Retired Wrencher 5,451 #1 Posted May 31, 2023 I know about Isavetractor. They are great from what I understand But what I putting it is not worth the $$. I bought two off of EBay both junk. Had good luck in the past but not lately. Pleas share what you think and where you buy them. Thanks for any comments. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 16,994 #2 Posted May 31, 2023 Spend the $70 at isavetractors. When you consider wasting the money on epay junk carbs plus the aggravation involved, it's not a bad deal to just get a good one in the first place. 9 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #3 Posted May 31, 2023 10 minutes ago, wallfish said: Spend the $70 at isavetractors. Agreed. Either do that or send me the ORIGINAL carb. I'll rebuild it and send it back to you. I've had 4 big block Kohler engines with 4 cheap carbs and all 4 were junk. The isavetractors carb John bought for the backhoe before I got it is working fine. 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,841 #4 Posted May 31, 2023 I generally look for them on the tractors I buy 3 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotajax 223 #5 Posted May 31, 2023 If you buy an ebay carb, make sure they have both choke levers in the box. They are few and far between, but there are some out there. Switching out the choke levers in tricky business because it's easy to lose that little sneaky ball for the detent. They are very slippery little devils. 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,620 #6 Posted May 31, 2023 @Retired Wrencher bought from ! save tractors , years ago , never had an issue with it , been bombproof in its function , fuel filters on myset up , agree with the higher $ for it , and problems with , EB , amazon has been good on just about everything , pete 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skwerl58 704 #7 Posted May 31, 2023 I have one on the way from isavetractors for my 414-8. I have read previous posts here and with all the positive comments and speaking with them it should be here Friday. I plan on rebuilding mine but the shaft has wear and my tractor is my worker, mow, gardening and whatever so had to get it going quick. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ML3 1,199 #8 Posted May 31, 2023 For both my 604 & 654 I bought $14 Amazon carbs. Only had to make a minor idle adjustment on one of them. It got me up running right away. I did save the original carbs & will rebuild them. I have an ultrasonic cleaner. I use cleaning solution for ammunition brass & it works great. Curious to see how they stand up over time ?? On the other hand for $14 if I gotta replace them every couple years I won't care. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jar 2 #9 Posted May 31, 2023 I replaced my original carb on my 1983 c-175 2 years ago with an Amazon carb. About $20. Still runs great. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,198 #10 Posted May 31, 2023 I bought one of the Chinese Carbs a few years back and found that the idle and high speed needles did nothing to improve the performance. The reason I bought it was the the throttle shaft was too far gone on the carter. I did an autopsy on the Chinese one and found that the main jet and it's seat were way bigger so I took them out of the old one and put them in the Chinese one and it worked fine. Since then I have accumulated a few used Carters and just rebuild them. Had I known about the bushing to correct the throttle shaft I never would have gotten the Chinese one in the first place. If your throttle shaft has any side to side movement (more than a tiny tiny bit) you can put a bushing on the top of the carb to correct it. Kohler makes one part #2515802-5, 7/16" o.d. x 1/4" i.d. x 1/8" thick but I have never found it in stock at Partstree or other online parts places (you might find it on ebay). If you have a hardware store with all those little parts drawers you can get some brass thrust washers 7/16" o.d. x 1/4" i.d. x 1/16" thick Hillman part #58087 or McMaster-Carr part # 5906K561and stack 2 of them in that little recess in the top of the carb body. sometimes i find after installing them the throttle shaft fits a little tight, so i take a 1/4" drill bit and ream them out by hand. don't chuck the drill bit in a drill it will be to aggressive 6 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #11 Posted June 1, 2023 16 minutes ago, 953 nut said: some brass thrust washers 7/16" o.d. x 1/4" i.d. x 1/16" thick Hillman part #58087 I keep these, several OE Kohler carb kits, and a case of brake clean on hand all the time. @Retired Wrencher Gary do you have the original carb? What engine is this for? 