Does anyone rebuild OPE carbs

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My 11HP Airens snowblower (on its first try of the season) caught for 20 seconds and died. Last winter the carb would leak gas while sitting. So dealing with the carb was a summer 2015 project I never got to. I looked on Ebay and the carb is $40 and a rebuild kit is $15. Seems a no brainer as long as these aftermarket carbs are decent.

This is one of those carbs where the bowl is part of the base and the top of the bowl comes off with 4 screws. I suppose I could try and clean it as is, but if I tear or see a damaged gasket then I need a rebuild kit.

Its almost Feb and there has yet to be snow to snowblow, but I assume there will be some this winter.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
My 11HP Airens snowblower (on its first try of the season) caught for 20 seconds and died. Last winter the carb would leak gas while sitting. So dealing with the carb was a summer 2015 project I never got to. I looked on Ebay and the carb is $40 and a rebuild kit is $15. Seems a no brainer as long as these aftermarket carbs are decent.

This is one of those carbs where the bowl is part of the base and the top of the bowl comes off with 4 screws. I suppose I could try and clean it as is, but if I tear or see a damaged gasket then I need a rebuild kit.

Its almost Feb and there has yet to be snow to snowblow, but I assume there will be some this winter.


If it's my own stuff and I know it wasn't sitting in the garage for 3 years not used then i'll clean it, but a lot of times you can buy the carburetor for like 15-20 bucks. It appears in your case it might be better to just rebuild it. Depends on how good you are at remembering tiny little parts and where they go.
 
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Mine was leaking after a test run the other day. I ordered a new carb off Amazon for $15. I sprayed some carb cleaner and mine worked for the little bit of snow we got before the replacement got here but I'm glad to have a spare.
 
My old Toro 421 leaks too. I'm in the same boat as you are, as what to do about it and I have yet to use it this year.

Last year I rebuilt a carb on a two stroke string trimmer and ended up having to replace it shortly after; I must have messed something up; it was my first time rebuilding one. It ran after the rebuild but not as it should have.

I'm currently working on a commercial 2-stroke Toro lawnmower and I think it needs a new carb but it's over $200 bucks, ouch!

Decisions, decisions.
 
Originally Posted By: RhondaHonda
Mine was leaking after a test run the other day. I ordered a new carb off Amazon for $15. I sprayed some carb cleaner and mine worked for the little bit of snow we got before the replacement got here but I'm glad to have a spare.


The main jet is clogged if it's leaking out the fuel bowl. Take the bowl off and then slide the pin out that holds float on. Then squirt up into that hole with carb cleaner a bunch.
 
I've used exactly one aftermarket carb in my life (an Oregon carb on a Tecumseh) and wasn't happy with it. If you can buy an OEM carb, I would do that instead. If an OEM carb is something like 80 dollars, then I might think about rebuilding your current one.
 
I always rebuild them.

I disassemble, clean in my cheap HF ultrasonic cleaner and reassemble.

I can see instances where the carb might be too damaged to rebuild, but I've never had one that I couldn't rebuild.

To me, the $15 rebuild kit is the "no brainier." Take the kit, a few beers and spend the evening fixing it. It would be a fun project for me.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
My 11HP Airens snowblower (on its first try of the season) caught for 20 seconds and died. Last winter the carb would leak gas while sitting. So dealing with the carb was a summer 2015 project I never got to. I looked on Ebay and the carb is $40 and a rebuild kit is $15. Seems a no brainer as long as these aftermarket carbs are decent.


19 times out of 20 when I pull an OPE float-type carb apart, the gaskets are re-usable and the problem is just a piece of dried fuel residue plugging the metering jet. That's a 15- minute $0.00 fix. If you do need a gasket, I'd order from jackssmallengines.com instead of catch-as-catch-can on Ebay.

To prevent future occurrences, put a fuel cut-off valve in the fuel line, and before storage start the engine, turn off the cut-off valve, run it till it stumbles, and then (if it has a manual choke) use the choke to keep it running until you've sucked all the fuel out of the carb bowl.
 
Sometimes the needles sieze in the castin, so if you have plenty of time, start taking your old carb apart to see if rebuilding is even an option.

An old carb might give you an adjustable jet that a new one wouldn't. I got a tecumseh carb that didn't even have a choke, just a primer bulb.
 
Nope. Rebuilt it on my 5HP Snow King. Lasted another year before it wouldn't run even with full choke. Picked up a $30 knockoff one from Ebay 3 years ago and it's fine. At the end of the season I drain the tank, pull the bowl off, hose it all off with WD-40 and put it away.

Not worth the time and effort if the replacement is so cheap. And I beat the snot out of this thing during the Snowpocalypse this weekend.
 
I rebuild them. But usually, like 440Magnum stated, all you ever really have to do is pull the bowl off, make sure the jets are clean and clean it up with carb cleaner.

Gaskets are usually reusable. If not, this is why I keep a tube of gas-safe gasket seal around. Almost all my small engines are Honda's....so I'm leaving those expensive Keihin carbs on there and just cleaning them up.
 
It just depends. If I'm having carb troubles, I look on ebay and see what I can get a carb for. Ususally it's in the <$25 range, and I just buy a spare and then see how the old carb can be rebuilt. If the carb is more expensive, then i go for a rebuild. Truthfully, they're not that big of a deal to rebuild, I just don't like paying $12 for a rebuild, when I can get a whole carb for $24. Ususally, the newer carbs are cheap, and the older ones are, of course, less popular, and more expensive.
 
I rebuild my Echo 2 stroke carbs - the kits are cheap (about $12), the carbs are not (about $50). Plus they're easy to rebuild.

I also rebuilt my Tecumseh snow blower carb - same as the Echos, kits are cheap (about $12), the carb is not (about $100).

I tried rebuilding two different Honda carbs on two different Honda engines (actually wasn't really rebuilding them - there aren't really any wear parts on them - I just took them apart, sprayed carb cleaner through all passages and blow compressed air through them and put them back together) And the engines still ran poorly. I bought new carbs for them (only about $25 each) and the engines ran great after that.
 
With Tecumseh engines I usually just replace the carb if it's cheap. Those things are such a pain, sometimes you can clean them 5 times and the thing still won't run right. Briggs, Kohler, and Honda carbs I always rebuild unless the throttle shaft hole is worn. Those carbs are usually easier to clean and most of the time only need a few gaskets and maybe a needle/seat.
 
Originally Posted By: exranger06
I rebuild my Echo 2 stroke carbs - the kits are cheap (about $12), the carbs are not (about $50). Plus they're easy to rebuild.

I also rebuilt my Tecumseh snow blower carb - same as the Echos, kits are cheap (about $12), the carb is not (about $100).

I tried rebuilding two different Honda carbs on two different Honda engines (actually wasn't really rebuilding them - there aren't really any wear parts on them - I just took them apart, sprayed carb cleaner through all passages and blow compressed air through them and put them back together) And the engines still ran poorly. I bought new carbs for them (only about $25 each) and the engines ran great after that.


So whats wrong with the carb that after its rebuilt it does not run properly and a new carb solves the problem?
 
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Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: exranger06
I rebuild my Echo 2 stroke carbs - the kits are cheap (about $12), the carbs are not (about $50). Plus they're easy to rebuild.

I also rebuilt my Tecumseh snow blower carb - same as the Echos, kits are cheap (about $12), the carb is not (about $100).

I tried rebuilding two different Honda carbs on two different Honda engines (actually wasn't really rebuilding them - there aren't really any wear parts on them - I just took them apart, sprayed carb cleaner through all passages and blow compressed air through them and put them back together) And the engines still ran poorly. I bought new carbs for them (only about $25 each) and the engines ran great after that.


So whats wrong with the carb that after its rebuilt it does not run properly and a new carb solves the problem?

Beats me.
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For $25 it wasn't worth my time to try and figure it out. I had already spent way too much time messing with it as it was, especially the first one. If I had to guess, I'd say it was a tiny speck of dirt clogging up some tiny passage in the carb that I couldn't get to.
 
Are these "cheap" carbs we're talking about, genuine: tecumseh, briggs, keihin, kohler, etc.. or knock-offs?

I guess I've been lucky, I haven't met a carb yet that was that bad. Buy an original rebuild kit for $10-20 and the carb it good to go.

My dad wanted to rebuild the carb on the generator prior to the storm we got in the northeast last week... he said they wanted $100 for a new one (old Coleman gen with brigs engine, IIRC).
 
The $25 carbs I bought for the Hondas were genuine Honda carbs. Boats.net had the cheapest prices so I bought them there. I guess boats use the same carbs as lawn mowers and pressure washers?
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Originally Posted By: exranger06
The $25 carbs I bought for the Hondas were genuine Honda carbs. Boats.net had the cheapest prices so I bought them there. I guess boats use the same carbs as lawn mowers and pressure washers?
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boats.net sells parts for: power equipment, motorsport, boating, etc... parts for Honda, Yamaha, and so forth.
 
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