honda elite 2001 wont start

[jwacker]

my 2001 honda elite 80 sat 7 yrs and has spark and gas in cylinder but wont start. help please i just got this from a neighbor. I put fresh gas in cylinder to see if it would start even for a second byt wont. i already drained the tank and was going to clean the carb but wanted to hear it fire first so new gas in cylinder and new plug which has spark. sorry for sounding so dumb but thought it should fire for a second

[evilone]

Bad gas and gummed up carburetor. Replace gas and clean the carb.

[Bear45-70]

Compression check, change out the fuel and oil, clean the carb.

[forrestking]

I wouldn't even worry about a compression check unless you have the tools readily available. The carb needs to be cleaned (4 times minimum ) and you have to get all of the buildup and crap out of the float bowl, needle, jet, and jet tube. I even think it was Bear who kept telling me to re-clean my carb. I think I cleaned it 7 times before I found all of the the little tubes that come out and opened up all of the holes and passageways. And these carbs are pretty d*** simple.

Whatever you do, do not use tools to clean the carb - use chemicals and fingers. You cannot risk opening up any orifice or transfer with a misplaced pick or bit.

Also, have your airbox assembled when attempting to start the engine and run it for more than a few seconds. As I was told (and ignored) and then learned the hard way, these engines run lean when the airbox, FILTER, and airbox lid are not in place. If you are lucky, the engine will just run like *. I was lucky. If you are unlucky the engine will run absolutely spectacularly... right up until it burns a hole in the piston and melts the ring into the cylinder.

[Bear45-70]

I wouldn't even worry about a compression check unless you have the tools readily available. The carb needs to be cleaned (4 times minimum ) and you have to get all of the buildup and crap out of the float bowl, needle, jet, and jet tube. I even think it was Bear who kept telling me to re-clean my carb. I think I cleaned it 7 times before I found all of the the little tubes that come out and opened up all of the holes and passageways. And these carbs are pretty d*** simple.

Whatever you do, do not use tools to clean the carb - use chemicals and fingers. You cannot risk opening up any orifice or transfer with a misplaced pick or bit.

Also, have your airbox assembled when attempting to start the engine and run it for more than a few seconds. As I was told (and ignored) and then learned the hard way, these engines run lean when the airbox, FILTER, and airbox lid are not in place. If you are lucky, the engine will just run like *. I was lucky. If you are unlucky the engine will run absolutely spectacularly... right up until it burns a hole in the piston and melts the ring into the cylinder.

Your logic for not doing a compression check is totally flawed. If the compression is bad, cleaning the carb even one time is a waste of time and effort. No matter what you do, if the compression is bad, the engine will never run.

[forrestking]

Your logic for not doing a compression check is totally flawed. If the compression is bad, cleaning the carb even one time is a waste of time and effort. No matter what you do, if the compression is bad, the engine will never run.

No. You are being Bearish again. By cleaning the carb you can fix a problem that most assuredly exists. By checking the compression you can only identify a potential problem that most likely will go away as you spin the engine over and get it running... unless you didn't clean the carb.

I highly doubt any mechanically inclined person would, after observing a less than favorable compression check, simply throw out the cylinder and piston without experimenting further. Perhaps you do this?

Jaywacker, you will need to clean the carb to get the engine to run well. No matter how times you check the compression, simply checking it will never help you get the engine running.

[Bear45-70]

Your logic for not doing a compression check is totally flawed. If the compression is bad, cleaning the carb even one time is a waste of time and effort. No matter what you do, if the compression is bad, the engine will never run.

No. You are being Bearish again. By cleaning the carb you can fix a problem that most assuredly exists. By checking the compression you can only identify a potential problem that most likely will go away as you spin the engine over and get it running... unless you didn't clean the carb.

I highly doubt any mechanically inclined person would, after observing a less than favorable compression check, simply throw out the cylinder and piston without experimenting further. Perhaps you do this?

Jaywacker, you will need to clean the carb to get the engine to run well. No matter how times you check the compression, simply checking it will never help you get the engine running.

You will never make a low compression engine run, no matter what you do. That is a fact and a clean carb will not up the compression. As a pro when a customer brought their engine I always did 2 thing, 1) compression test and 2) check the spark.
You can not make an engine run right or at all with low compression. That is not being bearish, it is FACT.

[eliteguy50]

The most common reason I find a scooter in the back of someone's garage that has sat for years is that it was low compression and hard to start so they parked it. The fact that it did not run on gas put directly into the cylinder means that compression is suspect at best.