Small engine repair

I am well below average at small engine repair, but from time to time I get lucky.  Anyway, my present frustration is a log splitter that works great as long I spray stater fluid into the carb. Yes, it has fresh gas.  What do I do next?

Most likely your carb is varnished up.  dump some Sea Foam fuel system cleaner in the tank.  If float type carb try tapping on the bowel gently hoping to unstick the needle if that is it.  Try running it.  If it doesn't work wait 24 hours and try again.  If it runs but sounds terrible try to keep it running for a bit to get the Sea Foam down to the carb.  Then wait 24 hours.  And try again.  Hollar if that doesn't work.  If B&S motor does it have a fuel pump?  Otherwise motor brand, model, and hp/displacement.

Clean the carb! Which implies taking is ALL the way apart and cleaning it crystal clean. Carb dunk is your friend here which is a cleaner that comes in a can like paint. Soak ALL metal parts but NO PLASTIC parts at ALL! Then rinse with the hottest water you can stand. Brushes and picks along with very thin stiff wire are a must to gouge out all those tiny little passages. Even one clogged passage will effect the way it runs.   Walmart Supertech carb cleaner is one of the best sprays you can get! Again do NOT put it on plastic parts!
Often both spray and dunk are needed!

https://www.autozone.com/fuel-and-engine-cleaners-additives/carburetor-and-throttle-body-cleaner/p/berryman-chem-dip-carburetor-and-parts-cleaner-96oz/139313_0_0?spps.s=2014&cmpid=LIA%3AUS%3AEN%3AAD%3ANL%3A1000000%3AGEN%3A22350391884&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22356757832&gbraid=0AAAAADkcoVuaMYAdIrvtpjJ23f5TbGkmY&gclid=CjwKCAjwuIbBBhBvEiwAsNypvR_aAJO0g0aqXeZGBCvDxlc4ZkWlNzhOEu_njXybMFo4wOT9Le04ORoC2V4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&new_store_set=true

https://www.ruralking.com/gunk-carburetor-and-parts-cleaner-cc3k?gclid=CjwKCAjwuIbBBhBvEiwAsNypvdMpb9y8fqzt-Xedy1vndh-P5RYytU9QHGpuLEhhot0qb7OiRZ2tKBoCrdoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Another tip I should have mentioned in my last post is a wire from a wire brush is a perfect tool for those tiny passages!  A small tipped blow gun with and adequate air compressor is almost a must to do a proper job.

By the way I ran a couple small engine shops and owned one for a number of years.

Some other things to be aware of.  You can often buy a whole new carb for less than the gasket kit.  For example a cub cadet with a B&S engine, last fall the gasket kit to do the carb was $46 but the carb, spark plug and fuel filter as a kit was $27 on amazon.  Sea foam probably cures 90% + of fuel system problems without the need to tear the carb down.  

C. Letellier is absolutely right about new carbs being super cheap. With E10 -- or god forbid E15 -- gas becoming common those small engine carbs don't stand a chance, and get swapped out regularly.

To drastically reduce the issues you have in the future, consider using only ethanol-free gas in your small engines. This website has a good listing of gas stations where it can be bought by the gallon. https://www.pure-gas.org/

I have used Seafoam but didn't know much about these other small engine tips.  A million thanks to those here, my education continues after this spray of mental starter fluid!

Cheap replacement carbs seldom / almost never work as well as OEM!

Personally I never had any luck with seafoam. There is ONE Doc in a bottle product that I know does work from over 20 years of personal use. Lucas fuel system cleaner and it works in both gas and diesel engines. They have it in small bottles labeled as tuneup in a bottle. DO NOT OVER USE IT!  I've been buying it by the gallon for 20+ years. It does amazing things in 2 stroke engines too. A gallon usually lasts me 5 years or so...

https://www.autozone.com/fuel-and-engine-cleaners-additives/fuel-additive-and-cleaner/p/lucas-oil-products-fuel-treatment-5-25oz/369511_0_0?cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:GEN:22350391884&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22356757832&gbraid=0AAAAADkcoVvo5foO2VreF_JFd4CRgnBn7&gclid=CjwKCAjw24vBBhABEiwANFG7y8bb1cjvrCgnWGaZUFfzQsS7UlkNn-qniU5SuLcE_3UFOUwRTtEejhoCvXYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I'm gonna give an answer that falls right smack in the middle of all of these.  Pull the bowl off the bottom of the carburetor, there is a float inside that moves up and down with fuel.  It has a pin as a hinge, and a needle just in front of the hinge that shuts fuel off when the float rises. Move that float up and down,  and spray some carb cleaner in the needle area with the float all the way down.  Make sure it moves up and down freely. This would be a simple attempt to begin with without having to go through too much hassle.  

Rusty Ford wrote:I'm gonna give an answer that falls right smack in the middle of all of these.  Pull the bowl off the bottom of the carburetor, there is a float inside that moves up and down with fuel.  It has a pin as a hinge, and a needle just in front of the hinge that shuts fuel off when the float rises. Move that float up and down,  and spray some carb cleaner in the needle area with the float all the way down.  Make sure it moves up and down freely. This would be a simple attempt to begin with without having to go through too much hassle.  

If you get spray, good spray on plastic parts they melt!

With a simple clogged passage sometimes a trick that works is to get the motor running at high RPM and the seal off the inlet with a thumb repeatedly. This will let a simple clog pull right trough sometimes.

John F Dean wrote:  What do I do next?

John that is symptomatic of a carb that has an idle jet clogged.  Happens to me every spring.  Any gas, especially the crap we have now with all the corn in it, left anywhere in the carb turns to a solid and plugs small oraficaces.  Best to have the carb pulled off and cleaned.  One can do it themselves but it involves some nasty chemicals.  The pros are set up to do carb cleaning and it brings in a lot of business in the spring especially.  (I have a mower in the garage doing the same thing.)  The idle jet circit is very small and easy to plug.  

