got it sorted. Yes they are a good thing. Don't ever sell it if it's in good condition. I think they are one of the best quads ever made. They are just the right size for a start all the later ones are huge. They are very simple with constant 4x4 and well made. Usually the only thing that kills them is rust. The rims are particularly susceptible if they are left muddy. So just make sure they are washed and dry before storage. Also replace the CV boots straight away when they split.



I've got a 2WD one as well as the 2 4WDs and there is nothing left of the frame. It's rusted away where the front lower control arms attach. I just got a piece of 3mm plate steel made up as a structural bash plate and made new mounts for the lower control arms and welded it to what was left of the frame. It still keeps going.


The only other thing that has gone wrong with ours is the right rear axle nut was obviously slightly loose when we bought it. We weren't aware of it and eventually the splines in the hub stripped. So perhaps make sure yours is tight. On the plus side the parts were reasonably priced and still available from Honda.


All the other things I've needed I've been able to get as NOS items on Ebay. So many were sold there are still heaps of parts out there. Have fun!


*I forgot to say the 2WD has 36,000km and I think close to 50k hours and head has never been off. She's a bit loose and rattly but it still goes well.

Yep, built well, and fairly simple.

And they can fit more easily into the fuselage/cargo area of a smaller aircraft than the newer larger ones, too.

Good fuel economy, etc.

And in lower gears, they'll pull a fair bit, even up hill, if they can get their footing and have sufficient ballast.

I've used a friend's identical machine down at Chitina, on the Copper River, to haul coolers of salmon back and forth between the canyon's goat trails and the creek where the fish are cleaned, as well as other similar machines out in the bush, hunting.

We've hauled significant portions of moose meat in game bags back across tussocks and wet trails with game bags laid on both front and rear racks, plus what ever is left, pulled on a meat trailer behind it. Sometimes with badly worn wheel bearings and/or u-joints squeaking away under stress, and finishing the job at hand anyway.

We have a fairly dry climate, overall, but it's gotten a bit more damp than it was 30-40 years ago.

None the less, this specific machine we're refurbishing was used as a work beast at a remote mining operation, and you can imagine what tasks such things are put to, and abuses received.

It won't win any beauty contests yet, though the plastics are relatively solid. The camber/caster looks unusually broad at the bottom, between the base of the front tires, despite A-arms, bushings, etc. being stock and tight, requiring further investigation later on to solve that particular mystery.

Half-joked this evening with my younger son that while it's stripped partway down, we might want to go all the way, bead blast the frame, and other metal such as racks, powder coat the whole thing, and end up with what seems a new machine.

Probably more energy and time than we can afford even if just an image in grand illusions right now, though.

She'll be reliable before we take her into any place where getting her out without power would suck.

All the Honda quads I've bought have needed some sort of work because I've bought them cheap. I replace things like wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel cylinders, brake shoes and master cylinder if it needs it. Usually some of those items are worn on every one I buy. From memory the front wheel bearings on those are a strange size and I think I had to get them from Honda. Mine were completely collapsed.


I also have a 2007 TRX500 but if I'm going off track I always take the old 300. I know it's not going to break down and it just fits between the trees better. The TRX500 has selectable 4WD and an electronic CVT transmission with different driving modes and a 4 valve dry sump motor. In my mind that's just bound to give trouble. The 300s will still be going when it's long gone.

Standard rules; the more electrical or computer involved, the more guaranteed to have pricey repairs, and to leave you scratching your head in the middle of nowhere. Especially in extreme cold climates, even if just from the annual shrinkage and expansion of wiring, etc., with ozone working around the clock 24/7 for what ever number of years the thing sits there.

We're dry enough here to tarp it over, maybe or not under a roof in the barn's expansion, unheated, and have it be OK overall, providing we don't experience freakish amounts of moisture on some seasonal basis.

Of course, as weather patterns are in flux more and more, such things are not completely off the proverbial table.

A friend or 3 are heavy equipment operators, We've discussed the newer high-track Caterpillar dozers (D-9s and such); lots of nice features all relying on computers. When something in the computer goes awry, perhaps even just a warning light, they apparently sit and idle. You now have a piece of machinery worth in excess of $1 million, that sits and idles nicely until diagnosed and repaired.

