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OEM Carb. for '97 Xplorer 500 4x4

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  xplrbob21 
#1 ·
Hello one and all,
I'm new to the forum and excited to be a part of the group. I'm the original owner of a 1997 Xplorer 500 which has less than 3,700 miles on it. Light use for it's age. It was serviced in January for the season by a Polaris Shop. I couldn't ride it until Memorial Day weekend. It ran just fine on level ground but going up any grade was a problem. I couldn't keep up with my group. More throttle was not the answer and when back in town, it went back to the shop. The tech there called me a few days later and said it was a carb issue. He said they re-jetted it but the results were the same. A few weeks of trouble shooting at their end and still the same problem. I called them and the tech said they couldn't resolve the carb issue and they are looking around for an OEM replacement which is impossible due to the fact it was discontinued by Polaris; probably age related. I suggested an aftermarket carb and the tech said they were garbage and I would have problems because of manufacturing quality.

My thoughts: The machine ran great prior to this service, hmmm. Did the shop mess up the carb? If they have any luck finding an OEM carb, do I want to shell out big bucks only to find out this didn't resolve the problem? Would I be better off going the less expensive aftermarket route with a hope and a prayer?

Any input, thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:)
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum
 
#4 ·
If you decide to purchase a Chinese junk new carburetor buy 25 of them....... You may get one that will work.
 
#7 ·
Couldn’t find a rebuild kit on Amazon and the oem carb is discontinued. You could just pull it apart and give it a general clean and see if that does the trick. If the carb has an o ring that seals the bowl DO NOT TAKE IT OFF unless you have a new one. They will never go back in right.
 
#10 ·
I don't have a rebuilt carb on hand, but can rebuild the one you have. I have two of those carbs on hand, but they are only good for the parts. Between them, yours, Polaris and Mikuni I should be able to repair the one you have.
 
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