Changing the Fuel Line on a 2000 Yamaha Bear Tracker
Shop parts for a 2000 Yamaha Bear Tracker ATV.
Anyone who has kept a 2000 Bear Tracker running knows the machine rewards basic maintenance. Its fuel system is about as uncomplicated as they come: a carbureted air-cooled single, a manual fuel valve on the tank, gravity feed through a short rubber hose, and a carburetor with a drain screw in the float bowl. Nothing is pressurized, which means none of the fuse-pulling and pressure-bleeding that a fuel-injected quad with an in-tank pump requires before you can safely open a fitting.
Symptoms That Send You Looking
Any of these point toward hose that has reached the end of its life:
- A puddle of gasoline or a damp outline on the ground where the quad has been sitting
- A strong fuel smell around the machine, which on a gravity system usually means fuel escaping while it is parked
- Cracking, crazing, or a chalky white film on the hose, plus hard spots that refuse to pinch closed
- The engine bogging when you open the throttle, surging lean at part throttle, or dying like it is out of fuel
- A crust of dust ringing the fuel valve or the carburetor inlet where fuel has been weeping and drying
An injected machine can mask a leak by atomizing pressurized fuel into vapor that never drips. A gravity-fed Bear Tracker gives you the opposite: slow, visible evidence you can trace with a flashlight and a rag.
What Time Does to Rubber
Fuel hose fails on a schedule set by chemistry, and a machine from 2000 has had a long run at it. Plasticizers in the rubber keep the hose soft, and they migrate out gradually under engine heat and simple aging until the hose turns stiff, then glassy. Once it loses flexibility, cracks form at the bends and clamps can no longer pull it tight against a barb, which is when fuel starts weeping at the fittings.
Where the machine has lived matters as much as its age. Dry, low-humidity air keeps drawing moisture out of the hose wall and hardens it from the outer surface inward, so a Bear Tracker stored outdoors in arid country often has hose that feels like plastic conduit. Ethanol-blended pump gas works in the other direction, attracting water into the fuel and breaking down the inner liner while leaving gum in the small carburetor passages just downstream. Original hose on a machine this age is not something to try to save.
Parts, Pan, and Precautions
Have all of it within arm's reach before you begin:
- Nitrile or rubber gloves, because gasoline soaks through skin faster than most riders expect
- A drain pan and an approved, sealable container for the fuel you catch
- Replacement hose in the correct inside diameter for this machine, along with a fresh clamp kit
- Pliers for spring clamps or a small flat-blade screwdriver for worm-gear clamps
- A razor knife and a generous stack of rags
- Hand tools to remove the seat and the plastics around the tank
Treat the fuel itself with respect even in small quantities. Gasoline vapor is heavier than air, so it drops to the floor and drifts toward pilot lights and shop heaters sitting at that level. Do this outdoors or with the door wide open, keep sparks and flame out of the area completely, and set an extinguisher on the ground beside the machine.
Shutting Off and Taking It Apart
Close the fuel valve at the tank. That single motion replaces the whole depressurizing sequence an injected quad demands, and it is the reason this job stays clean. Open the float bowl drain screw next and let the carburetor empty into your pan so it does not dump on the floor when the hose separates. Remove the seat and any plastics blocking your view of the hose from the valve down to the carburetor.
Slide both clamps well back along the hose before you disturb either joint. Twist the hose on each barb to break the varnish that has bonded it in place instead of pulling hard, since a fitting with this much age behind it does not need extra strain. When an end refuses to give, split it lengthwise with the razor and peel it away. Watch how it was routed on the way out. This is a two-wheel-drive machine, so the front end is open and the hose runs a short direct path with none of the front differential clearance points a 4x4 chassis forces you to navigate. It still needs to clear the exhaust and hang with enough slack that steering does not tug on it.
Seating the New Hose Correctly
Trim the replacement to match the original length. Extra hose kinks in tight quarters or drifts toward hot surfaces, while a short piece keeps steady tension on both barbs. Work each end onto its fitting dry, pushing until it seats against the shoulder so the full barb is covered rather than just the tip. Keep grease, oil, and silicone away from the fittings entirely, because anything slick on a sealing surface simply gives fuel a path out. A brief soak in hot water softens a stiff end enough to slide on without a fight.
Set new clamps just behind the bead at the valve and at the carburetor inlet, and tighten them evenly. Aim for snug rather than maximum, since an aged carburetor inlet can crack under too much clamping force. Feed the hose back through any original guide so it holds a natural curve without a kink.
Verifying a Dry System
Close the float bowl drain, then rotate the fuel valve back on and simply watch. Gravity feed makes this the most straightforward leak test in powersports: fuel arrives at both fittings within seconds, so a bad seal reveals itself before you touch the starter. Run a clean, light-colored rag around each joint so any new dampness stands out against the fabric.
Start the engine and let it idle while you look again, then ride a short lap around the yard and inspect a third time with everything warm. Check for fuel tracking down the outside of the hose or gathering at the edge of a clamp, not just for drops on the floor. Worth noting for comparison as well: injected quads bury their fuel filter inside the tank as part of the pump assembly, while a carbureted machine like this Bear Tracker keeps filtration accessible at the tank outlet and valve. If delivery still feels weak after fresh hose, you can check that side without major disassembly.
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Disclaimer: This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to replace your ATV's official owner's manual. Always refer to your manufacturer's documentation for model-specific instructions, torque specifications, safety procedures, and maintenance requirements. If you are unsure or inexperienced, consider seeking assistance from a qualified mechanic or technician.