Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Will be draining and replacing the gas (flushing some fresh through the line and what to do with the old?) and clean the carb in place best I can with spray.   The spark plug is aged but has at most a few hours on it.

Thoughts on what else to do?

>>then backfired through the muffler

   Lack of gas then died.

>>clayish colored fine particles in the gas

  Could be flakes of layered prior evaporated gas.

>>Drained some through the inlet (float valve thing) and it was full of junk settling like an almost solid thin layer in the bottom of my container. 

>>so the fuel was in there at least two years

   So coming down from your tank.   Flush the tank and line.  Install a filter and gas shutoff if there is room under the tank.   There should be one inside but seems like it’s ripped or rotted which happens with water in the gas i.e jells to a blob low in the tank by the outlet filter.

 

>>what to do with the old

   Strain it and put it in your car or dump it.

 

>>and clean the carb in place best I can with spray.

   Sometimes works but often after running will develop problems again.  When they’re that bad these days I take the carb off for cleaning rather than clean on the machine and have it likely not work well later.  

 

   Flush the tank vigorously with a hose if you still have one out.  If not then hot water and soap and shake the tank or stir it with a stick, drain and flush. 

   Spray all the carb holes with carb spray then poke and prod them with a stripped tie wrap, emulsion tube (center of carb bottom up to the throat), air vent (square hole in the aluminum plug at the base), outstide on the flat at the side of the carb into the small hole there and see dribbling from the square hole, spray into the gas line inlet,  replace the seat up on where the needle is (ribbed side facing in),  probe throat holes (they’ll be 2 to 4 depending on the carb for air and idle),  spray into the low idle port.  Repeat the above with air.  Clean the bottom nut holder for the jet – there are 1-3 holes, 1 big, one or two tiny up high in the flat between threaded sections.   Prob inside holes i.e. throat.

 

   Check for crud, growth or rust on the idle and high speed jets.    Check the carb/manifold gasket if you take it off that way.  It’s often easier to remove the carb by the top manifold bolts – write down or better take a picture of the throttle and covernor linkages and springs.  The holes where they go are usually forgotten later.   

   Install the float, tip it over and measure the space of the float to bowl rim 11/64ths, can use a drill bit.

Thanks for the direction.  Here's where I'm at:

I drained the fuel tank at the carb inlet hose connection and flushed it some with fresh gas.  I flushed the fuel inlet needle valve assembly with spray carb cleaner by spraying pulses where the fuel goes in and watching it come out around the needle.   I also sprayed up into the area where the bolt goes that holds the bowl on, and in general anything else I could reach.  I did not remove the carb, the needle valve, nor check the float clearance.... just a matter of what I can undertake in the driveway.  I did make sure my single strand of lamp cord wire slid into the carb adjusting screw hole, and the tapered needle looks fine.  I swished a lint free cloth around inside the gas tank with a nifty tool, not near the filter though, and it came out without grunge.  I did not remove or change any other adjusting screws or settings.

Had a hard time trying to start it with the adjusting screw out 1.5 turns.   At best, it rumbled a few times and stopped.  Fiddling with the adjusting screw on the underside of the carb, I was able to start it with the choke closed all the way and the adjusting screw out 1.0 turns. I removed the heater cover box for ease of access, and with the engine running tried turning the adjusting screw out while opening the choke and the engine stalled.   Any combination opening the choke and/or changing the adjusting screw and the engine stalls.

Never noticed this before and don't know if it's significant, but it runs as described with the heater box cover removed and the key removed.  Something about grounding?

What should I try next?

Just got brave and removed the carb.  Took some photos beforehand and it wasn't nearly as intimidating as it looks.

Although it looked fine, I cleaned the hole the mixture screw goes into.  I removed the adjusting screw on the side of the carb (the black screw) that's about 1.5" long.  I gently polished it, and sprayed cleaner in the hole after finding some grunge. It was exactly one revolution from gently bottoming - that's where I set it to. The fuel float looked fine, the valve seated and I wasn't able to blow air into the fuel inlet.   I cleaned everything I saw, but I'll go back to it and search for the holes you describe in the sidewall of the carb throat as I didn't see them and will print your notes as a guide.
 
I don't have what it takes to do the plugs, but can surely clean passageways.

Based on your description, I might be assembled wrong.

I saw the holes you mentioned on either side of the throat.  One end had two (didn't see three) small ones and I was readily able to insert a bent strand of lamp cord wire in both.  The one at the other end was larger, and could be readily probed.

However, at the end of the mixture screw shaft, I have a tube within the assembly and nothing else is present for the bolt to meet against.  Is that where the o ring and brass washer go?

I'm attaching a link to a photo of the carb, and another to some leftover things I have on hand from an old rebuild kit I used only for the bowl gasket.  Does the washer and o ring belong in the tube?  There's nothing in it now.  Be embarrassing if that's the only problem!


http://i46.tinypic.com/1z1dxld.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2s61qus.jpg

That parts set. It has the ring and gasket contacting the spring end that's not seen.  And there's the gasket under the bowl that this tightens with.

It's what's within the carb I'm questioning.  Lots of diagrams like this:

http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/10043626-00001.png

but they don't show what's between the end of the shaft the part you posted a picture of meets inside the carb.  There's a tube that comes down within the threaded shaft.  Does anything go between the part you posted a picture of and the tube that's within the threaded shaft it screws into?

Thanks for the help.

Axis wrote:

I'm confuzzled, please bear with me.  I understand what you have posted, and the parts I have are as you describe.   I'll try my question again to be clear, maybe I wasn't

In this link:

http://i46.tinypic.com/1z1dxld.jpg

in the center it shows the threads that the adjusting needle screw onto.  In the center of those threads, there is a copper tube.  Is anything missing in that hole.... should there be something (an o ring, washer, etc) between the tube and the threads?