I have a 2000 honda rancher. I noticed yesterday that a steady drip of gas was coming from a tube under my atv. I think that is the over flow tube. My entire tank of gas leak out of the tube over night. It does stop when i turn the gas off. But starts dripping again when I turn the gas on. What is causing it to do this? Thanks

 

delta221,

Sounds to me like the float in your carburetor’s bowl is faulty. Let me explain...there is a bowl on the bottom of your carburetor, this bowl is a holding tank for the gas that the carb is about to use. Since this bowl is below your gas tank gravity will work to constantly pull fuel form you tank and feed your bowl through an opening at the top of the bowl. However, to avoid the bowl from filling too much and overflowing (through the overflow hose) a little ball inside this bowl floats on the surface of the fuel that's inside. As the level of fuel increases so to does the height of the float, eventually the level of fuel inside your bowl fills all-the-way-up, which forces the float to rise and finally plug the opening in the top of the bowl where the fuel is being dispensed from. If the float is stuck it will not rise as the fuel in your bowl does, therefore the opening will never get plugged by the float and the gas will continuously pour into your carb bowl and overflow out the overflow hose.

I will explain how to fix after dinner.

 

I appreciate it!!

 

As a quick fix, give the carb a couple taps with a small hammer. This should unstick the float/nedle valve. This isn't a permanent fix, cleaning the carb would most likely solve your problem. You may also have to replase the float.needle valve assembly.