I have a 2002 Honda Rubicon. Recently I have been experiencing problems with it back firing when I was using it to plow snow. It also was dying when I put it into reverse. If it starts to die I can quickly shift it into nuetral and it will stay running. Any ideas? I love my Rubicon and this is the first problem I have had with 1500 trail miles. I have not messed with any jetting since I purchased it so I do not think that is the problem because it has always run GREAT!! Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

none

 

sounds like fuel to me (lean)

I would take the carb off and replace the jets with what you had (better than trying to clean them). Today's gas goes stale fast and leaves deposits on the jets. Check the float level while you are at it.

 

Why does everyone immediately think rejetting is the solution to any carburetor problem? If he hasn't messed with the jets since it was new (as he said), it should work with the existing jets. Float needles will get messed up from stale fuel before jets will. While I agree that stale fuel is most likely the problem, the solution is to thoroughly clean the carb - not rejet. If the jets need to be replaced because of stale fuel then most other parts of the carb probably need to be replaced too.

I would drain the fuel tank of existing fuel and replace it with new gas with some sort of stabilizer. I would also clean the carburetor. Chances are your needle is sticking and isn't letting enough gas into the bowl when the engine is under load. You wouldn't notice it at idle.

Now a soapbox moment... I know most in here think that since their bikes are Hondas that they have nothing to worry about as far as engine trouble. The fact is that even Honda uses the same brands of carburetors on their bikes that everyone else does and they're suceptible to the same types of problems. I learned the hard way that it is always a good idea to keep fuel stabilizer in the tank during the time of year when you use your quad the least. It saves a lot of headache in the long run.

 

you're kind of a hack if you clean jets or recommend to do so in this case. Dirt yes, suspected hard deposits, no. A couple bucks a piece and they are clean, new, and the right size. Not .002" bigger because you jammed something through it or still too small because carb cleaner isn't 100% effective with deposits left from today's fuels.

Nobody said anything about rejetting to a different size.

You'd know this if you spent more time with 2 strokes where running lean = meltdown. Who wants to go through the labor to find out you didn't get them clean. Take the jets out of the equation, buy new ones.

And those damn people that think rejetting solves fuel delivery problems? what's up with that??? That never works!!!

 

What good is this if the float assembly is gummed up too? Your shiny new jets still won't have any fuel to deliver. Plus you risk subjecting them to the same contaminated fuel. True they are inexpensive but how many sets do you want to go through before finding the root cause of the problem?

If you're running your bike at the same elevation you've always run it and it ran fine for years with the existing jets, why would I immediately think my jets are bad as soon as it starts running bad? But you know, you may have a point. The next time I start running out of gas and my bike starts stumbling, I'll change my jets instead of getting more gas. They're cheap! I'll eliminate them from the equation.

 

deposits from fuel doesn't happen overnight, but the problems can appear that way

you took my comment about jetting out of context again.

"Why does everyone immediately think rejetting is the solution to any carburetor problem?"

everyone? immediately? you started with the dumb stuff.

if the float valve has deposits, by all means replace that too if it's bad. Don't be a hack with a can of gumout, wire brush, and a drill bit.

The main and pilot sizes are way more critical than the float valve and that's where I put the focus.

 

Do to your driving conditions while plowing snow. I would try a new plug. or at least look at the plug and tell me what you find...

I have noticed a increase of one time posters today all having troubles with rubicons.. wild isnt it.

 

Hondamechanic, what are you getting at there? My suggestion is more if it is fuel. Are you thinking more with the ECM getting a bad signal from something?

 

Sorry for the delay. The engine actually dies when in reverse. Sometimes I can back up and pull forward a variety of times without a problem and then the next time it will die when I put it in reverse. I have been quickly shifting into neutral after it starts to sputter and then it will smooth out into a nice idle. Never had it die in any forward movement however it has back fired a few times pretty loud! It is frustrating me a bit because I have loved owning this machine from day one. Not a problem to be had until this!! I have not checked the plug yet, however you guys bring up a good point about the gas. The gas has been in there for approx 5 months (Wife and I had a baby and I had not been riding), but the machine runs great in forward. The only forward problem I have noticed is a hesitation when I give it throttle but I attributed this to new 26" tires. I did spray carb cleaner in there about two months ago as preventative maintenance. I thought about reseting the ECM and seeing what happens. I will go check the plug now and get back with you all. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]