[Coalbucket]

Gas issues with my '04 TRX350ES. I have had 2 carbs on this machine and both let gas into the air box via the carburetor. One was rebuilt by our local Honda shop. What is the problem inn anyone's experience? I have 2 of these machines and I think they are the best. We previously owned 2 250 Ranchers years ago. I'm currently restoring this from a wrecked condition. Lots of cracked plastic parts, missing parts, etc. Oh it was red, yuk, I've bought all green body parts to better commune with the areas I ride. The other one was Yellow, worse than red IMO. Any ideas on the fuel issue problem?
Thanks
New to this site BTW

 

[shadetree]

welcome. float needle is sticking open, and the trx350 ranchers are the worst about leaking fuel, almost every one i've had my hands on leak !.

 

[fishfiles]

Welcome , one thing to prevent fuel problems in these days of ethanal fuel is don't use it , ethanal fuel has a short shelf life and will crystalize into grains of what looks like sugar , I always buy non-ethanal fuel and add Sea Foam to every tank of fuel , I use to put Stabil in the fuel , but quit doing it since using Sea Foam , one double shot glass full in a full tank , and keep the tank full of fuel all the time , they will condensate inside a 1/2 full tank , the condensation will rust the sides and then you have flakes of rust that will cause the float valve to stick

 

[mrbb]

OK my 2 cents, are these TWO carbs, OEM honda carb,s or china knock off off ebay or like places? which tend to be very HIT or miss, many good many more bad one's
as right there could be the issue
not all parts are made the same

but sounds to me like a float issue here as well
and if your not using fuel fast as a tank is lasting more than 2 months, and your NOT treating it(and should still be) or if your NOT running non ethanol fuel, the fuel itself can be the problem your carbs are not staying good
next will be, have you EVER removed the tank, drained and looked inside the tank, and MADE sure the tanks are clean inside
as you can clean a CARB< all you want, but if the tank is dirty, as soon s you run fuel into carb, you risk a dirty carb again

and last, just like a tank can get dirty inside, so can all things down stream, the peacock can get that same crappy ethanol build up on it, the fuel lines on MOST older atv's were NEVER designed to run ethanol fuel, and the fuel lines can also block up build up crap and it can break off at random and mess with your carb working right!

SO< my suggestion, drain tank, inspect inside to MAKE sure is clean, inspect peacock, and REPLACE fuel lines from tank to carb with NEW YELLOW tygon fuel line, its the only fuel line I know of that is MADE to handle Ethanol fuel!
re clean carb's and I BET your issue's go away, well unless there china junk carbs that are just bad as is!, but either way, problem solving is about ruling out possible things, and if your fuel take, peacock and fuel lines are all clean, well, all that is left is a BAD carb!

 

[SamUK]

Welcome to the forums

 

[retro]

You can fix it but fair warning: It is work, not money, that provides success with these fuel systems & carbs.

I have always found the OEM float valve to be very tough and long lasting. I never replace them... there are no better alternatives for sale than the original. So do not waste time & money to replace the original float valve.

Take the fuel tank off the bike and disassemble (petcock & fuel gauge removed) it. Wash the plastic tank out thoroughly with lots of HOT, soapy water. Repeat with hot soapy water until its perfectly clean, then rinse it out well with several doses of hot water. Blow it out well with compressed air, then drop a clean cloth (microfiber if ya got one) into the tank and blow the cloth around inside until all of the water droplets have been absorbed by the cloth. You can straighten out a wire clothes hanger and wrap the cloth tightly with the wire to poke the cloth into areas that you can't reach with compressed air blasts. Once the tank is dry set it aside.

Wash, rinse and dry all of the fuel gauge parts. Be careful with the float, indicator and the twisted metal spindle, don't damage any of them. If the sight window is yellowed you can use some fine buffing compound made for automobile clear coats (or a quality plastics renew compound) to buff off the yellow coating inside the window. Buff with a damp cloth when you are done and dry it with a microfiber. Reassemble and install the fuel gauge back into the tank.

The petcock and strainer may need a lot of work. If there is any corrosion visible or if the valve does not work well you'll have to take the petcock apart for cleaning. There are threads outlining that procedure here on the forums. Ask for help if you cannot find a recent good petcock disassemble & refurb thread. Of course you can buy a new OEM Honda petcock and strainer assembly if you have more money than you have time. OEM Honda parts only, no cheap china... buy just once, cry just once.

The strainer may be plugged, rotten and falling apart, so once you have the petcock ready to put back to work; either clean the strainer thoroughly if it is in good condition, or replace it with a new OEM Honda part. They are less than $20... just don't waste our time and your money on any useless china junk. Unless you are very wealthy...? In that case you may buy china until you're broke. You'll probably need to buy a new o-ring from Honda for remounting the petcock. The originals are generally beginning to degrade and crack on their surfaces after 15 years of service.

Either replace or clean out the fuel hose, whichever is required. You can heat the hose up in hot water to make it flexible enough to be pulled out fairly straight, then shove a gun cleaning brush through it a few times to loosen and carry out the hard, scaly buildup inside the hose. Wash, rinse & blow it out dry and put it on the installed petcock.

Blow out the fuel cap vent and wash and blow out the fuel cap vent hose. You are now ready to put the fuel tank back on the bike.

Take the carb apart and thoroughly clean it. There are many good threads here covering that job, so no point in saying anything more here... but I'll describe the float valve and seat cleaning.

Firstly, use a fat cotton Q-tip swap coated with some of the same fine buffing compound that you used on the fuel gauge sight window, to buff out the brass valve seat. You'll be twisting the swab against the bottom of the valve with your fingers (there will be a very hard, dark layer of aluminum/brass oxide built up on the brass) until it appears to be clean and very shiny yellow brass. This will take you a while to accomplish because the corrosion & buildup on the brass will leave a very hard surface. Do not use any aggressive abrasives to quicken your work... you'll ruin the seating angle cut for the valve if you do. Wash the valve seat out with clean swabs and solvent when its done, spray some solvent through it and blow it clean with air.

Finally, hold the original OEM float valve in your fingers and use a small stiff plastic bristle brush to clean the Viton rubber tip profile. Brush in one direction only: from the valve stem body toward the sharp tip, while rotating the valve in your fingers between brush strokes as you work. There will be a hard layer of oxidized brass (& oxidized aluminum) built up on the Viton rubber valve tip. Again, this will take a bit of patience and careful brushing (brush in one direction only toward the tip. Do not rotate the tip against the plastic bristles) to clean correctly, due to the hard oxide layer that will be present on the soft rubber. You are done when all of the oxides have been removed. The surface of the Viton rubber will no longer appear as smooth and hard... it will be a natural rubber color and if you were to look at the clean tip under some strong magnification you'd see a slightly rough or fuzzy looking soft Viton surface. The float valve and seat are now ready to provide you with another couple decades of service, provided you keep fresh, non-ethanol fuel in the tank.

Have fun, and welcome to the forums!

 

[_Wilson_]

Welcome to the forums!