Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project

poser · 05-19-2010, 10:46 PM

So I guess I'm a sucker for a basket case. After I finished my last 4wheeler project, I started the hunt for the next one. I came across the LTZ on craigs list, and also being a sucker for sport quads, I had to check it out.

The story goes, it was his brothers, and his brother owed him some money but didn't have it, so he gave him the quad. He really wasn't the sport quad type, and had a big beast of a 4x4 ATV he used for hunting, so he put it in the garage and there it sat until I came along.......... 3 1/2 years later

My original thought was it would just need some carb work and I'd be out ripp'n it up. I was correct, the inside of the carb was like glue from the old dried up gas, but as I got into it, it was MUCH more work than i originally thought. [several piped in on my thread where I was trouble shooting it here]

I started with the carb, general cleaning, and new jets. Heck I probaly pulled the carb and cleaned, cleaned, recleaned, and then cleaned again. I now consider myself an expert at removing/cleaning/and reinstalling the carb

.

Still no worky, and started looking to other areas. Thanks to some help from bronco78 aka "super DRZ guru", I set the timing and adjusted the valves. Talking to a dude at a motorcycle shop, just kicking ideas around, he mentioned maybe the flywheel was off, which would cause the timing to be off even if the cams "looked right". That lead me to pulling the cover on flywheel side, and replacing the woodruf key. Of course that didn't work, that would have been to difficult, it needed to be much more dificult.

Skipping forward, I borrowed a compression tester from JTM, and found what I had been fearing [and trying to ingnor] for a while.......not enough compression and some motor work would be needed.

Meanwhile, most of my time on the web was spent lurking thru ATV forums and on TT looking for possible causes/solutions, as well as tips and write ups. This quad having the same motor as the DRZ was really a blessing as there is TONS of info out there for that motor, and it also happens that our own bronco78 knows more about this motor than even the guys at Suzuki

. I had come across a few guys that had problems with the ring oxidizing and/or seizing to the piston after extremely long periods of time sitting. I figured 3.5 years qualified as an extremely long period of time.

I ordered new rings and top end gaskets and one evening started pulling it apart. Sure enough, got down to the piston and the rings were pretty jacked

The rings weren't going anywhere, so a new piston was in order, not to mention I gouged it pretty bad trying to get them off.

A few more pics of the taking apart...

A side note: one thing I negelected to do was drain the coolant from the motor, so when I pulled it apart I had quit a mess on my hands and much of it went in the motor

. Well you live and learn and drain it and fill it with oil and drain it again and know how to do it next time

.

I sourced a good used piston for cheap from Eddie on TT. I also learned to plan a little better, and make sure I know what to order, or at least next time I'll know what to order. I can tell you its very frustrating, ordering something, waiting nearly a week for it to get here, and then realize you left off a $.99 part and have to place another order, and pay shipping and wait another week

.

Finally this past friday I had everything I needed: piston, rings, gaskets, hone, etc... All I needed was some time. Busy weekend kept me from touching it, and by Monday evening I couldn't take it anymore, and I headed out in the garage about 10:00 pm. Got it mostly back together, Monday night, and Tuesday night about the same time I went out there and finished.

Then......the moment of truth........I checked, double checked, and then checked again, making sure I hooked everything up and didn't have too many bolts left over. Hooked up the battery, turned the key and let 'er rip. A few turns later............VAROOM!!!!! she fired right up! I only let her run for a few seconds and shut it down. Tomorrow I'm gonna take her to work and after work, I'm gonna take it out back lfor about 20 minutes to get in some ride time to seat the rings. I have to admit, after it fired and I shut it down, I did a victory jap / danced a jig around the frond yard.....at 12:30 am

I would like to say a HUGE "THANK YOU" to bronco78

, between the write ups he has on TT, the phone calls and hundred or so PMs, this was pretty easy and smooth sailing. All in all, I say I had fun. I've never done this much motor work before so it was kind of cool digging in. For me being in the garage working on something trying to figure out why it won't work is therapy. No matter what's going on, I leave all of it at the door and can be free for as long as I'm out there

Here's a few more pics, I'll take some more outside in the daylight tomorrow...

the header was in rough shape...