No thanks.. ;^>)

We have access to some applicable after-market parts that have a decent rep, some with creative manufacturers' names, but when able, I go OEM. They made the thing (what ever 'the thing' is), therefore it's a safe bet there'll be fewer fitment issues with OEM. Not to mention a company with a name built on reliability, continuing to provide parts that reflect that.

Thus far this A.M., I've tried some of the better known & respected, sometimes International, parts rebuilders, and can't locate a rebuilt or substitute copy of that cooling fan motor. Many would just modify at this time, and mount an alternative fan motor, perhaps even with higher rpm's/output.

So the next stop, after some changing up of the search terms for this 'needle in a haystack,' will likely be an ATV/rec vehicle salvage yard out of State.

I loathe buying used electrical. It's often akin to sending out an invitation requesting a bonus headache. But sometimes it is what it is. "Ya' goes with what ya' gots."

Thanks again. It's been a pleasure.

Probably the only thing I buy aftermarket is bearings if they are available in the correct size. I try and buy the best quality Japanese made bearings I can and I usually remove the dust covers and pack them with waterproof grease and refit the covers before I install them.


I'm sure you'll be able to get one of these motors if you are patient one will come up on Ebay sooner or later. The other option is you might be able to source one from somewhere outside the states like Europe.


This shop says they have one kit left, not cheap though.
https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-trx300fw-fourtrax-4x4-1990-l-usa_model94/partslist/FOP01.html

Like most hunts, it'll take time.

Struck out at Ebay, as well as 2 atv salvage yards. The 3rd salvage yard I tried was already closed, due to time zone differences.

I'm not done, but the evidence tells me I'm not the first person to engage in this particular snipe hunt.

Probably hit another 2-3 salvage yards via telephone, in various locations across the Lower-48 states tomorrow morning or so.

Then more searching....

Good luck! You'll get one sooner or later.

The other thing is you might be able to buy another bike for parts which has the fan motor. Buy something that's incomplete or not going then you'll have a whole lot of other spares as well.

Yep, I've got an older Yamaha snowmobile out back, taking shade under an old spruce tree, that cost me 2 bottles of vodka, and $100.

If I need it, I can take a couple hundred dollars worth of parts from it right now, though the windshield is the primary prize on that one. Cowling and track are after-thoughts.

I suspect I can address the camber/caster issues with some new coil-over shocks/struts for the front end of this Honda with OEM replacements, for all of $59 per side.

Got a new complete seat for $114, and I told the guy that getting someone to reupholster the one I have, if -I- provided the OEM seat cover myself, extra, would cost me more than the new seat from Honda, not counting the cover.

The parts for this thing are not always expensive. But every now and again, there's -ONE- (or so) that plays hide-and-seek for a bit.

Haha yeah I've bought a new seat for all of mine. For some reason they were all owned by farmers whose dogs liked to chew them.


You're fortunate in the US to have such a huge secondhand market. It's often hard for us in Australia simply because far fewer were sold. I usually have to buy my parts from the states that's why when I see a cheap parts bike I grab it. It's nice to be able to just go out and unbolt something if you need it.


When our rear hub stripped as I mentioned earlier I was able to remove the hub I needed from the parts bike. The hub alone was about $160 from Honda from memory so the parts bike paid for itself right there. Unfortunately I wasn't able to remove the rear axle as it was rusted into the ring gear (common problem). The complete new rear axle from Honda was only about $120 from memory which I thought was excellent when you look at what it is and how much machining is required to make it.

Had a brand new re-build, .030 over on cylinders, pistons and rings into my Yamaha, as well as chain case, over-sized track, tunnel protectors, etc., and the individual who did the bulk of the work, a very talented and literal genius of his time where older Yamahas are concerned, forgot to torque the bolt that retains the spacers on the end of the drive clutch shaft, and thus forgot to retain the drive clutch in so doing.

Fortunately while breaking it in, with the bolt coming off, and a couple of the spacers letting loose at who-knows-what rpm, we picked up what we could find in the engine area, and around the track on the property, and, after I got done with my mostly-internal tantrum, bolted the thing back together with proper torque, taking whatever we lacked from the derelict..

The derelict that cost me some vodka and cash has an intact muffler and exhaust, cowling worth hundreds, track, voltage regulator and rectifier, pristine stock tall windshield, shocks, shock tubes, skis, headlamp, and more. Never tried breaking down the overall value.

Buying second hand can be a life-saver, but like I said, buying second hand electrical parts, if unsure of the source, can be like torching money and watching embers fly.