If you have the make and model of the engine, I can find some info on that it would take to clean or replace yourself.  Otherwise pay a small engine guy to soak and clean the carb.

Sorry for the delay …too much going on.

Anyway, Briggs & Stratton, CR 950 (9.5 hp), 208cc.

Jack Edmondson wrote:

John F Dean wrote:  What do I do next?

John that is symptomatic of a carb that has an idle jet clogged.  Happens to me every spring.  Any gas, especially the crap we have now with all the corn in it, left anywhere in the carb turns to a solid and plugs small oraficaces.  Best to have the carb pulled off and cleaned.  One can do it themselves but it involves some nasty chemicals.  The pros are set up to do carb cleaning and it brings in a lot of business in the spring especially.  (I have a mower in the garage doing the same thing.)  The idle jet circit is very small and easy to plug.  

If you have the make and model of the engine, I can find some info on that it would take to clean or replace yourself.  Otherwise pay a small engine guy to soak and clean the carb.

Very true I cleaned more carbs than all other jobs combined!

Just wanted to ask a quick question on the subject of carb design and cleaning.  With the 'bad' gas issue already noted, I must admit some (happy) astonishment at how little I've had to baby the Honda/Knock-offs in this regard vs. my Briggs and snowblower Tecumseh's.  The one Briggs that I still use is a 3.5 hp 'classic' push mower for which I need to replace the diaphram pump each year.  I'm actually surprised that it's still running after 15 years of use.  The Honda GX160 on my semi-trash pump, the Subaru on my backhoe, and the 'Predator' (Harbor Freight) on my rototiller have needed minimal cleaning efforts on my part by comparison.  Are these Japanese and knock-off engines using a similar carb in all cases?  Why do they not seem to foul as much?  In all cases, I use a fuel stabilizer for storage or just close the fuel line at the end of a season and let the engine stall out after using up the gas remaining in the carb.  Thanks!....

John Weiland wrote:Just wanted to ask a quick question on the subject of carb design and cleaning.  With the 'bad' gas issue already noted, I must admit some (happy) astonishment at how little I've had to baby the Honda/Knock-offs in this regard vs. my Briggs and snowblower Tecumseh's.  The one Briggs that I still use is a 3.5 hp 'classic' push mower for which I need to replace the diaphram pump each year.  I'm actually surprised that it's still running after 15 years of use.  The Honda GX160 on my semi-trash pump, the Subaru on my backhoe, and the 'Predator' (Harbor Freight) on my rototiller have needed minimal cleaning efforts on my part by comparison.  Are these Japanese and knock-off engines using a similar carb in all cases?  Why do they not seem to foul as much?  In all cases, I use a fuel stabilizer for storage or just close the fuel line at the end of a season and let the engine stall out after using up the gas remaining in the carb.  Thanks!....

After 40+ years working on stuff I have wondered how the Honda's and clones have less trouble myself. I have two or three theories 1) better metal 2) less small passages 3) the shape of the passages overall, I have to wonder if they aren't slightly tapered getting larger as they go in. Which would make them less likely to clog.

larry kidd wrote:

John Weiland wrote:Just wanted to ask a quick question on the subject of carb design and cleaning.  With the 'bad' gas issue already noted, I must admit some (happy) astonishment at how little I've had to baby the Honda/Knock-offs in this regard vs. my Briggs and snowblower Tecumseh's.  The one Briggs that I still use is a 3.5 hp 'classic' push mower for which I need to replace the diaphram pump each year.  I'm actually surprised that it's still running after 15 years of use.  The Honda GX160 on my semi-trash pump, the Subaru on my backhoe, and the 'Predator' (Harbor Freight) on my rototiller have needed minimal cleaning efforts on my part by comparison.  Are these Japanese and knock-off engines using a similar carb in all cases?  Why do they not seem to foul as much?  In all cases, I use a fuel stabilizer for storage or just close the fuel line at the end of a season and let the engine stall out after using up the gas remaining in the carb.  Thanks!....

After 40+ years working on stuff I have wondered how the Honda's and clones have less trouble myself. I have two or three theories 1) better metal 2) less small passages 3) the shape of the passages overall, I have to wonder if they aren't slightly tapered getting larger as they go in. Which would make them less likely to clog.

I will add one other thing that is the metal alloys used in the carb makes a difference.  I find way fewer truly corroded carbs that need a sand blaster drills to clean in some models. Less rust, less white powder oxide corrosion.

As for losing the diaphram pump in the old brigs you can help that one by modifying the tank a bit and by using ethanol free gas.  Those old metal tanks rust.  The powdered rust is picked up by the overflow carb and pulled into that diaphram and messes up how it seals.  If you dent the bottom of the tank a tiny bit you can get a cut off filter sock tube around that  pickup suction and often eliminate that problem.  You make that filter sock from a standard fuel tank filter sock by cutting to length.   It is one of the common 5 problems with the old briggs engines.   Newer Briggs the needle sticking in the closed position is common and the ones with a stand alone impulse fuel pump the fuel pump failing is common.  Both the boots and hoses on the impulse tube are often a problem.

make sure the idle (pilot) jet screw is clear and any oriface.  When working with carb cleaner wear GOOD eye protection.  I can tell you from expreience it is really easy to get back spray in your face.  You don't want that stuff in your eyes.  Period.  If you don't have a fancy cleaner like his, spray a small platic container with enough fluid to roll the carb around in so it penetractes all the small passages.  Compressed air helps to blow debris loose.  

If it were me, $30 would get me a new carb just to plug and play  includes an air filter which you may need anyway.  Good luck.

Amazon link

I ordered the new carb kit today.