I was out working on it tonight and tried taking the air box off while running to see if the diaphragm was opening. It pulled up some but not all the way. While giving it gas I pushed the slide up with a screw driver and it reved up perfectly. I've taken out the diaphragm and there were no holes. I've read a lot about the 500 engines being bad for wearing out the exhaust lobes on the cam. Possible reason?

 

Cams were not normally a problem when the HO models came out in 2001.Cams had also been updated earlier in the Scrambler 500s also. If you can manually lift the slide up and it revs up,then recheck your work from your original post on the carb clean. With the fuel line off the carb,crank the engine over. Should be a steady stream of fuel if the pump is working good. If it's not a limiting problem,then sounds like somethings not correct in the carb.Plus make sue you hooked any fuel/vacuum line back up correctly if you took any of these lines apart.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

I pulled the plug yesterday and the new plug was completely black. Too rich?

 

Yes.. Install a new BkR6ES plug and carb kit and make sure the float is set correct. Carb has to be turned at a 45 degree angle to where the float tab is resting on the needle plunger. Float should be parallel with the carb body. If not,you can bend the tab to set it.Polaris Sportsman 500 Carburetor Repair Kit Fits 2000 2002 Carb Shindy 03 408 | eBay Here's a good write up on the BST40 carb and goes into detail on setting the float among other things to check. On a Ktm,but carb is similar. The BST-40 Bible | Adventure Rider

 

Takes ten minutes to pull the rocker cover and check for can wear....for a quick check just compare the distance the rockers travel...it should be the same for ex and intake