After cleaning it up all nice and pretty I painted it black, though for some reason i neglected to take a pic of the finished product...

and the finished product...

the brother painted [and did a crappy job] the wheels and the front bumper red. Soon enough that'll get cleaned off and I think I'm gonna paint 'em black. New tires will be in order. I'm gonna put some extra lighting on the front [more for bling factor

], and he gave me some nerf bars that I need to install.

Well that's about it, like I said, I'll post a few more pics of it when its light outside, and I'll update as I continue to clean it up and repaint some stuff.

What's next?

jar675 · 05-19-2010, 11:24 PM

Next is the Orange project you have taking up space!

poser · 05-19-2010, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jar675

Next is the Orange project you have taking up space!

yup!

DFW_Warrior · 05-20-2010, 08:49 AM

Awesome job Jason. She looks darn good.

Drumboy · 05-20-2010, 09:13 AM

Nice!

Eddie is a HUGE asset for DRZ's in the TT community.

I wonder if you could have fixed that stuck ring by putting a little oil in the cylinder.

BPFowler · 05-20-2010, 09:31 AM

A Fine job
Well done

Ya got to love the way you feel the first time the engine runs again. And the first ride no matter how rough things are is always the best.

Enjoy and have fun

**Sleepy Weasel** · 05-22-2010, 01:42 PM

Well, you have pics, so I guess it happened.

Now make it do a wheelie!

**bronco78** · 05-22-2010, 02:25 PM

Jason, nice write up... Hope your out right now playing on the new toy..

Erik

poser · 05-22-2010, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bronco78

Jason, nice write up... Hope your out right now playing on the new toy..

Erik

What's funny is, the time of your post I was out playing on it

and I can tell you thins thing is FUN and yes it will wheelie.

My original plan was to get it going and sell it for profit like I did the last one, but I'm not so sure I want to get ride of it.

I also learned an important lesson today, I'll have a pic later toshare with you guys my new wisdom

poser · 05-22-2010, 08:02 PM

Ok, on to the important lesson of the day.....

If you buy a 4wheeler from someone and they tell you they did the bearings in the rear, its a good idea to check their work. For example, one thing to check is to see if they put the cotter pins on the axle nuts

The good news is, i was going really slow at the time, and there is no damage to the axle or the threads. I was able to get the wheel on an limp it back to the truck. Looks like I'll be ordering an axle nut

**Sleepy Weasel** · 05-26-2010, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poser

Low budget trike conversion?

DFW_Warrior · 05-22-2010, 08:10 PM

That pic is priceless!!

Glad there was no damage to either you or the quad.

JTM · 05-27-2010, 09:26 AM

Jason, I have never seen your garage so clean.

JTM · 05-27-2010, 09:31 AM

Oh and I forgot:

By the way Cotter pins are very important

But then again so are balljoints:

05-19-2010, 10:46 PM	#1
poser Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: old katy Posts: 9,597	Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project So I guess I'm a sucker for a basket case. After I finished my last 4wheeler project, I started the hunt for the next one. I came across the LTZ on craigs list, and also being a sucker for sport quads, I had to check it out. The story goes, it was his brothers, and his brother owed him some money but didn't have it, so he gave him the quad. He really wasn't the sport quad type, and had a big beast of a 4x4 ATV he used for hunting, so he put it in the garage and there it sat until I came along.......... 3 1/2 years later My original thought was it would just need some carb work and I'd be out ripp'n it up. I was correct, the inside of the carb was like glue from the old dried up gas, but as I got into it, it was MUCH more work than i originally thought. [several piped in on my thread where I was trouble shooting it here] I started with the carb, general cleaning, and new jets. Heck I probaly pulled the carb and cleaned, cleaned, recleaned, and then cleaned again. I now consider myself an expert at removing/cleaning/and reinstalling the carb . Still no worky, and started looking to other areas. Thanks to some help from bronco78 aka "super DRZ guru", I set the timing and adjusted the valves. Talking to a dude at a motorcycle shop, just kicking ideas around, he mentioned maybe the flywheel was off, which would cause the timing to be off even if the cams "looked right". That lead me to pulling the cover on flywheel side, and replacing the woodruf key. Of course that didn't work, that would have been to difficult, it needed to be much more dificult. Skipping forward, I borrowed a compression tester from JTM, and found what I had been fearing [and trying to ingnor] for a while.......not enough compression and some motor work would be needed. Meanwhile, most of my time on the web was spent lurking thru ATV forums and on TT looking for possible causes/solutions, as well as tips and write ups. This quad having the same motor as the DRZ was really a blessing as there is TONS of info out there for that motor, and it also happens that our own bronco78 knows more about this motor than even the guys at Suzuki . I had come across a few guys that had problems with the ring oxidizing and/or seizing to the piston after extremely long periods of time sitting. I figured 3.5 years qualified as an extremely long period of time. I ordered new rings and top end gaskets and one evening started pulling it apart. Sure enough, got down to the piston and the rings were pretty jacked The rings weren't going anywhere, so a new piston was in order, not to mention I gouged it pretty bad trying to get them off. A few more pics of the taking apart... A side note: one thing I negelected to do was drain the coolant from the motor, so when I pulled it apart I had quit a mess on my hands and much of it went in the motor . Well you live and learn and drain it and fill it with oil and drain it again and know how to do it next time . I sourced a good used piston for cheap from Eddie on TT. I also learned to plan a little better, and make sure I know what to order, or at least next time I'll know what to order. I can tell you its very frustrating, ordering something, waiting nearly a week for it to get here, and then realize you left off a $.99 part and have to place another order, and pay shipping and wait another week . Finally this past friday I had everything I needed: piston, rings, gaskets, hone, etc... All I needed was some time. Busy weekend kept me from touching it, and by Monday evening I couldn't take it anymore, and I headed out in the garage about 10:00 pm. Got it mostly back together, Monday night, and Tuesday night about the same time I went out there and finished. Then......the moment of truth........I checked, double checked, and then checked again, making sure I hooked everything up and didn't have too many bolts left over. Hooked up the battery, turned the key and let 'er rip. A few turns later............VAROOM!!!!! she fired right up! I only let her run for a few seconds and shut it down. Tomorrow I'm gonna take her to work and after work, I'm gonna take it out back lfor about 20 minutes to get in some ride time to seat the rings. I have to admit, after it fired and I shut it down, I did a victory jap / danced a jig around the frond yard.....at 12:30 am I would like to say a HUGE "THANK YOU" to bronco78 , between the write ups he has on TT, the phone calls and hundred or so PMs, this was pretty easy and smooth sailing. All in all, I say I had fun. I've never done this much motor work before so it was kind of cool digging in. For me being in the garage working on something trying to figure out why it won't work is therapy. No matter what's going on, I leave all of it at the door and can be free for as long as I'm out there Here's a few more pics, I'll take some more outside in the daylight tomorrow... the header was in rough shape... After cleaning it up all nice and pretty I painted it black, though for some reason i neglected to take a pic of the finished product... and the finished product... the brother painted [and did a crappy job] the wheels and the front bumper red. Soon enough that'll get cleaned off and I think I'm gonna paint 'em black. New tires will be in order. I'm gonna put some extra lighting on the front [more for bling factor ], and he gave me some nerf bars that I need to install. Well that's about it, like I said, I'll post a few more pics of it when its light outside, and I'll update as I continue to clean it up and repaint some stuff. What's next? __________________ Jason Katy, TX (in "old katy" some say there's a difference) http://thebohacpage.smugmug.com/ "If it was illegal, there'd be a sign telling us NOT to do it." "I can't always tell if he [Jason] is joking, or if his judgment really is that bad." - my father-in-law 2006 KTM 250 SX-F 2004 Yamaha yz250f - in boxes (some assembly required ) I've got a soft spot/addiction for basket cases, projects, and lost causes. Last edited by poser; 05-19-2010 at 10:55 PM. Reason: man I really need to proofread LOL

05-19-2010, 11:24 PM	#2
jar675 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Katy Posts: 1,108	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Next is the Orange project you have taking up space!

