Clogged pilot jet in ATV --- Anybody use Seafoam?
I can't resist asking even though I have a strong feeling what the answer is. My Polaris ATV was running fine when I plowed off the last snow last month. I went out and fired it up and it won't idle. Classic fuel contamination symptoms (gum and varnish).
I can take the carb off and clean it out or I can try something like Seafoam that is advertised to dissolve icky stuff that clogs pilot jets. Has anyone here successfuly used this product when they had clogged carb jets?
I am pleasantly surprised. Seafoam unclogged my jet.
This is barely short of miraculous, in my view. I had something like 20% hopes of getting this thing to idle without dismantling the carb and manually cleaning out the jets. I even ordered the service manual so I can keep track of all the wild looking hoses and stuff sticking out of and around the carb.
But, this morning, I out 4 ounces of Seafoam in a 4 gallon gas jug and filled up the Polaris. I thought about running the stuff into the throat of the carb, but I couldn't find the spray version of Seafoam and since the throat is close to horizontal to the ground, I didn't want to make a mess pouring it all over the place.
So I went with the additive in the tank and rode off to try to get the stuff to circulate through the fuel system. It still wouldn't idle for the 10-15 minutes I rode around the property so I headed back up to the garage to park it and wait until the service manual arrives next week. When I stopped, the engine throttled down and, instead of crapping out on the spot as it has done for the past few days, it just blubbered along like it did the day I bought it.
The dealer wanted $170 to clean out the pilot jet.
Seafoam. Who would have thunk?