Happy in NC
Platinum Member
So I have wondered how to clean a carb in UC? Take it off a machine and drop the whole carbs in or disassemble and drop the parts in?
New Carburetor
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EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Two days of mowing and it ran great. All I did was remove the carb, play with the float so it moved the needle up and down, and then put it back together. Hopefully it's good now. It was really nice mowing with it, and I was able to catch up on all my mowing.
Snobdds
Elite Member
If it's a diaphragm carb, like those on a chainsaw or weedeater...I disassemble the pump and metering side and dump it it. Then I will take off the meting needle and do it again.
If's it's a gravity fed carb like on a lawnmower, I put the whole thing in to clean off for a cycle. Then I take off the bowl and float and take out the main jet and then put it through another cycle.
I just use hot water and dawn dish soap.
Happy in NC
Platinum Member
Cool. Thank you!!
Suburban Plowboy
Platinum Member
I have a ton of unpleasant experience with clogged carbs. I have fixed OEM carbs. I have bought new OEM carbs. I have bought cheap Chinese carbs. I have installed rebuild kits. I have a big sonic cleaner.
I can tell everyone what I've learned. Most of my experience has been with things like chainsaws and weed eaters, but I also have a couple of 4-cycle engines.
1. The number-one first thing to do if a stored engine will not start is to replace the fuel.
2. Rebuild kits are my go-to answer for carb issues new gas won't fix. It takes 15 minutes to rebuild a carb, the cost is something like $10, and it usually works. Every carb with a diaphragm WILL need rebuilding eventually. I keep rebuild kits handy so I don't have to wait several days to get my equipment running.
3. Chinese carbs can be great, but they are hit-or-miss. The nice thing is that a miss is a $12 miss. OEM carbs are generally made in China, so don't think you're getting Japanese or American just because you went OEM.
4. The sonic cleaner, with gasoline as a solvent, is hit-or-miss. It's also a pain to use. No, I don't fill the tank with gas. Don't even ask me that.
5. Ethanol is of the devil, but modern gas has other problems, so using gas without ethanol is not necessarily going to prevent carb clogging. You need an additive. Sta-Bil red is no good; you can Google if you want to find out why. The best product I've found is Biobor EB. For two-cycles, in addition to Biobor, I put Red Armor in the fuel. People swear it prevents clogs, and in my experience, it seems to be true.
6. Running a machine dry doesn't always work.
7. Old tree-cutters say the best preventative is motor oil. You drain your fuel, put a little motor oil in the fuel tank, and make sure it goes through the carb. The theory is that it won't congeal, and it supposedly prevents diaphragms from hardening.
8. A lot of people have put canned gas in saws and still been unable to start them when they needed them. If your machine won't start and it's full of canned gas, don't assume the gas is okay.
9. A set of tiny drill bits is great for opening up jets.
10. The bulb on a two-cycle is not a priming bulb. It pushes fuel through the system to remove air. You can't flood a carb by pumping the bulb.
As for lawnmowers, I am a diesel guy, period. No carbs. No electric ignition parts. Fewer trips to the gas station.
I can tell everyone what I've learned. Most of my experience has been with things like chainsaws and weed eaters, but I also have a couple of 4-cycle engines.
1. The number-one first thing to do if a stored engine will not start is to replace the fuel.
2. Rebuild kits are my go-to answer for carb issues new gas won't fix. It takes 15 minutes to rebuild a carb, the cost is something like $10, and it usually works. Every carb with a diaphragm WILL need rebuilding eventually. I keep rebuild kits handy so I don't have to wait several days to get my equipment running.
3. Chinese carbs can be great, but they are hit-or-miss. The nice thing is that a miss is a $12 miss. OEM carbs are generally made in China, so don't think you're getting Japanese or American just because you went OEM.
4. The sonic cleaner, with gasoline as a solvent, is hit-or-miss. It's also a pain to use. No, I don't fill the tank with gas. Don't even ask me that.
5. Ethanol is of the devil, but modern gas has other problems, so using gas without ethanol is not necessarily going to prevent carb clogging. You need an additive. Sta-Bil red is no good; you can Google if you want to find out why. The best product I've found is Biobor EB. For two-cycles, in addition to Biobor, I put Red Armor in the fuel. People swear it prevents clogs, and in my experience, it seems to be true.
6. Running a machine dry doesn't always work.
7. Old tree-cutters say the best preventative is motor oil. You drain your fuel, put a little motor oil in the fuel tank, and make sure it goes through the carb. The theory is that it won't congeal, and it supposedly prevents diaphragms from hardening.
8. A lot of people have put canned gas in saws and still been unable to start them when they needed them. If your machine won't start and it's full of canned gas, don't assume the gas is okay.
9. A set of tiny drill bits is great for opening up jets.
10. The bulb on a two-cycle is not a priming bulb. It pushes fuel through the system to remove air. You can't flood a carb by pumping the bulb.
As for lawnmowers, I am a diesel guy, period. No carbs. No electric ignition parts. Fewer trips to the gas station.
