Hi all! I am new to the site, and complete new to the PilotOdyssey scene Here are some pics of a FL350 that I bought yesterday. It's been in storage for 15 years, but starts (from the pull cord) and sounds decent, considering the age. It grinds when going into forward and reverse, and the brakes are iffy. One wheel is bent, 3 tires are original 1985 vintage, and the gas tank looks a bit nasty inside. The factory air filter is not installed, but is missing the top cover, with an old cannister style bolted in its place. Rear fender(s) are cracked. Everything else seems stock and in place.

What kinds of maintenance items should I perform immediately to get this Odyssey in good working order? What are the common / affordable mods that I should consider for longevity and long-term reliability? I will mostly be riding it in open property and woods (with my 10 year old possibly taking it for a spin too), but hope to take it to the Waynoka sand dunes later in the year. Are there some "must haves" that should be addressed before putting any significant hours on it? I'd rather not rebuild the Engine if I can avoid it.

I appreciate any advice you can provide or other threads or sites that you can point me to!

www.odysseysalvage.com
Randy is your neighbor!!! He is very knowledgeable!!!
Brakes!!! Hand restraints!! Seatbelt! These should ALWAYS be the first Upgraderepairs made in any new purchase... Who cares how fast it is if it cant stop... Or if you fall out when you bump a tree, or fellow rider!
Then do a compression test, to give you an idea of where the motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) stands... Then learn about Jetting a 2 stroke Engine!
Remember this one...
Who cares how fast it is if it... Bounces you all around and the tires don't stay on the ground! invest in some rear works brand shocks!!! If you can afford the fronts too even better...

Now you can start working on making it fast!!! LOL
Welcome to the site!!!

Hi and welcome to the site.

Yeah if you live in Olathe Randys house should be your first stop for sure.

If its been setting that long all the systems probably need maintenance.

Why was it in storage so long?

Welcome, since the odyssey has been sitting for so long I would drain the Engine balacer oil and your tranny oil and put in new fluids, drain and clean out your gas tank , Grease your front end bushings, Most odyssey's grind going into gear.
Who knows whats wrong with the brakes, might just need bleed, new pads or you might have to rebuild the master cylinder and caliper.
Get a shop manual, You will need it

Bob

Sometimes the grinding is caused by the idle being set to high and all that needs done is to lower the idle slightly, also when you put it into gear just throw it into gear without hesitation don't try to easy it in that just increases the grinding.

to remove grinding you can also enable the oddy to start in gear. you can do this by clipping the wires that go to the change switch on the rear of the tranny, then ground both of them to the frame.

you can get a starter rebuild kit off ebay for around 40 bucks too!

Thanks for the replies. I'm feeling better about the grinding into gear already. I'm not sure why it was sitting for so long, other than the fact that it was probably buried in the seller's barn among many other projects, and was eventually pushed to the corner and forgotten. I am really looking forward to getting it running well, and enjoying it!

Thanks for the note on Randy- I'm sure he's a great resource, but I'll admit the web site is a bit overwhelming! Is the EGT gauge a "must have"? I purchased a compression tester from Harbor Freight yesterday to check the compression. What is the "bypass T" and how does this contribute to a seized piston?

I'm thinking I will need to:
- Bleed brakes, replace pads / shoes as needed. R&R master cylinder if needed.
- Drain gas tank (treat / restore with rust inhibitor?)
- Replace fuel filter (source?)
- Replace tires (would love some Douglas wheels at this time, but not sure if they're in the budget)
- Replace battery
- Replace gear oil (is straight 85W OK?)
- Install a new air filter (what is the best / easiest set up... keep/fix the stock airbox or remove completely and bolt on something new?)
- What else?

Thanks!

Don't use 85W oil it is to thick , use 10W40.
also use a good quality 2-stroke oil for your premix,not some cheap oil, most of us mix it at 32:1.
don't forget to get a shop manual
Randy should have the fuel filter or check your local HONDA dealer.

Bob

you need to drain and replace the balancer oil also as badbob suggested.I lined my stock fuel tank with Kreem,bought a kit on ebay.I just use a fuel filter from auto parts store that would fit.A lot of people have gotten good deals on tires from http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/home.do.I just bought a set of fronts from my local honda dealer,they had the stock tires for 85 bucks out the door.Most people stick with the stock airbox,sometimes modifying it with another hose on the other side.I think the "bypass T" your refering to goes to the gas line and if its not functioning correctly it can cause a problem.I don't know how far you are from Randy,but if you can talk to him in person he can give you all kinds of advice,but I've found trying to get him on the phone is next to impossible.
Did you check the compression yet? if so,what was the reading?
It looks like you can download a copy of the manual here:
http://g2buggy.g2-innovations.com/gentech/manuals.htm
good luck

I changed the oil in the tranny twice with 80w-90 gear oil.

80-90w gear oil is the same viscosity as 10w-40 Engine oil.
They use diff numbering systems,they are not comparable in #'s.

Not here 80-90w gear oil here is about 10x thicker than 10-40 Engine oil 80-140 is even thicker yet.

If I knew where my viscosity tester was I would run some of both through it and tell you the time difference, its just a funnel with a small hole you time how long it takes for fluid to run through it, might be in my paint cabinet?

Well Hosier we butt heads on this one.
I just checked on the back of my Castrol gear oil bottle and it confirms what I just said.
I then Googled it and came up with the same.
Here's a copy of it:

"API viscosity ratings for gear oils are not directly comparable with those for motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) oil, and they are thinner than the figures suggest. For example, many modern gearboxes use a 75W90 gear oil, which is actually of equivalent viscosity to a 10W40 motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) oil"

So not sure why we differ on this?
Maybe I have missed something?
No doubt you will enlighten me?

Here's the link I used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_oil

I will see if I can find that viscosity cup and time them, you can see the difference between the two by eye when you pour them.

I am sure Honda recommends Engine oil for a reason if you can make gear lube work without any long term problems I would use the gear lube its a much better lube and has much better film strength and additives gears need, I never used it because it does not sling as well as Engine oil and the gear boxes rely on the oil sling or splash lube as some call it to distribute the oil to all the critical areas.

The gear lube for my RZR rear diff is synthetic oil its about as thick as straight 30w Engine oil its not like the 80-90w I have and use on everything else.

When you say 'sling as well', do you mean it sprays with a spider web consistency around the upper section of trans? Does that make sense?

The oil sticks to the gears as the gears spin the thickness of the layer of oil sticking to the gears increases, where the gears mesh the oil will transfer from gear to gear, the oil will climb to the highest gear in the trans, as speed increases you reach a point where the layer of oil can no longer cling to the gears and the centrifugal force will sling the excess build up of oil off the gears, the oil then will pretty much cover everything inside the trans sort of a splash lube system, the oil will now by the force of gravity work its way back to the bottom of the trans where it is picked up by the gears again, also happening during this flow of oil through the trans the oil is picking up head produced by the mechanical action of the gears when the oil touches the trans cases heat it transferred to the cases and to the atmosphere.

Ah haaaaa!