Have 2005 Rancher 350 ES that has been flawless until today. Will not idle warm unless choke is partially on. Doing occasional spitting and sputtering also while riding. At higher rpm's it seems to be ok but when it idles down after letting off throttle it dies unless you feather the throttle,. Pulled air cleaner and shot some Seafoam into intake of carb and added some to gas tank. This does seem to have helped some but not to the point that it will idle correctly. ATV is stored in enclosed shed with full tank of 89 octane ethanol free gas(less than 500 miles on atv). Was ridden last around Halloween with no issues then. Not sure what could have caused issue since then, but suspect clogged jet or crud. This really surprised me today as this machine has been 100% reliable until this issue. Any ideas or pointers?
Honda Rancher won't idle unless choked
- Thread starter mjonesnh
- Start date
Scooby074
Super Member
Clean your carb. My foreman did the same.
Dmace
Elite Member
It's your Pilot jet that's clogged, that's the jet that provides fuel to the engine when the throttle is closed. Depending on your fuel, you may have deposits in the tank that will keep clogging the jets until you clean the tank as well. Also, if you don't have a fuel filter, get one. Even a cheap $5 ATV filter that you change every year will make a huge difference.
murphy1244
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See if you can drop the bowland blow out the idle circut. The problem is in the carb.
rcurrie
Member
You can try this as a quick fix. Some times it works and some times it doesn't. Remove the air filter, start the engine and rev it to about 4-6 thousand rpm and then smother the carb with your hand until it almost quits. Remove your hand before it quits and feather the throttle to keep it running until it recovers on its own. Do this five or six times and see if it helps. Do not over rev the engine, 4000-6000 should not hurt it as long as you don't keep it there. This has worked alot of times for me and it is easier than a carb job. Good Luck.
Tried this procedure and some more Seafoam spray. Now have it idling by turning the idle adjustment up 3-4 more turns. Not perfect but it has improved. Considering buying a new carb as I am not feeling lucky right now tying to install carb kit.New OEM carb is around $140 shipped. If I took to local dealer for repair ,labor rate is $75/hr. May run atv for 1-2 hours when warmer and see if it improves.
Code54
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Yep it is in the carb - been there done that on a Foreman also.
$140 for a carb seems like a good deal! You will pay more than that at a dealer to have the carb pulled, cleaned and jetted!
$140 for a carb seems like a good deal! You will pay more than that at a dealer to have the carb pulled, cleaned and jetted!
Dmace
Elite Member
Why would you buy a carb when it just needs a good cleaning...?
While I do most of my own repairs , taking this carb apart , cleaning , installing kit, and re-assembly is not something I care to try presently. As pointed out in another post a new carb would probably be cheaper than taking to a dealer for service. Taking the old carb off and replacing with new one is something that I feel ok with , just not tearing into the innards of original.