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,451 #12 Posted June 1, 2023 15 hours ago, wallfish said: Spend the $70 at isavetractors. When you consider wasting the money on epay junk carbs plus the aggravation involved, it's not a bad deal to just get a good one in the first place. 15 hours ago, wallfish said: Spend the $70 at isavetractors. When you consider wasting the money on epay junk carbs plus the aggravation involved, it's not a bad deal to just get a good one in the first place. 10 hours ago, ebinmaine said: I keep these, several OE Kohler carb kits, and a case of brake clean on hand all the time. @Retired Wrencher Gary do you have the original carb? What engine is this for? Thanks John. it is not the best engine on this tractor so not sure if I want to dish out that Kind of $$. Thanks for the reply. I will look for an original I may have and rebuild that one. Did not come with a original. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,451 #13 Posted June 1, 2023 10 hours ago, ebinmaine said: I keep these, several OE Kohler carb kits, and a case of brake clean on hand all the time. @Retired Wrencher Gary do you have the original carb? What engine is this for? Morning Eric. Did not come with one but I may have one here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,451 #14 Posted June 1, 2023 10 hours ago, 953 nut said: I bought one of the Chinese Carbs a few years back and found that the idle and high speed needles did nothing to improve the performance. The reason I bought it was the the throttle shaft was too far gone on the carter. I did an autopsy on the Chinese one and found that the main jet and it's seat were way bigger so I took them out of the old one and put them in the Chinese one and it worked fine. Since then I have accumulated a few used Carters and just rebuild them. Had I known about the bushing to correct the throttle shaft I never would have gotten the Chinese one in the first place. If your throttle shaft has any side to side movement (more than a tiny tiny bit) you can put a bushing on the top of the carb to correct it. Kohler makes one part #2515802-5, 7/16" o.d. x 1/4" i.d. x 1/8" thick but I have never found it in stock at Partstree or other online parts places (you might find it on ebay). If you have a hardware store with all those little parts drawers you can get some brass thrust washers 7/16" o.d. x 1/4" i.d. x 1/16" thick Hillman part #58087 or McMaster-Carr part # 5906K561and stack 2 of them in that little recess in the top of the carb body. sometimes i find after installing them the throttle shaft fits a little tight, so i take a 1/4" drill bit and ream them out by hand. don't chuck the drill bit in a drill it will be to aggressive Thanks for the post Rich. I am done with this junk. I had good luck in the past with these but I guess this is not the case any more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,451 #15 Posted June 1, 2023 15 hours ago, ebinmaine said: Agreed. Either do that or send me the ORIGINAL carb. I'll rebuild it and send it back to you. I've had 4 big block Kohler engines with 4 cheap carbs and all 4 were junk. The isavetractors carb John bought for the backhoe before I got it is working fine. I will look Eric. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,620 #16 Posted June 1, 2023 @Retired Wrencher chinese anything is on its own make up idea, my long time shop friends , show me all kinds of " parts " that are saposed to be a spec fit , NOT EVEN CLOSE , threading / alignment , is pathetic , make up just forced together , for a sale . add that to increased pricing and you have a regular day at the shop, pete 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Retired Wrencher 5,451 #17 Posted June 1, 2023 2 hours ago, peter lena said: @Retired Wrencher chinese anything is on its own make up idea, my long time shop friends , show me all kinds of " parts " that are saposed to be a spec fit , NOT EVEN CLOSE , threading / alignment , is pathetic , make up just forced together , for a sale . add that to increased pricing and you have a regular day at the shop, pete Agreed Pete all garbage. