I acquired a 1996 Polaris 400 Sportsman ATVit from a family member who had it running as recently as a few months ago. I open up the carb and noticed there was no gas in the bowl and one of the floats was "stuck" to the sidewall. After cleaning the carb out with some brake cleaner everything seemed to be working properly when I reassembled it (i.e., it fired right up). The next day i noticed fuel dripping from the fuel overflow tube coming out of the bowl and 2 days later I couldn't get it to fire up again. I took the carb apart, made sure the float was delivering fuel to the bowl, reassembled it and got it to fire right up again (I don't think there was any gas in the bowl the second time). My question is, could a corroded/ fouled up seat and pin assembly be causing the fuel overflow issue as well as the bowl being empty after sitting for two days?

Also, someone mentioned that the fuel spilling out of the bowl may be the result of not shutting off the fuel supply when I'm done running the machine. Is this something I should get in the habit of doing?

I appreciate any help you guys can provide.


This looks like a great site! Thanks again.

 

Installing one of these should solve the problem. Just cleaning a carb doesn't always work.Needle and seats along with float arms and pins(not included in kits) are usually the main wear areas,plus make sure the float arm is parallel with the carb body when held upside down. On the old 2 strokes always shut the fuel valve also off after riding as a first line of defense on carbs over flowing.http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARB-REBUILD-REPAIR-KIT-POLARIS-SPORTSMAN-400-4WD-94-95-96-4X4-1994-1995-1996-/271003419515?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f1910037b&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks for the reply, i've got a kit ordered! I'll be sure to let you know if this solved the issue.