carb problem or what

[brebett]

Hi, I have a 2004 avenger. The argo runs with the choke on. I have to put choke and it will go for a short distance then I have to play with choke. Sometimes it want go at all. I wait about a minute and it will start. Go for a short distance then the same thing happens.
At first I tought it was water in fuel so I emptied the gas tank ( took it out of the argo). It went for a short distance and same thing. I checked the fire on plugs and seems to be ok ( good blue fire). I tought it could be a coil and when warms up no good fire but it would run on one cylinder.
I took the carb off and cleaned it, no change. I did not change the fuel filter since I didn't have the right size filter I seems to have durt in it. Could it be the problem? Could it be a carb ajustement? My argo is still in the bush and I have to go fix it there. I'm not a mechanic so any idea what I have to do.
Thank you
Jacquelin

[dirtdobber]

Change the fuel filter, and make sure there's no trash in the tank. Make sure you get good fuel flow to the pump. Things like fittings, shutoff valve, etc. can trap trash and clog up the line. If that doesn't fix it then move on to pump/carb issues.

[brebett]

The pumps seems ok since when I put the carb back I had the the floats on the wrong side and I could see the fuel go throu at full si I guess it was pumping the fuel ok

[racerone3]

are you saying that once the engine is warm it only has good spark in one cylinder?

[brebett]

At first that looked like that. after a while ( warm) it would start to make back fire and I stopped the engine and start after about a minute and would go for a while. The engine didn't have time to cool off. When I started it in the morning last weekend it didn't run right. I checked the fire and seems to be good. One plug had a bit of black stuff on it. I was playing with the choke and would go for a few minutes having to play with the choke all the time. somtimes it would go good for 5 minutes or so then start doing the same thing.
I tought that if it would be a coil it should go on one cylinder. I did that one time a few years ago. It runed on one cylinder for over 30 minutes with the argo loaded. could it be another coil bad.

[racerone3]

what engine is it? does it have one coil or 2? id it has 2 coils, there is often a wire connecting them and a diode in that wire will go bad and kill spark to one coil.

pulling the choke limits air flow. if it runs better with partial choke that would indicate that it has a fuel delivery issue as you are reducing air to match the deminished fuel and getting the ratio close to right. that is assuming you don't have a spark issue

[ARGOJIM]

When you cleaned the carb. , did you remove the shut off solenoid and clean the port.

[plott hound]

my lawn tractor did the same thing a few years ago so I pulled the carb apart and cleaned it,but it made no difference.of all things the damn breather on the gas cap was plugged up.look at the simple things first.

[brebett]

Hi, I,m not a mechanic so what is the solonoide and the port. I learn with trial and error.
Thank you

[brebett]

Thank you, I'll try that also. The argo is in the bush and I need it for the weekend going bow hunting for moose.
Thank you

[racerone3]

Hi, I,m not a mechanic so what is the solonoide and the port. I learn with trial and error.
Thank you

solenoid will be the only part on the carb that has a wire going to it (assuming that your carb has one). you will remove it and clean the port that the solenoids needle blocks. also check that the solenoid is working properly. to do that, with it removed from the carb, touch the wire to battery positive and the case to negative. you should see the needle retract into the case. as a field fix if it isn't working correctly, cut the needle off with a pair of side cuts and reinstall the solenoid as a plug... at this point you don't even need to hook up the wire. if you do this the engine may backfire more when you shut it off, but it won't negatively impact how it runs. (FYI, it is known as an anti-backfire solenoid, and that is it's only true purpose)

[brebett]

Hi, still have the same problem. after installing a new fuel filter it ran good for about 30 minutes then do the same. When the engine gets warmer it tend to stop and/or run bad. I play with the choke and will go for a few minutes then stops again. I play with the choke and the throttle and will go for a short while. could it be sucking air somewhere. I remember that last winter it was running bad and I partially blocked the hole on the air filter case and ran good. Did I put the inner air filter the wrong way, can it be a gasket somewhere that lets too much air after warming up. When I start the engine in the morning it always go good for a while. I think that if it would be a coil it can't cool off in a minutes. I don't know what to think

[racerone3]

what type of fuel pump? a diaphram pump that is going bad could cause those symptoms. a marine type squeeze bulb primer added into the fuel line may help diagnose (and make starting the machine easier if it sits for an extended time).

[liflod]

Did you check the fuel tank vent line?

[brebett]

That is something I'm going to check today. The line goes from the tank to the back of the argo