2004 Polaris Sportsman 500 Problem!!

[dojigger]

If you own a 2004 Sportsman 500 (only the 500 models have the problem) you will have gas leaking into the oil everytime you shut it off. I have talked to my dealer about it and Polaris is aware of this issue. You can bring it into your dealer and its a quick $70 dollar fix, or another thing you can do is when your done riding for the day shut the gas off on the dial by your left knee and leave the engine run on idle for 30-45 seconds. This will burn whatever gas is still in the line and carbuerator. Kind of a hassle but save ya 70 bucks!!

[jltimm]

Sounds to me like polaris needs to step up to the plate if you ask me!Especially if this is a widespread issue!I know when I owned one and had nothing but problem after problem,I sent them a letter and all I got was a "sorry"!After that expierience I will NEVER own a polaris again!!

[Big Fish Hunter247]

it sounds to me like you are having the same problem with Polaris that I am having with Honda. My honda when ever you go up a steep hill It stalls on you. Everytime I take it back in they tell me they cant find the problem I have had it in about 12 times in less than a year just for this on problem Tousley has "so called" had a honda guy in there and they cant find the problem eather so I dunno what to do but other than that I like my honda 1,200 miles later

Big Fish Hunter247

[Dan Wood]

I haven't seen this problem on my 2004.5 Polaris 500. Maybe that was fixed from the 2004 to 2004.5 I don't know.

[CHOPPERTHEDOG]

Hey BFH247....I don't have anymore stalling problems on my Rincon. I rejetted with a dyno-jet kit, installed a K@N air filter, tweaked the mixture screw and bumped the idle up slightly (just before it creeps). I also rerouted the vent lines from the carb (2 of them) with longer hoses to under the gauge pod. This really made a huge difference in how the machine ran overall. Cost me around $100 parts, labor myself $0. Took about an hour+- to install all parts and take recoil off to clean/seal/reinstall.

[spearchucker]

Sounds to me like the float is set wrong on all of these machines either allowing too much gas or not enough gas into the bowl.

[Moose-Hunter]

Hi Dojigger...

Sorry to hear you're having problems with your 500. I own a 2004 1/2 model Sportsman 500HO and have yet to experience the problem you're having. Not wanting to give the service department any more of my money, I took your info and posted it up on one of the best ATV sites on the web. Here's what a few folks had to say...

"Thats no good, and it's a problem that could happen to any ATV, not just the Sportsman. It's a leaking carburetor needle valve. It will not shut off the flow of fuel into the bowl, so the bowl fills up and the excess goes up through the main jet holder, into the manifold and into the motor. Even though we have a fuel pump, fuel still flows even when the motor is off. I would think this would present itself in other ways, like running rich or even a hydro-lock when trying to start it up. Also, a plugged fuel tank vent will cause pressure to build up in the tank and keep the needle from seating. Have your friend drain the float completely with the drain screw, then turn on the gas. The incoming fuel will sometimes be able to flush a piece of doodoo out from the needle and seat because the needle is all the way open, something it never sees with normal operation. If that doesnt work, it's time for carb work Evil or Very Mad Good luck, always turn off your gas anyway, it's just good practice..."

"I'm going to aim at Polaris. I love Polaris, Im totally attached to them, lol. But if they are actually going to charge your friend $70 for the work on something that THEY KNOW exists and has problems with it, thats bull. They should fix that if its a known problem, any good manufacturer would IMHO."

"I just would like to add that the float needle seat and o-ring should be replaced as well as the needle valve if it suspected to be the cause. It is a good practice to check to float level also. The tolerances are critical a combination of cold and hardened needle surface, loss of tension in the needle spring along with a slightly higher float level could be just enough to cause a overflow. there are a couple of ways to check the float level. With carb, float bowl removed . Place the carb body (air filter horn down) on a flat surface. This will seat the float against the needle without compressing the spring. Measure the float height from the mating surface of the carb/bowl to the top of float at the center. Besure that both floats are parallel to one another. The measurement should be 13mm (.51") plus or minus 1mm. Try to get it perfect. It is important not to compress the float spring while making this measure. If adjustment is necessary bend the tongue that makes contact with the needle valve to acheive this. To test the level of the fuel in the bowl while it is on the motor can be done by attaching a clear tubing to the bowl drain. Position the tubing against the side of the carb and have a few inches of this tubing above the level of the mating surfaces of the carb/bowl. Open the drain valve (screw at the bottom of carb) and observe where the fuel level rises in the clear tubing. The level in the tubing should be 1.5mms below the mating surface. Start and run engine for a few seconds to stabalize the level in the line."

"This is a fairly common problem with the older 2-cycle machines, it doesn't happen much on the 4 cycles, not as much vibration, although gunk can get in there, and cause a leak. It usually doesn't cause an over-rich condition while riding, because it leaks slow enough, that the engine burns the fuel faster than the leak. It probably takes overnight to leak out a half cup or so, they usually leak very slowly."

[spearchucker]

It is a good idea to shut off your gas when parking and especially trailering.