2003 Kodiak Leaking fuel from drain hose at bottom of carb

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I hadn't driven my Kodiak for a two months, and since it was low on fuel, the first thing I did was filled it up to maybe 7/8 full. Getting ready to start it, I rotated the fuel selector switch to "on" and within seconds I smelled and saw fuel dripping onto the floor. I quickly turned it off and the fuel gradually stopped - I can repeat this.

The fuel is flowing from the hose that is connected to the bottom of the carb, and routes around to the left side toward the wheel well. Any idea what's going on here? It ran fine the last time I had it out.

Thanks...

[outlander560]

over time cracks could have formed in the hose line and once you turned the fuel "on" the gas found a place were it could start dripping...i would recommend going to an auto parts store and picking up new hose and just replace it...should be an easy/cheap fix

[DPDISXR4Ti]

over time cracks could have formed in the hose line

It's not an issue of fuel leaking through and/or around the hose. The hose is functioning perfectly fine to carry the fuel out.

I guess a more basic question might be, what is the purpose of that hose at the bottom of the carb, and what does it mean if fuel is pouring out of it as soon as I turn the selector to "on"?

[outlander560]

hmm i gotta think about that one..

It could be a vent line..OR it could be the carb drain plug hose...all/most carbs come with nozzle on the bottom of them so you can drain old gas that has been sitting..

Check and see where the hose connects to the carb is there a screw where the connect??

Edited May 17, 2010 by outlander560

[DPDISXR4Ti]

it could be the carb drain plug hose...all/most carbs come with nozzle on the bottom of them so you can drain old gas that has been sitting..

Check and see where the hose connects to the carb is there a screw where the connect??

Yes, see the pics below. The small black hose is directly below the screw in the middle of the picture. The second pic shows where it drains out in the front-left wheel wheel.

Could the problem be as simple as that screw having backed out?

[DirtDemon]

I think your float is stuck. Try taking the carb apart and cleaning it. Pay special attention to the float stopper and seat. Look for any debris inside the carb, if you find any, clean it out real good and get rid of the gas that is in it.

[Robotech]

DirtDemon sounds like he nailed it. Looks like the fuel bowl overflow tube that we have on Harley carbs. Clean up the carb and see if the problem persists. If it does, you'll probably need to find out what kind of carb you have there and get some sort of manual for it to see what would cause fuel to flow out of that hose.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I think your float is stuck.

Well, I have verified that the screw for the drain is not loose, so your idea of the float being stuck does seem all the more likely.

Any chance that lightly rapping the carb with a small mallet might "un-stick" the float? Is this at all a common occurrance?

[DirtDemon]

A sticking float is a somewhat common occurence, tapping on the side of the carb may spring it free, but the most common cause of a sticky float is debris stuck in the needle valve or seat. If tapping on it works, cool, if the problem comes back, I would at least take the float bowl off and take a look inside. If you see any hardened fuel deposits, then I would advise taking the carb COMPLETELY apart and cleaning it thoroughly.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Seeing as how I was having some warm idle issues any way (had to leave it choked just a hair), I'll probably just pull the whole thing off and clean it up. I'm mechanically inclined enough that I'm not too concerned about doing that, but most of my experience is with fuel-injected automobile engines. Anything in particular I should be concerned with here?

[DirtDemon]

When you are removing the float bowl, watch for the pin that holds the float in place, they like to fall out sometimes as you are removing the bowl. Although, on some carbs, the pin has a slight interference fit and must be pushed out. Other than that, just don't lose anything and make sure that all passages and jets are clear. Wouldn't be a bad idea to inspect the gaskets and seals and look for anything that looks worn.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Just an update... I've finally gotten around to removing the carb entirely - took out the four screws that fasten the reservoir - everything looks clean, but that's about all I can say as I don't really know what I'm looking for. Is it as simple as the float having gotten hung up on the brass pin that comes up out of the bottom of the reservoir?

I've heard there may be an update for this carb - anyone know if this is true?

[Ajmboy]

I've got a Grizzly in my garage that has the same issue. I think it 's the petcock valve that's bad.

* Removed your other thread on this.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I've got a Grizzly in my garage that has the same issue. I think it 's the petcock valve that's bad.

No, that's working fine I think - it SHOULD allow fuel to flow to the carb as soon as I rotate it 90 degrees. Well, it's doing that just fine.

I think it can only be one of two things:

1) The float itself got hung up in the down position and thus kept letting fuel flow into the bowl (and then out the overflow)

2) The valve that is directly actuated by the float got stuck in the down position - see #1 above - same idea. Wait, maybe that's the petcock valve you're referring to?

Any way, blowing on the fuel inlet now while I rotate the float up and down, everything seems to be working fine, so I guess I'll just bolt everything back up. I'm thinking if this happens again, I might be able to "fix" this by simply removing the fuel line and applying a vacumm with my Mity-vac.

P.S. Thanks for deleting the dup thread.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Just to close the loop on this thread, all back together and running fine again. I thoroughly sprayed the float mechanism and all the little needle holes with carb cleaner, reassembled, and all good now. Still not too sure what got the float valve hung in the down position, but that's what must have happened.

Hopefully the problem doesn't reappear in the middle of a snowstrom.

