Hey everyone

I have 2000 Honda 350 Rancher 2x4 and I can't keep it running. Let me explain what happened, I was driving around doing a few wheelies here and there then I was on my way home and I ran out of gas. I put the bike on reserve,rode home, and then put the bike away with out filling up the tank. Well now it's two weeks later and I get the bike out and I noticed it had a puddle of gas under the middle of the bike, it looks like it came out of the vent hose under the bike. Well I top off the tank and fire up the bike...starts up with no problems...I reved it a little bit to help it warm up and then when I tried to drive it, I only made it out of my driveway and a few feet up the road and then it quit.

I pushed the bike back and let it sit, push the start button and it fired right back up...let it run for a min or two then it would die. I looked under the bike at the vent hose that comes off the carb...it had ice cyrstals on it and they were comming out of the hose, it wasn't just water that dripped off the hose. It has been below freezing here the past week at night. It almost seems like my choke cable is sticking and when the bike warms up it quits because it's getting too much gas. What do you guys think?

Also, the bike is in great shape and was running perfect up until now.

Please help

Thanks

 

Ranchers are famous for the choke cable sticking in cold weather, if there is any moisture in the cable housing. Do a search, there are quite a few old posts.

By running the tank dry, you may have sucked up some water and gunk that was in the bottom of the tank.

 

Thanks, after I posted this I did a search and found a lot of good info.

Also, I went back out and removed the rubber boot at the choke on the handlebar and unscrewed the black cap under it and sprayed it with WD40, I then removed the boot at the carb and did the same. The cable seems to move freely, I then removed the plastic nut that holds the cable in the carb and then removed it from the carb...I then moved the choke in and out and I could see the cable moving the peice that holds the needle. The whole cable seems to move freely and is not sticky or hesitant in movement.

With that being said, could it still be my cable. Could my carb be dirty inside? Like I said, the bike was running strong up untill I ran out of gas and I had no problem with the choke cable before. What would be my next step from here?

Thanks for your help

 

After seeing how my choke cable moved free and smooth, I'm thinking I did get some gunk or crap in my carb from the bottom of the tank by running it out of gas. How would I go about cleaning my carb?

 

Start by dropping the float bowl and looking inside. If it looks dirty or crusty, then the carb needs cleaning.
Do your self a favor, and turn the gas tank valve to off, when the motor isnt running. Sometimes the gas drains down the cylinder and into the sump, instead of the ground. That causes much bigger damage than a plugged carb.
Heres some articles on carb cleaning, you can decide if its something youd like to do. Its not very tough to do.
carb clean
cleaning carb

 

Thanks for the links!

I was just wondering, if the choke is not fully closing, could that cause the gas to come out of the vent hose under the bike?

 

Can I spray the carb cleaner in the choke port where the cable goes in with the carb still on the bike, then just drain it out the drain screw hole? I'm just trying to get some input while I'm at work so I can try a few things when i get home.

Thanks

 

Sounds like your float in you carb bowl is stuck. This is most likely due to debris from the bottom of your fuel tank being sucked into the carb when you ran out of gas. To fix do what hondabuster suggested.

Good Luck

 

There isnt a conventional choke on this carb. Theres a starter jet. When you pull on the cable, a plunger unblocks a passage, so gas can go to the starter jet. No gas will flow with out the engine developing vacumn. So leaving the "choke" on, wont hurt a thing. Its most likely a piece of debris, holding the float needle off the seat, that caused the carb to drain the gas tank.
Spraying carb cleaner in the choke hole, and draining wont do it. my guess would be that circuit is fine as is. The float needle and seat, need cleaning. It can be done on the motor, if you loosen the clamps, holding the carb, and rotate it sideways, then you can remove the float bowl, and the float and needle. The pilot( or low speed) jet needs cleaning as well. Its the smallest opening in the carb, and is the first to plug up, and effects the idle circuit. But if you find dirt or crud, in there, you should clean more than just that.
While youre at it, find an inline fuel filter, and install it . any Motorcyle ,atv or snowmobile dealer will have what you need.

 

Awesome, very informative, thank you!