hello, i have a 2002 rancher, i have been gone to iraq for the past year and i have not rode my rancher, but my wife rode it a good bit in the summer but not so much the last few months. well i rode for a bit today and was going to change the oil. when i drained it out it was really runny like gas, which it smelled like. anyway i figure its something to do with the carburator. well anyway im going to leave it apart till i can find out more. thanks for any help. bobby

 

Did the fuel petcock get left ON for a long time? Might be that the fuel overflowed in the carb, ran into the combustion chamber, past the rings and into the crankcase.

 

i really don't see how that is possible it would come out the over flow tube, way before it ever reached the combustion chamber, believe me i had enough issues with the overflow

 

I agree with reconranger on this one.. Harley motorcycles are notorious for this if you leave the petcock on. You would not think it possible on them either, but when flooding over, it puddles into the throat of the carb and flows to the lower of the two directions. Either into the engine or out in the air filter, or both! It wouldnt take much fuel to change the velocity of the oil and give it the gasoline smell. I am the worlds worse about not turning mine off. I need to get in the habit.

 

Its actually a pretty common problem, mostly with lawn equipment, but there are lots of motors out there shooting the blues, most were done in by gas washing the rings dry, and then run. Best advice...if the motor isnt spinning, the gas valve needs to be off.
Its posible that all it needs, is an oil change, and the needle and seat cleaned up.

 

I would check the choke cable, and starter valve at the end of the cable. Take a 14mm wrench and remove it from the carb. If there is moisture in the cable, it is possible that oxidization build up in the choke plunger ( starter valve ) bore has been preventing the choke from closing all the way. If the unit is run this way for a while, a significant amount of fuel can be noticed in the oil.
I've seen this before when a customer has turned the idle up on their Rancher because it was idling slow, caused by the choke plunger not seating all the way, and not realizing there was a problem.

EDIT : If the cable is rusted at the end, a replacement from your local Honda dealer will have updates to it to prevent this from happening again.

Also the float valve may have tarnished from the fuel getting stale in the period of time you have been gone. It may be hanging up and dumping extra fuel in the cylinder while it is parked..

Hope this helps, and thanks for the job you did while you were gone !!

----- Gimpster -----

 

In the old days, we would turn the valve off on our dirt bikes even if we stopped out on the trail for just a minute. Back then, it was seen as a safety issue, because any extra gas floating around could cause a fire.....at least that is what we were told. I don't see anybody pushing this issure these days. Certainly the owners manuals don't mention anything about this, and you know how **** they are about safety stuff!

 

I think you may be on to something here, Gimp... I had mine apart a while ago, and it was a bit sticky returning all the way, ergo running way too rich, and over time it would definitely thin out the oil since the rings don't catch 100 % of the combustion gas. If they did, we wouldn't need crankcase vents.

I fiddled with mine for a while, and now the choke plunger seats all the way. An easy check is to make sure there is no slack in the choke cable when the choke is off. It really should be called an enrichment valve instead of a choke, although there were times I'd like to choke the s.o.b. when it was sticking.

You may have to remove the valve as Gimp mentioned, and polish the bejesus out of it. When you reinstall it be careful not to use anything for a lubricant that will swell the seals. If the choke lever won't fully return to the off position without forcing it, it may still be sticking.

The fuel valve option is valid as well, like the boys said. If it isn't running or likely to be in the next few hours, turn off the fuel valve.

 

On the subject of choke plungers, If the plunger is frozen in the bore and after a little work to get it out doesn't damage it, the rubber seal normally will get a build-up of crud under it. In many cases the valve must be replaced, but if it cannot be reinstalled into the bore, this is likely the cause. When ai do a tune-up, I will remove the choke plunger and clean anything from behind the seal with a o-ring pick to make sore the unit will not return with a choke related issue that I may have missed. Remember ( what chilly pointed out ) also not to use oil, carb cleaner, or grease on the plunger, as it can swell up the seal.

----- Gimp -----

 

TODAY I TOOK APART THE CARB. JUST THE BOWL AND THE TOP PART WHERE THE PLUNGER IS. I DIDNT REALLY KNOW WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT IT. IT WAS PRETTY CLEAN FOR THE MOST PART. THE FLOAT MOVED WELL. BUT NOW SINCE I HAVE READ THESE POST, I MAY HAVE SEEN SOMETHING THAT WASNT RIGHT. THE BLACK ROUND THING UNDER THE SPRING, I FIGURE YALL ARE CALLING THE PLUNGER. THIS SITE CALLS IT A PISTON.

http://216.37.204.202/Honda_OEM/Hond...e=13&A=91&B=20 2002 RANCHER 350FE ES4X4

ANYWAY IT WAS NOT CLOSED ALL THE WAY. WHEN I HAD IT OUT YOU COULD SEE THE SIDES KINDA SCUFFED UP A BIT. I AM NOT SURE IF IT WAS SUPOSE TO GO ALL THE WAY DOWN OR NOT? THE CHOKE WAS OFF AT THIS TIME. I PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER, IT STILL RUNS JUST FINE. I WAS GOING TO TRY AND RUN IT A LITTLE WHILE MORE AND CHECK THE OIL AGAIN. THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP BOBBY