Hey, hope I'm in the right section.. but I've got some issues with my 2002 sportsman 500. First issue is that the quad will not hold an idle without me giving it gas with choke on or off. Second issue is that the quad will not run if the choke is not engaged even a little bit. This causes a very strong smell of gas and a small gas leak after running. I'm not very knowledgeable on this subject so please try to use general terms when helping diagnosis. Any answer will be appreciated!

 

Check that you have no more than 1/8" slack at the thumb throttle or the etc switch contacts can touch and kill the machine. Common thing that people over look. Plus sounds like you need a carb kit. This is about the best one around.Shindy Carburetor Kit Scrambler 500 1998 2002 Sportsman 500 01 02 Carb Polaris | eBay Plus float level setting is critical on this model carb. Here's a good article on the BST40 carb and really how to set it right.It's on a Ktm,but the carb is similar..The BST-40 Bible | Adventure Rider