Mule 1000 carburator problem

[Kawasakiman369]

I have a Mule 1000 that I bought for dirt cheap not running just right. I have put a new fuel pump and cleaned and rebuilt the carbs and new spark plugs. I had it running almost perfect and all of the sudden it will barely start and after you run it for a minute to warm it up it will idle put you hit the gas and it puts out a ton of gray smoke and it wont go over 10 mph. I am pretty sure that it is flooding the carbs when you hit the gas. It seems weird that it just started all of the sudden, if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I don't really want to buy new carbs but I may have to. If anyone knows where you can get carbs beside the dealer and online OEM resellers please let me know. Thanks

[RCW]

Grey smoke? Does it smell like unburned fuel?

If not, I would suspect a blown head gasket.

If it started easily then pooped out, I would suspect the diaphragms that raise the main jet needles. But, that does not seem to be the symptom.

If it smells like unburned fuel, I would first check the starter plungers (chokes/enrichment valves) on the carburetors to make sure they are closing. If they stick open you will flood very quickly.

If not the starter plunger system, then I would pull the carburetors, drop the float valves and check the fuel valves for crud under the seats holding them open. Make sure you have a good fuel filter after the pump so you do not pump the system full of old fuel particles from the tank once it is all cleaned.

Also check your fuel pump to be sure you are not putting out too much pressure for the float valves to hold back and resulting in flooding. These are designed for around 3 psi fuel pressure, and with good float valves will handle around 5 psi.

A quick way to test for too much fuel pressure is to start it, disconnect the fuel pump and see if the running gets much smoother and better for the period before it runs the carbs out of fuel.

As far as the carburetors are concerned, I would replace any worn parts unless the seat for the float needle is damaged.

New OEM carburetors are available from Kawasaki, and better units are available from Mukuni. The replacement cost is around $560 - 620 per carburetor. The Chinese crap copies they sell for cheap on Ebay are not worth dragging home because they cannot be properly jetted - parts are not available, and if they do eventually work, they wear out very quickly.

If you nose around motorcycle salvage yards, you can find these carburetors for around $200 each. But, expect to have to replace a significant number of parts to get them working again.

[Kawasakiman369]

Ya the smoke smells like unburned fuel, that is what makes me think that the carbs are getting flooded out. I took the black caps on the tops of the carbs off and pulled the needles and valves out and they seem to be working fine. Last time a took the bowls off everything seemed to be fine there too. I have never looked at the starter plungers before so that might be the problem. What exactly do the starter plungers do? The fuel pump that is on it is a OEM pump that is maybe 6 months old and it has a brand new plastic boat outboard gas tank that fit perfectly in place of the rusted original one.
There is also a new fuel pump in the line also. The engine was rebuilt about 2 years ago so I know that the carbs are giving me trouble. Of course this is fouling the plugs bad all of the sudden. If you have anymore ideas please let me know and thank you for the input.

[RCW]

The needles under the top covers are not the float needles, those are the main jet needles that lift to provide more fuel.

The float needle valves are under the float in the bottom float chamber. If they get crap under the seats they allow fuel to flood in from the bottom of the carburetor.

The starter plungers allow fuel to pour into the carburetor throat when you trip the choke lever and try to start. If the cable sticks or the plunger seals are history, they flood the engine big time.

Take a look at the parts diagrams on Kawasaki.com, under Owner Info tab. That will give you an idea of the relationship and function of the parts.

[Kawasakiman369]

Ok I took the carbs apart and cleaned them. The float needles are almost new and the starter plungers go in and out with out any problems. I put them back on the mule and still had the same problems. All of the moving parts in the carbs worked fine and the ports and stuff looked clean. One thing that I did notice was that the main jet needles were chewed up a little bit which makes no sense because they where replaced about 2 months ago. The valves also had a lot of wear along the sides which were replaced when the needles where. I am all out of ideas except having to buy new carbs which I really dont want to do. Anybody got any ideas. Please let me know. Thanks

[John Taylor]

I would suggest to rebuild the carbs again. Sometimes things look good by eye but aren't. I am new to the Mules, but had that experience with 4 wheelers 3 wheelers. Buy a good OEM kit, some of the aftermarket kits just don't hold up or work properly.

Good luck, I'm interested in the solution.

[Kawasakiman369]

Ya the problem is there is one screw that I cannot get loose so I bet that is my problem. They dont sell a kit for the carbs. You have to buy the individual parts which ads up fast. So I guess I will try another rebuild and see what happens. Thank you for your suggestion and I'll let you know what happens.