Well taken care of 2003 Sportsman 600 4×4 (belongs to a friend)
Intermittently the carb will act as if the float is stuck open and flood out the engine if it’s running or pour out of the overflow/vent. I have never been able to duplicate it on my own but it’s a pretty easy symptom to describe so I doubt he’s wrong. I gave the carb a thorough cleaning and adjusted the float to spec, it was very very close. It ran great for me for multiple trips and then it left him stranded the first night he took it out, same issue. I ordered a new needle and seat from Polaris and installed it, double checking the float’s condition (no leaks), float movement (no obstruction) and adjustment (dead on). The only thing that concerned me, and I’ve only seen it happen once in my life, is that the spring loaded cushion pin on the top of the needle may be sticking. I noticed that if its stuck down the float will hit the carb body before the needle seats, thusly "sticking open". I would like to imagine that the new OEM needle would be fresh and wouldn’t stick. I put a few trips on it and delivered it last night. My buddy is pretty smart and listens to every bit of advice I give him so both he and I are really good about turning off the fuel (new OEM peacock) and letting the machine run out when parked. Especially in Texas, fuel evaporates quickly. First thing this morning he turned on the fuel and it started pouring out of the overflow with the engine off. I’m completely stumped. The only thing I can think of is that maybe fuel tank vent is plugged or somehow intermittently doing something sealing off the fuel evaporation pressure and when the petcock is opened up, it’s providing more pressure than the needle can handle and its pushing past.
Ideas?????
