Hi all,

I just rebuilt a 1996 Bayou/KLF220 which included the following:
-Rebuilt Head (new valves, cleaning, etc done at a shop)
-New Rings (cylinder and piston looked fine)
-New wiring harness (mice ate old one) Triple-checked that this is installed OK
-Rebuilt carb (cleanout,new jets, float needle, etc.)

I performed most of this work. I'd say I'm not a natural small engine mechanic, but I follow manuals well and consider myself pretty handy and have successfully done this type of work in the past.

After this rebuild and attempts at starting the quad, I found the following:

-The pull starter/recoil is extremely hard to pull even with decompression lever pulled. I have to use this as I don't have a new battery yet. I never remember it being this hard. Recoil appears to be setup fine since it does spin easier with spark plug removed, but still not like butter.

-The quad actually did start, but is running extremely rich - new plug is super black after just a few minutes. With pilot and idle settings proper, the engine will barely go past idle with the throttle nailed. I'm sure cable adjustments are fine. It reacts as if the choke is on, however the choke is working correctly and is not having any effect on the idle. Float should also be working OK, I'm not getting any overflow.

Here's my concern regarding the head and timing: With the head returned from the shop, the 2 valves are obviously seated and closed. So combining this with turning the flywheel to be at the proper TDC mark, and the cam able to be propely slid into place, cam sprocket properly aligned and tensioner properly set; its my understanding that this was installed correctly and sitting at TDC before attempting starts?

If for some reason I have the engine set 180 degrees out of phase, would the engine actually start, and perhaps react the way I described?

I'm planning to pull the cam and valve covers and re-validate the timing setup, but would hate to pull the engine out again. Another observation but not sure if it means anything; while diagnosing idle/acceleration, I removed the air cleaner and can see puffs of air/fuel shooting in the direction of the airbox (backwards). If I attempt to block this flow with my hand, I observe the idle shooting up to almost normal. It seems I can only do this once before the engine bogs and shuts down. Just thought I'd mention that.

I'd greatly appreciate if any experienced engine rebuilders could comment on this situation.

Thanks much, Steve