Hi,

First of all, I am a new member to the forum and just wanted to say Hi.

Second, I have a ’96 Sportsman 500 with a backfiring problem after it warms up.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] Any suggestions?

 

tighten the throttle cable at the handlebars, should have very little slack. if that doesn't work let us know. (but I bet it will)

 

If it backfires after letting off the throttle from mid to high rpms, this might mean the carburetor is running a little lean. Enrich the mixture by turning out the fuel/air mixture screw, a little bit (1/4 to 1/2 turn). The fuel/air mixture screw is hard to find and can't be seen from the side. You can go to the Polaris website and download the parts manual for a '2000 sp'500. The carbs are the same. Study the exploded diagram of the carburetor to find the fuel/air mixture screw.

I had the same problem with my 96 sp'500.

LOL

 

Thanks for the advise.
Would this also cause it to flood easily and be hard to start? I don't mean just smell like gas, I am talking gas running on the ground!
Thanks again.

 

Gas leaking out of the overflow vent on the bottom of the fuel bowl might mean that the bowl float is sticking/damaged or is seriously out of adjustment. Or it could be as simple as a damaged bowl drain screw. A simple way to temporarily stop the leak until service work is performed is to plug the overflow vent with a piece of plugged 1/8" tubing. Getting the carb off of your sp'500 to inspect /adjust the float is a royal pain. I wouldn't think the float is out of adjustment or damaged unless prior carb work has been performed. Since your sp'500 is a '96, it may be time for a cleaning and inspection. The carb model is a Mikuni CV 34mm. Go to http://www.partsland.com/ for parts diagrams and prices.

Flooding is a different matter. I had a problem cranking mine until I read somewhere the recommended method for cranking the sp'500. The recommended way to crank your sp'500 is to hit the starter and then slightly open the throttle. I crank mine this way and then turn on the choke if the air temperature is below 50 degrees. You should not have to run the motor for more than a minute or two with the choke on.

Hope this helps.