I pulled the carb off my '88 to switch the main jet. I put it all back together, put it back on and now it won't start. My question is regarding the two vacuum looking hoses at the back of the carb -the ones that look like they just run up into the bottom of the gas tank somewhere. (Not the overflow, or the gas feed - I know about those). Do those hoses attach to anything under the gas tank? They didn't appear to be when I pulled the carb off, but this was my first time so I may be overlooking something. If they don't attach to anything...then my problem is elsewhere.

 

I dont have any of the hoses running off my carb hooked into anything, except the fuel line. They are just laying there and it runs fine.

 

Ok - Someone else just posted on here a similar thing - so I think they are just 'vent' lines. I guess my problem is elsewhere.

This is what is does: If I continuously try to start it - no luck. Then after it sits for a minute or so, if I go back and hit the starter it will 'hit' about 3 times and die. That makes me think its starving for fuel, and after sitting for a minute or so--enough seeps into place so it will 'hit' a few times on the next start attempt. I know the fuel line is connected and turned on., so that is not the case. The only thing I can think of is that 'washer' looking thing that goes around the main jet. Its plastic, about the size of a quarter with a raised edge, and has 4 holes in it. It sits in the bottom of the carb. When I replaced my jet, I did not remember which way it sat in the carb, so I made my best guess based on the pic in my Clymer manual. But its possible I may have it upside down so it did not 'seat' properly and it 'starving' the carb for fuel. My next step then will be to pull it off and flip it over and see if that works. Unless anyone else has another idea?....

 

Two things does the fuel bowl have fuel and is the air filter on it. Whenever I put the engine in my 4 wheeler, I couldn't get it started either. Every once in a while it would try to fire but then nothing. I could shoot a little ether into the carb and it would run until the ether was gone and die. I don't know what possessed me but I put the air filter back on it and it fired right up. Now only two things could have happened the fuel bowl may have taken that long to fill or maybe the filter created enough vacuum for it to pull the fuel in. I don't know for sure but it's the only idea I have.

How big is the jet that you put in it? Could it be to big and causing it to get to much fuel?

 

The jet I put in is a 147.5, which is the next size up from stock, so I don't think thats the problem. Plus, I don't smell gas when I am fooling with it, so I don't believe its flooding.

I pulled the carb back off last night to check the float, etc. The bowl has fuel in it. The quad will start if I squirt some fuel directly into the carb - so somehow the fuel is not making it out of the bowl up into the carb (mixing chamber I believe its called?). I guess I either have a blockage of somekind, or no/not enough vacuum to pull it up.

Once thing I noticed too is that when I push on the throttle lever - no fuel gets 'shot' into the carb. I don't know what that little needle is called, but it protudes up into the mixing chamber of the carb, and when you push the throttle is 'shoots' a squirt of fuel into the mixing chamber. I noticed how this worked before I pulled the carb off. Now, it won't do it at all - not one drop. So I know that is an issue - but not sure it thats related to why it won't start.

 

Thought I would post back in case anyone with the same issue finds this thread....

This morning I though of something. I pulled the air snorkel off my carb and placed my hand over it. Then I hit the starter to see if it was pulling any vacuum at all - nothing. Then I put the choke on, hit the starter and it nearly sucked my hand in! Plus, gas poured out of the opening there on my hand. Then (w/o hitting the starter now) I pumped the throttle a couple of times and gas squirted out of that needle into the carb throat - just like it was before I pulled it off. So I said okay, now I think we are getting somewhere! After that, I put the snorkel back on, hit the starter and got her started and now she runs like a raped ape!!!! My high rpm 'cutting out' is gone too, so I think I hit the mark with the 147.5 main jet. My K&N pro flow kit should be in today or tommorrow....I just hope that after I drop it in I won't have to do this all over again by having to rejet again up to the 150...

So I guess it just needed a little help getting 'primed'?... So if anyone pulls there carb off and has issues like this...put your hand over the carb opening where the air snorkerl attaches and hit the starter to 'prime' the fuel up into it and hopefully you will be good to go after that!!!

And thanks to Swerve for your posts - I appreicate your willingnes to help!

 

Hey no problem, anytime... I'm just glad you figured it out and got it running. Nothing more frustrating than trying to fix something then things turn out worse than before you started. I just did a tune-up on my jeep a couple of weeks ago and after I got all the new stuff on it it wouldn't start at all. Turns out the new distributor cap from O'reillys was bad. Took a couple evenings and a couple days car pooling with my wife before I figured it out.

Sounds like that must have been the problem I had getting my warrior started after the engine swap. When I put the filter on it must have given it enough vacuum to prime the carb.