Well, I'm back to the searching shortly. If I get all of my contact numbers for prospective sources set tonight, then tomorrow morning I can get straight to business with this hunt, and save some time, considering we're 4 hours behind the East Coast, and many of these places are anywhere from NY, to Georgia, to Wisconsin and Minnesota. Early bird, and all of that..

Yeah you're right about electrical components. I wouldn't buy a secondhand CDI unit off Ebay for instance. I've had pretty good luck with unbolting secondhand electrical components from parts bikes though. Usually because they stopped running for some other reason I guess.

5 more numbers to try in the later A.M. now.

1 of them lists a 91 300 TRX on-hand, but doesn't specify if it's 2x or 4x, so I'll call them first. No clue even whether someone else hasn't already pilfered from it or not.

We'll see....

I'm outa' rep again, but....

Hit the ground running this A.M., so to speak (Spine joke.. You'd have to be here..), and knocked out my leads gathered last night.

Most places I called ended up being locations across the Country that are both hot and humid. First bad sign. Murphy strikes again.

Wet and ultimately a bit rusty (especially with enclosed items that are apt to acquire moisture more readily than they release it, whether fan motors or ammunition) is a bad variable where 28-year-old electrical parts are concerned, as I doubt these folks have been tucking these old units in at night, inside a dry climate-controlled area.

One place, in S. Carolina, said he had hundreds of my model machine sitting out back (do they throw them out based on age there??), and asserted NONE of them had the oil cooling fan motor, insisting it came as an after-thought add-on.

In that running one of these things under any amount of stress for any time at all results in the oil temp light coming on if there's insufficient cooling, I'm skeptical of his claim. Every diagram I've looked at, and I'm cross-eyed by the number of them by now, has had this fan motor and accompanying shroud in it.

Maybe his shop never tears these things down far enough to locate the shroud and fan motor? Maybe we're living in alternate parallel universes, where Spock has a pencil-thin mustache and an evil disposition? Who knows?

A fellow in Georgia (again, hot and humid) apparently wants to minimize labor, and send me the entire shroud, complete. But that makes me question 1.) unnecessary shipping charges, and 2.) How closely has the fan motor been assessed to make sure it carries the specific points of importance I've lined out? Smooth turning? Seal around wires in place? Sufficient length to remaining wires or complete harness intact? No damage to the pressed triangular mount with rubber mounting bushings intact? He wanted $125 for the whole package. no quote on shipping.

I'm sure that it would afford minimal padding room behind the shroud, and in front, in the larger flat-rate USPS Priority box we used to ship 2 gallons of Vermont Maple Syrup in.

My younger son is a fairly adept, up-and-coming wrench, and he tore one down entirely in under 10", once he got to where the fan shroud was located on the machine. And he's only in his mid-teens.

Then there was a helpful fellow in Texas (also hot and humid). Says he has a good fan motor, and wants $150 for just the fan motor in its pressed, permanent mount. (*I asked him if it was just driven to church by a little old lady on Sundays, and after the fact, hoped he didn't think I was poking fun at the church shooter down there who had, if I recall correctly, indeed shown up on a 4-wheeler or mower or something like that... I believe the shop in question is in that 'hood). He wanted $55 in freight to ship a fan motor that's ~2.5" in diameter, and maybe 5"+ long (!!!!!), which means that via USPS priority mail, it will fit nicely into a small or medium flat-rate USPS Priority Mail box for $8 to $12. I wondered how many of us take a big bite out of the burden of them sending their kids to college down that way.. maybe medical or law school, even.

So I'm waiting on one person to text one remaining yard, indirectly resulting from last night's list, for whom the store front didn't have my fan motor, but the yard might, with the yard doing 'text only,' and they apparently operate as 2 different entities; maybe a mere contractual relationship between a retailer, and a classic hoarder of old vehicles?

Who knows? Some place out there might exist a financially beneficial niche for my neuroses, too??

If I don't feel warm and fuzzy about outcomes at that shop, then it's back to craning over a small screen, squinting at even smaller print, until I find the Nirvana of Honda Parts Graveyards... that has been waiting for -MY- call exclusively, and has one pristine oil-cooling fan motor waiting there in Will-Call, just for me!!!!

How I managed to maintain this much delusional optimism this late into life is likely a true statement to the benefits(??) of hallucinogens at an early age, eaten in volume, and often. ;^>)