Can a Carburetor Rebuild Prevent Overflow Tube Leak?

If the overflow tube on your powersports vehicle’s carburetor is leaking while the machine is on idle, will a carb rebuild kit help solve the problem? 

Partzilla’s powersports expert John Talley livestreams Q&A sessions on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern. In this session, John was asked if rebuilding the carb on a quad would stop the overflow tube from leaking on idle.

Carburetor Rebuild - Overflow Tube Leak Q&A

Will rebuilding my carburetor stop the overflow tube from leaking when I have my quad turned on during idle? 

John Talley: I’d say probably so. Most carb rebuild kits are going to include — and this is probably what’s happening to yours — the float’s going to have a little plunger on it, if you will, and the float needle. And if that’s damaged on the tip, it’s going to overfill the float bowl and then of course, run out of the overflow tube. I bet that’s what’s happening to yours, so yes, a carburetor rebuild kit should take care of that. 

Watch the video below to learn about carburetor cleaning, rebuilding and replacing. 

Watch the video below to learn the basics of cleaning motorcycle carburetors. 

Watch the video below to see how to clean and rebuild an ATV carburetor.  

Want to see more live repair questions answered? See more motorcycle and ATV repair questions answered here.