Honda ATV Carb Cleaning Problems Q&A

When you've cleaned and rebuilt a Honda ATV carb multiple times but you still have a fuel overflow problem, does that mean it's time to buy a new carburetor? Unfortunately this may be the case.

Our resident Honda ATV expert John Talley goes live on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern, and in this session, he gives one of our viewers some potentially bad news about a Honda TRX500 carburetor that may be done for. 

Honda ATV Carb Cleaning Problems

I have a 2005 TRX500. The carb has been rebuilt and cleaned multiple times. It runs great but I can’t stop gas from pouring out of the overflow after stopping. I tried 2 different needles and cleaned the seat with a cotton swab. Any suggestions?

John Talley: You’ve nailed it. Your float bowl is sitting there with the needle and it goes up inside of that port and when it brings it up, that cuts it off. Now I’ve seen different models where of course, you can replace the little needle valve, but on some machines you can’t replace the seat. And what’ll happen is that seat will get corroded. Even though you’ve cleaned it with a cotton swab you may not be able to see that it’s corroded and letting the fuel get around it. Now unfortunately if it’s not replaceable, and you’ll know that because if the seat has a little screw on the side of it, you’re just even with the head of it. You just take that out and drop the seat out. Now if yours is pressed in there, that’s going to mean a new carb. I hate to be the one to break that to you but I’m pretty sure that’s the case. 

Is your ATV hard to start or does it idle rough? In the video below, John shows you how to disassemble, inspect, and rebuild a Honda TRX400 carburetor. 

Watch the video above to see how to clean and replace the carburetor of a Honda TRX400 ATV.

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