I got a 2002 Honda Rancher 350 ES and the choke seems to be freezing. One thing I noticed about this bike that is different from my old 300 is that it willlll NOT start in the cold without the choke. At least the 300 made an attempt. By cold I mean -10 Celsius. How can I stop this from happening? It doesn't seem to be the lever itself but whatever it connects to.

 

KillaRancha, I too had the same exact problem with my choke on my 2001 Rancher. I live in NH and as soon as the temperature fell below 15, the choke would freeze. You are correct in that it is not the lever, nor is it the cable. What is happening is the collar on the carb where the choke cable goes into the carb leaks. Because of this, a minute amount of water enters in and around the collar freezing the entire choke system from within the carb. If your Rancher is still under warranty bring it back to your dealer as this is a fairly common occurrence with the rancher. Your dealer will remove the choke cable from the carb at the collar were it enters the carb and simply apply a type of silicon sealant to prevent moister from entering into the carb from the choke collar in the future. If you want to do it yourself here's how. First, place the AVT somewhere where it can warm up enough for the choke to unfreeze. Then, simply remove the cap that covers the choke cable where it enters the carb and seal the cap with silicon so once you place it back on the carb no water leaks in. Be careful not to apply too much silicon to the cover otherwise you risk the chance of having the silicon seep into the carb just as the water did. Just let me know if you need further advice. I would be happy to help. Good Luck!!

 

One thing you can do is to make sure that you pull your choke out when you shut it down. This way you will be in the choke position when you go to start your machine. I have a friend with an '02 and he has the same problem in cold weather conditions.

 

I wouldn't advise pulling the choke out when you shut it down....it can freeze in that position as well...here's what i do...it was minus 8 last night....don't foget that your Rancher has a heated carb...i push the primer plunger 6 or 7 times...then i turn on the key...this activates the carb heater....leave the key on for 2 minutes or so and press the start button...fires up every time....i don't need to use the choke at all....when the weather is warm i'll go out and pull the choke out and push it in a few times just to keep it moving so it doesn't seize....just in case at some point i might need it, it may work for me.