05-20-2010, 08:49 AM	#4
DFW_Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 11,860	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Awesome job Jason. She looks darn good. __________________ Bill ('04 DL1000)('00 KLR)('05 YZ250) We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it. It's this self discovery that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on Earth.

05-20-2010, 09:13 AM	#5
Drumboy Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Houston Heights Posts: 1,086	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Nice! Eddie is a HUGE asset for DRZ's in the TT community. I wonder if you could have fixed that stuck ring by putting a little oil in the cylinder. __________________ 2008 KLR 650 2003 DRZ400E

05-20-2010, 09:31 AM	#6
BPFowler Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 307	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project A Fine job Well done Ya got to love the way you feel the first time the engine runs again. And the first ride no matter how rough things are is always the best. Enjoy and have fun __________________ Will trade Chicken strips for PIE FJR Darksider#17 La Porte Texas Bikes currently in the paddock: '74 RD 350; '78 RD 400; '92 KDX250; '96 KTM 620; '02 FZ1; '05 KDX 200; '07 KTM 250 XC-W; '09 FJR 1300; Gone but not forgotten: YG-1; TS-125 ; CB 160 ; GT 380; XS 650; H1; CB 450; VT 500 Ascot; KZ 400; KZ 1000 Z1R(stolen); Venture XVZ12 (dead after 142,846 miles May she rest in pieces); '00 KLR 650 Snaged by Son #1 (again)

05-22-2010, 02:25 PM	#8
bronco78 Forum Supporter Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kempner, TX Posts: 1,993	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Jason, nice write up... Hope your out right now playing on the new toy.. Erik __________________ Non offensive, diminutive signature placed here that provides no help to anyone what so ever in communication of potential help or common interest.

05-22-2010, 08:02 PM	#10
poser Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: old katy Posts: 9,597	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Ok, on to the important lesson of the day..... If you buy a 4wheeler from someone and they tell you they did the bearings in the rear, its a good idea to check their work. For example, one thing to check is to see if they put the cotter pins on the axle nuts The good news is, i was going really slow at the time, and there is no damage to the axle or the threads. I was able to get the wheel on an limp it back to the truck. Looks like I'll be ordering an axle nut __________________ Jason Katy, TX (in "old katy" some say there's a difference) http://thebohacpage.smugmug.com/ "If it was illegal, there'd be a sign telling us NOT to do it." "I can't always tell if he [Jason] is joking, or if his judgment really is that bad." - my father-in-law 2006 KTM 250 SX-F 2004 Yamaha yz250f - in boxes (some assembly required ) I've got a soft spot/addiction for basket cases, projects, and lost causes.

05-22-2010, 08:10 PM	#12
DFW_Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 11,860	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project That pic is priceless!! Glad there was no damage to either you or the quad. __________________ Bill ('04 DL1000)('00 KLR)('05 YZ250) We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it. It's this self discovery that inevitably takes us to the wildest places on Earth.

05-27-2010, 09:26 AM	#13
JTM Join Date: May 2007 Location: W.Houston Posts: 2,058	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Jason, I have never seen your garage so clean. __________________ Justin TMTC Representative Political Correctness, destroying America one banned book at a time. 2008 XB12XT (For Sale) 2004 CRF230

05-27-2010, 09:31 AM	#14
JTM Join Date: May 2007 Location: W.Houston Posts: 2,058	Re: Another quad brought back from the dead: Suzuki LTZ 400 project Oh and I forgot: By the way Cotter pins are very important But then again so are balljoints: __________________ Justin TMTC Representative Political Correctness, destroying America one banned book at a time. 2008 XB12XT (For Sale) 2004 CRF230

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