sounds like your on the right road make sure it runs then spend money on it lol i am not 100 percent sure but i think you will need a battery in it to get it to run with the pull start it dont need to be a good battery but it will need to be hooked up

 

Thanks. Yeah, I'm still scratching my head about it. Not only was he running it w/o battery. He zip ties the cables to the frame, not to be used. If it starts easy with a pull, fine. But, I like pushing the button. Ha. Thanks.

 

The 97 and 98 (only two years I checked) Xplorer 300 uses an AC ignition (like a lawn mower) - it will start and run without a battery, but will burn out the lights from surge if a battery is not installed - to use the electric starter without a lot of wiring repair, use any 12 volt battery and jumper cables to run the starter motor. Connect positive to the starter motor wire and connect negative to the frame or a part of the engine when you want the starter motor to engage. This will allow you to check compression, spark and get the engine running before investing in anything you will not need going forward.

 

to the forum

 

Thanks all.
As suspected, the hunk of rusty, dirty, grimie, locked up, non-rotating thing that was the starter, is toast. I kinda figured. Too bad it's such a major operation to remove the dang thing? Did they have to bury it at the bottom of the whole thing? Oh well. New starter ordered. Just a few more days! Thanks.

 

Well, new starter is in, but it may be for naught(?). My compression test only showed about 70psi. But, I'm not throwing in the towel yet. It's got spark, air, new battery. So, as far as fuel goes, I'm tinkering with the carb settings. If this thing stands a chance of starting, what are the optimal carb settings / adjustments? Mix? Float level? Other. Don't want to beat a dead horse. But, I'm not ready to give up yet. Thanks. Greg P.

 

This project just took a turn. Found only about 30psi compression. Added 1/2 oz of oil to the cylinder. It went up to 90psi. Test tells me: Rings. I can get a piston kit. How do I prep the head? Machine shop? Measurements? etc. Thanks.

 

Presuming this is a 98 300 two stroke; there is no prep work for the head - it only needs to be cleaned prior to installation. The cylinder needs to be checked for wear and current bore size (machine shop) - it will probably need to be bored to an oversize - determine the size to be bored to, find the piston kit for it and let the machinist do his job. Compression will be restored and you can move on the the next phase of the project.