Cleaning carburetor on Cub Cadet 2165

jlgreer68 · Apr 7, 2012

Does any body have detailed instructions on how to clean and adjust the carb on my 2165 mower? I'm having touble keeping it run. Acts like its not getting gas.

Toddao · Apr 7, 2012

On my 2165 I have had to move the fuel line, on side hills it would die. Have you replace the filter ?

jlgreer68 · Apr 7, 2012

No I haven't but I'm going to try that next. When I took needle out it had trash in the end. I pulled that out and it run for 20mins and started acting up again.

Don87 · Apr 7, 2012

I had the 2160. I ended up with bugs in the fuel tank, the filter was full of bug parts also.

Your carb shouldn't need any adjustments, just a good cleaning. I dropped the bowl on mine, cleaned everything good with spray carb cleaner and all was well afterwards.

Good Luck,

tracter · Apr 7, 2012

What Don87 said plus clean the vents in the fuel tank lid , the tank and fuel pickup in the tank , new filter , fresh fuel and it should be sweet.
As far as I know the carb is adjusted for life , was on my 2155

jlgreer68 · Apr 7, 2012

Cleaned carb and put on a new filter and the only way I can keep it running is with carb cleaner or with choke out almost all the way.

Don87 · Apr 7, 2012

jlgreer68 said:
Cleaned carb and put on a new filter and the only way I can keep it running is with carb cleaner or with choke out almost all the way.

Ya ain't getting enough fuel........that's why you need the choke.........carb ain't clean.

Don't just spray the carb cleaner........make puddles in there and let it soak. The new gas is junk and leaves nasty deposits.

EDIT: And/or you changed your float setting or lost the 'springy-thingy-keeper that holds the float on.

EDIT 2: I changed to a diesel engine just because of the carb problems you are having now............but they aren't a whole lot better because of the 'junk' diesel they sell now. If it ain't water, it's algae, or low cetane, or lubricity............can't treat all with one shot, gotta use several additives to correct everything.

jlgreer68 · Apr 7, 2012

What do you recommend for getting down to bottom of bowl. Maybe a toothbrush or something similar. I'm up for any suggestions. I could you a mansion but motors aren't my thing.

Don87 · Apr 7, 2012

jlgreer68 said:
What do you recommend for getting down to bottom of bowl. Maybe a toothbrush or something similar. I'm up for any suggestions. I could you a mansion but motors aren't my thing.

I sprayed till I had a good puddle, let it soak for about 15 minutes, "rinse, lather, repeat" til clean.

I think it took 3 good puddles to clean it(IIRC).

5030 · Apr 7, 2012

I second the crap gas. Thank the tree huggers and Obama for your gummed up carb.

Obama don't care, he don't drive, he has a chauffer.....

He's a first class CS'er IMO.

What I did this year, because all my carbs were gunked and gummed up real bad (despite using Stabil I might add) was I went to the auto parts store and bought a 1 gallon can of Berryman Carb Soak. It's some kind of enzyme or animine based solvent (wear rubber gloves) and it positively cleans the carbs (but you have to take the carb off and apart) to soak it in the supplied parts basket. You rinse the carb with water afterward and I blew mine out with an air hose. It takes all the gum and gunk out, as in clean as a whistle. The aluminum even shines like new,

I had a bunch of different carbs so I just wrote down the settings prior to taking them apart and all went back together just fine. 2 motorcycles with Kehin CV carbs,a rototiller with a side draft, my 4 wheeler with a Mikuni and my chainsaw with a Walbro.

I had the same issue.... only run with the choke on..... Thats because the idle jets and emulshion tubes are gummed up. My carbs looked like they had snot inside. Nasty stuff but the Berryman solvent did the job. Does it quick too. 15 minutes and rinse.

This fall, instead of Stabil, I'm going to run them dry.