Hey OPT, my brother's old 400 Explorer has an intermittent fuel flow problem. So far I have replaced the fuel filter and removed, cleaned and reinstalled the fuel selector. I have also checked the fuel tank vent line and the carb bowl vent line.

What it does is, the engine will stall every now and then and the see through fuel filter will be dry. I then disconnect the fuel line from the filter and it will flow freely again; reconnect the line and it's fine again for a while. I'm starting to think maybe the tank has something in it causing a temporary blockage. Odd thing is, the fuel filter is clean as can be, with no trash at all coming through the lines. Are there inlet screens in the tank that need cleaned? I see a tank removal in my future............

 

First I would check the tank vent running down the steering post .Could be pinched and causing it to "gulp" fuel instead of a constant flow and make sure the carb vent line has not hit the exhaust pipe and melted the end.Also is there a rubber block on the transmission under the carb? 94 models(I know the Sportsman 400 had them) were a bulletin item we had to install to stabilize the carb and to keep it from vibration and dumping fuel into the cylinder at high speed especially and would bog down until the fuel flow caught up! Yes there is also screen filters on the two tank fittings (main and reserve).. OPT PS I have replaced a few of the fuel selectors in the past,some would flow good on reserve,slow on the main setting and vice versa,even after checking the fuel inlet screens in the tank.

 

His is a 1998 model and now that you mention it, I can start it up with the filter full of fuel and it will suck it down rather quickly, especially when I add some rpms to it, but it doesn't flood the engine and idles fine. If his does not have a brace for the carb, would safety wiring the carb body to the frame accomplish the same thing as the rubber block you mentioned?

I believe I'm going to drop the tank tomorrow and clean the inlet screens, so I can check them off the list.

 

98 Explorer does have an updated fuel selector than say the 95,96 models. It is supposed to have the rubber block (dampener) may have rotted off (lot of em did). The dampener just used the top trans bolt to hold it under the carb. Wire maybe? Just check parts breakdown from Polaris site OR Cheap Cycle Parts break down on the gear case and will show it. OPT

 

I've been busy turning wrenches on the farm today, my Dad managed to break a drive axle on his Ariens lawn tractor; luckily he had an old Ariens behind the barn that we cannibalized the axle from and he is a happy camper again.

Anyway, after I got the ol' man back in business, I tore into my Brother's Explorer to see what if I could find the cause of the intermittent fuel flow problem. What I found was the fuel tank vent line was kinked, some of the time, up in the instrument cluster; I pulled and checked the tank screens/fittings and they were all clean. Rerouted the vent line and slapped it all back together and it appears to be fixed; we'll find out up on the mountain this weekend anyway. Oh yeah, as far as the rubber block under the carb goes, it was there and in good shape.

 

Pinched tank vents was what I found the most of where they were clamped on the steering post and fed down inside the post. Glad you got her fixed. OPT