The wife has a 2004 Suzuki Ozark 250. It has always run great, and I always have tried to keep gas treatment in the gasoline. I’m always after her to use it more, but it sits for long stretches. And, this morning it won’t idle. Pretty sure I have a jet that’s plugged. Since I dealt with that on Honda 3 Wheelers, I know the symptoms of a plugged jet. It seems that my only cheap option is to pull the carb and clean the jets (or buy a new carb for $50), but I dread having to do either.

I am open for suggestions on any other way to unplug the jet that doesn’t involve removing the carb. Right now I have added a good dose of Seafoam to the tank and ran the machine for a while (have to use the choke). I expect to have to pull the carb, but maybe one of you has another idea.

If the seafoam won't do it, you will have to pull the carb.

Start using NON-ETHANOL fuel in it, plus the seafoam till it starts and runs correct.

I tried seafoam on several small engines with mixed success. I’d just get a OEM carb and switch it out.,

If you can get the bowl off the carb with out removing carb, you should be able to remove the jet. Run a sewing needle through the jet, put it all back together. Problem solved.

I’ll run the front up on some ramps, jack up the back end and put jack stands under the rear axle. That’ll get it a bit higher and easier to work on. I’ll see if I can get to the bowl without taking the carb off. That would be nice, but can I get that lucky? We’ll see.

Seafoam was going to be my suggestion. It'll fix a lot of fuel issues, but some of them take a lot of running to get it fixed, and you'll have to fiddle with the choke and throttle to keep it running.

I'd do that for at least a good half hour before I started messing with the carb.

Do not, do not, sell the original carb, repair it, the carbs for $50 are usually cheap junk,

One of these is handy to have around for cleaning the jets. I have several. In the field i have stripped copper wire and used
one of the strands.

Put some Berrymans b12 chemtool in the fuel tank.

^^^THIS^^^

The 50 dolla carbs are made to spec and usually run great for a while BUT....
They don't anodize the small parts like the float valve which will corrode very fast and cease to function or just crumble into white powder.

I'd go with Seafoam BUT you gotta drive it around for 20-30 MINUTES to let it break down MONTHS worth of crud buildup.

I’m staying with the original carb, and I ordered some stuff like TKM showed. And the Seafoam is in there. I’ll put the wife on it and tell her to drive it around for a while. Honestly though, I really think I’m gonna have to pull the carb. I’m almost resigned to it. I hate to have to do it though, when this could have been avoided.

Seafoam works wonders, hope it helps

When we used to run fuel with ethanol we had all kind of issues, even with ethanol removing marine stabilizer, after we switched to non-ethanol fuel all those issues went away.

I figured I’d hear advice to use ethanol free gas. But, for 18 years this little Suzuki Ozark has purred like a kitten on that nasty old gasoline I buy. I do use the gas stabilizer sometimes, when I think about it. Anyway, I’ve asked the wife to keep running around on the ATV, in the hopes that the Seafoam will clear the plugged jet, and it seems to be working. It’ll idle a little now, whereas before it wouldn’t idle without using the choke. So maybe the fix is happening and I won’t have to skin my knuckles and reach new heights of cussing to pull the carb.

Ethanol free gas has been a game changer for me as well. That stuff is so much better. For years there was none around me but we finally have a station that sells it. The QT stores are the only ones I've found where you can get it.

Buccee's sells too.

Grandson is here. He drove the Suzuki for a good half hour and it’s idling much better now. Maybe I won’t have to pull the carb. Fingers crossed. The Seafoam seems to be working.

good deal

I'd try to repair the carb or find someone who can do it. It may happen again.

If you can get it to run at all, SeaFoam will probably fix it.

We have a carborated 2 stroke Yamaha 115 outboard. Has always ran great, over the weekend we had an issue where it started running a bit rough and had about 1/2 power.. making it a long run back to Port Oconner from about 1/2 way to Matagorda..

Sprayed a can of Mercury carb cleaner into the intakes running it on a hose back at the hotel and added two cans of seafoam to the gas.
Problem solved!

Hated to do it, but finally had to pull the carb. That was NOT fun, since it’s a low job and low isn’t my favorite work level these days. Finally got the dang carb off, after watching a few videos (glad I did). Replaced the jets and a few other bits, reassembled it and reinstalled it. And let me say that the simple and seemingly uncomplicated word “reinstalled” does in no way reflect the frustration, aggravation, and loud cursing that was required to do that.

The idle jet was so firmly plugged that I’m glad I had a replacement.

But…it now idles perfectly and runs like a scalded ape.

If you plan to do a job like this, a second pair of hands would be a very good idea. And, if the insane thought occurs to you that “good old 603 can do this stuff and I wonder if he’d do one for me”, the answer is NOOOOOO! Not just no, but Hell no!

Well, Ok. Here’s the wife on her test drive. Typical woman - had to get her picture made.


For an 06 model 4wheeler, it really runs great (now).