Prairie 300 carburetor problems

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Feb 7, 2016 | 11:18 AM

#11

Fasteratv

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Joined: Jan 2016

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From: Whitesburg, TN

Quote:

Originally Posted by old polaris tech

Only metering rods I've seen are on car carbs.. Sure you don't mean the jet needle that goes into the slide? Service Bulletin Carter Carb Metering Rods - YouTube

is the correct name.

Feb 7, 2016 | 06:12 PM

#12

Josh Worstell

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Joined: Feb 2016

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I had my cousin do a compression test and it was fine, and he checked the jets to make sure they were where they are supposed to be, we didnt have the manual so he just looked up the standard factory settings for my quad. He put in a spark plug that burns hotter and it helped a little, but it still stalls. We kept cleaning the carb because it wasnt cleaned thoroughly the first couple times, and each time after that that we opened the carb he messed with the float position to see if that was the problem, which it wasnt the float is perfect where its at, it cuts off the fuel when it needs to. Ive looked it up, and it seems the carbs that come stock on the prairie are notoriously fickle, and I am wondering about just getting an aftermarket one if that is indeed the problem. Also, the jet needle is fine as well, so thats not the problem either.

Feb 7, 2016 | 06:14 PM

#13

Josh Worstell

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when we initially started working on it, i could only push the throttle about halfway before the engine either cut, or it would start raising the rpms but then back off even tho i kept pushing the throttle

Feb 7, 2016 | 06:44 PM

#14

old polaris tech

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From: North Texas

A "hotter plug" doesn't spark hotter but heats up quicker than a colder plug and retains that heat for better combustion on engines that need this. If you haven't replaced the needle and seat,I'd at least do that,better if you just got the Shindy carb kit so you could at least have the carb in tip top shape and go from there if carburetion isn't the problem.

Feb 8, 2016 | 03:35 AM

#15

merryman

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Joined: Oct 2013

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From: Lancaster England

If you haven't changed the jets or drilled them out, I can't see how the bike should be running so rich that it fouls the plug, unless the carb has been assembled wrongly, or the choke is stuck. If it has a CD carb, the only other thing I can think of is the CD piston sticking. Make sure this piston moves up and down smoothly, that the diaphragm is OK, and check the choke plunger is seating in the carb when the choke is off. Also get an exploded view drawing of your carb, I suspect somewhere there is a component missing, or fitted wrongly.

Oct 13, 2020 | 04:57 AM

#16

Randy Warren Warren

Weekend Warrior

Joined: Oct 2020

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Wait

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymco 450i

Are you cleaning or rebuilding the carburetor? What you need is a complete rebuild kit from the factory. On mine I did a rebuild and added a Uni performance kit with new jets and metering rod. It ran great after that. I would recommend a thorough go thru to evaluate the engine. Compression test, check valve lash (clearance), get a spark jump tester and see if the spark is hot enough. Make sure there are no air leaks where the carb mounts. Do you have a factory service manual to get the correct carb setting for the metering rods? Slide carbs do require an accurate setup to perform correctly. If you have a hot enough spark then the carb is your issue as long as you haven't messed with the timing. Something has gotten out of adjustment, spark is weak, or the carb is not set up correctly. That 300 is an awesome motor, one of the most trouble free that Kawasaki ever built. In fact I see they are reintroducing it all over again in newer models.

Kawasaki didn't make the 300 for the brutes,kymco did. But I do agree very good bikes