[DirtDemon]

Sometimes floats just get stuck. Hope it stays good for you, glad to hear it is running ok.

[Whip]

My two cents worth or for whatever it's worth, I have found on my 2004 Yamaha Kodiak 400 YFM400A automatic that over time the needle valve will corrode inside the seat causing the needle valve to even get stuck inside the seat both open and closed. What it amounts to is the raised ribs on the side of the needle valve corrodes where they rub against the seats wall. Once this corrosion occurs both the rib or ribs of the needle valve and the wall of the seat will become permanently scarred which in turn will lead to poor movement or no movement at all of the needle valve inside the seat. Hope This Helps!

[Forrest_Johnson]

Mine does the same thing. A little tap on the side of the carb, and it stops, for a while. I turn the gas off as soon as I kill the motor. I ordered a rebuild kit, so it's tear down time this weekend. It's after deer hunting season, so it's time for the yearly tune up anyway. I usually run the carb dry when done ridding. I found out that the fuel petcock had a slow leak. after about a day, it would start to drip, again. I finally started pulling the fuel line and putting a plug on it. Pain it the butt, but it stopped the fuel leak, fire hazard, and constant gas smell.

[Krominator]

I am having the same problem right now.........With this garbage fuel that they are selling us, it is important to put a good additive in the fuel to keep your carberator from gumming up.......I think the ethynol in the gas turns to gunk when the machine sits for a while and it can make your seats sticky causing the float to hang up.......I have never had these problems before they ruined the fuel with corn juice.

[Mech]

Simplest thing to try, and which often cures the problem, is to tap the side of the carby with a screwdriver handle.. A few sharp taps often jiggle the float free and once it's up and working it will be fine till the carby empties again. If that doesn't work, use the drain screw and empty the float chamber, then turn the fuel on and start the tapping. If it still doesn't cure the problem then it's probably got dirt under the float needle, or a leak between the needle seat and the carb body, or a holed float(rare these days though).

[Gwbarm]

Good advice mech, the only thing I might add is the float pins get gummy after a while especially if it been sitting, with out taking it apart I might add a little Berryman carb cleaner to gas it will help and might even fix your problem , best to do the easiest things first.

[spock58]

Ran into this problem recently on another Kodiak. It needed a new needle & seat (aka float valve) but it turns out the seat part had a bad o-ring. If this isn't replaced, the leak will persist.

[Mech]

Yes Gw, it is always best to try the simplest things first .. before we make things complicated and confusing by fiddling around.. haha.

I don't know how many times I've seen problems caused by "mechanics"..

 

[Krominator]

Well it looks like its more than a carb issue.........I put a container under the carb drain hose and was finishing up other things until it drained out but when I came back the fuel was all over the floor.......It seems my fuel cock is bad as well........Good thing I came back when I did or the tank would have emptied all over the garage.....Well I guess I cant complain......The machine is twenty years old.

[Mech]

At least it wasn't engine oil !!

[Gwbarm]

I would pull your nice Mikuni carb off it actually looks very clean on the outside, certainly not 20 years of doing nothing to it, and make sure its clean on the inside. If its a manual petcock just needs new rubber there is a kit for that, if it is a vacuum petcock it will have a prime setting on it iv not had much luck at rebuilding those just replace.

[Krominator]

Thank God

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Good to see my thread is alive and well, nearly 13 years later!  Fortunately I haven't had a repeat of the leak issue despite the fact that my  Kodiak does sit for longer lengths of time than it should.  I do however still have issues with it stalling once warm and the choke shut off.  I've somewhat considered replacing the carb, but replacing the original Mikuni with a Chinese knock-off probably is NOT the right thing to do.

 

[davefrombc]

You either have an air leak somewhere between the carb and intake port, the mixture settings on the lean side or , most likely, either the high speed needle in the wrong notch or there is a tiny hole in the side of the brass tube the main jet needle slides through.  Those tiny holes are often missed when people are cleaning the carbs

[Mech]

If your bike's only stalling at idle Dpd, then it will be an air leak or the idle mixture isn't right.. as Dave says. It's possible the idle jet is dirty, or the float level a little low. If it's only at idle though it won't be the emulsion tube that Dave mentions(the brass tube with small holes in the side), or the slide needle setting, those two only effect the mixture from about 1/4 to 7/8 throttle open running. The first and simplest thing to try is adjusting the mixture screw. If it adjusts from a bit rich to a bit lean in about a half a turn then things are probably ok inside the carby and that's all you need to do. If you can turn the screw more than about a full turn in either direction without it having the desired/expected effect then the carby needs cleaning or the air leak finding.. It's also possible to get that symptom though if the carby breather is blocked.. probably a good idea to check that first up even though it's a rare problem.

In general though, to people that are cleaning their carbies for bad running, especially bad running under power, it is essential to fully strip the carb and take that emulsion tube out and clean it. If we only do a half the job of cleaning the carb, and things don't come right, then we don't know whether it is the carb or something else.. If we clean the carb really thoroughly and check the rubber manifold for splits, or damaged O ring or warpage if it's an aluminum  bolt on type manifold, then we know we have eliminated that as the problem and we can start looking at the fuel tap or pump or electrics or mechanical faults.

If we can't diagnose problems absolutely, then being thorough and eliminating the possibilities one at a time is the next best thing.