I went away to university for 5 years, and when I got back home I decided to get my good ole '86 Honda TRX250 running. I had used gas stabilizer before I left, but I should have drained the system entirely (I know...I know). Anyways, the carb was a little gummed up, and a family of mice had nested in the air filter, so I did a complete teardown on the carb before I tried to get it running again.

To make a long story short, after tearing down the carb 3 times now, and soaking it for a week in paint thinner, and blowing out all the passages with compressed air, I can't get it to run without choke. I removed the new air filter, and I get the same result (ie, we can't blame a blocked fresh air intake)

It will start fine at full choke, and it will run real nice if I leave in on full choke, (very responsive to throttle) but as soon as I go to 1/2 choke, it will just barely keep itself going. If I give it any throttle at all (no matter how gradually) it will die.

It must be some idle mixture passage I presume, but I'm having no luck.

Any ideas for me?
Thanks

float level? sticking float? a jet that didnt come clean? yeah sounds like something still plugged up, only you can verify what with careful examination, did you try running a stiff small wire thru all passages? maybe a passage "Y's" off and air wasnt going thru part of it?

ya mighty have it runnin too lean richen it up a little, then it should run right

If you decide you need to clean it again, use acetone instead of paint thinner. Paint thinner isn't strong enough to break up fuel varnish and most commercial carb cleaner is mostly made up of acetone. It sounds to me like you need to remove the adjustment screws and jet, clean every thing really really good, and readjust everything when you put it back together.

yep bbnissan's right. its all gummed up if some is. acetones good. just the main ingredient in carb cleaner.

Hondas are not good. That's all there is to it.

this is an oldy. they are good in my books.

Really? Wow bugman likes hondas. That's a first! :thumbsup: ;)

the old ones. the new ones are crap to me. not a first just a last.