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bds1984 1,429 #18 Posted June 1, 2023 The Chinese carbs are hit or miss at best. On Kohler engines I have had pretty good luck with them, some have the choke 180 degrees from the original. The best tip I can give for anyone is to dismantle the carb and clean it out real well. Every single carb I have used has a nice film of cosmoline and sometimes black/carbon debris in the bowl. After that is taken care of, the ones I've had were, and continue to be, decent running, with one exception. My experience with Briggs carbs for small engines (under 8hp) have been an absolute nightmare. Run away, fast. Last weekend I gave up on trying to resuscitate a Troy-Bilt tiller with a Briggs (which NEVER ran right) and ended up dropping a Predator engine on it. OEMs were made of unobtanium and the Chinese units I've used were all terrible and unreliable so the decision was made to just replace the entire engine 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D_Mac 8,610 #19 Posted June 4, 2023 Just tried 2 carbs on the 310-8 I got. The original carb was replaced because the throttle shaft wear on the carb body and the throttle plate had fallen off and plate was damaged. So I tried a carb that I bought for my 1075. Installed on the 310 and it would not stay running. Bought new carb on ebay, had to use the choke shift from other carb , installed that on the 310 and it only runs with the choke closed. Called AZ he said he could sell me a rebuilt OE carb for 100 but he didn't have one. Would any of you try rebuilding the ebay carb? Bite the bullet and pick one up from isave that look exactly like the kits you get on fleabay for 4xs the money? Any one have one for a M10 ? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,412 #20 Posted June 4, 2023 19 minutes ago, D_Mac said: ... So I tried a carb that I bought for my 1075. Installed on the 310 and it would not stay running... Is it possible you could rebuild that carb? 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 16,994 #21 Posted June 4, 2023 45 minutes ago, D_Mac said: Bite the bullet and pick one up from isave that look exactly like the kits you get on fleabay for 4xs the money? Yes the carbs are made in Asia. Taiwan I believe. But I can tell you, without a doubt, they are NOT the same krap as those cheap chinese carbs on ebay. Believe me, I didn't want to pay more either but now I swear by them if there's one with a problem that can't be rebuilt. Excellent replacement carbs. Now that you have been through all of this wasted time and aggravation plus a few bucks, wouldn't $70 from the beginning be worth it? 3 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D_Mac 8,610 #22 Posted June 4, 2023 55 minutes ago, tunahead72 said: Is it possible you could rebuild that carb? I don't believe the carb that was on it when I got it could be rebuilt. The body of it was damaged along with the throttle shaft. 55 minutes ago, wallfish said: Yes the carbs are made in Asia. Taiwan I believe. But I can tell you, without a doubt, they are NOT the same krap as those cheap chinese carbs on ebay. Believe me, I didn't want to pay more either but now I swear by them if there's one with a problem that can't be rebuilt. Excellent replacement carbs. Now that you have been through all of this wasted time and aggravation plus a few bucks, wouldn't $70 from the beginning be worth it? Yes I would gladly pay if I was 100% certain that it was going to work. I have never had a bad experience with carbs I have bought on ebay before. There is one on my 856 and it runs perfectly. Leaning on all your experiences with this issue as it's new to me. If it's time to order one from there I will. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 16,994 #23 Posted June 4, 2023 7 hours ago, D_Mac said: Yes I would gladly pay if I was 100% certain that it was going to work. I have never had a bad experience with carbs I have bought on ebay before. There is one on my 856 and it runs perfectly. Leaning on all your experiences with this issue as it's new to me. If it's time to order one from there I will. Until a year or 2 ago I had no trouble with epay carbs either. Then had trouble with one flooding no matter what I did to try and fix it. Ordered another from a different vendor and the same thing happened. Smashed'm with a hammer and then bought one from Isavetractors which worked perfect. Have since ordered a few more and never had an issue with them. Worked perfect every time. If you do get one, look it over closely as you can tell it's made better than those others chinese carbs. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #24 Posted June 4, 2023 2 hours ago, wallfish said: look it over closely as you can tell it's made better than those others chinese carbs. Agreed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,455 #25 Posted June 4, 2023 On 5/31/2023 at 5:52 PM, Skwerl58 said: rebuilding mine but the shaft has wear Closely check the BOTTOM of the shaft and its corresponding hole for wear. The top is a relatively easy fix. The bottom, not so much. If ya need a couple washers for the top lemme know. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites