Carburetor adjustments for SK-486/ Kohler K341AS

[Kwa1ski 1]

I have some prolems with the throttle and the choke on my Sk-486 (which you can see ). My dad and I redid the seal on the carburetor last fall and tried to readjust it so it would start after being messed with. I have a link for the manuel in the quote. The carb seems very picky and very tempermental. I have to run with the choke up and if I put it down it dies. I also can't put the throttle down very low or up very high either or it will die.

 

Here is some more info from my first topic about my Sk.

 

Okay so I have a problem with the start up and run. My usual starting procedure goes like this.

 

From a cold start.

1. Open gas valve

2. Push in clutch

3. Put choke at the top (Choke flap is closed all the way in carburetor)

4. Put throttle up about 3/4 of the way

5. Turn key and let the engine turn over a few times

6. Engine almost starts but not quite (strong cranking and almost firing)

7. Left off the key and do it again

8. As I am turning the key I move the throttle down to the lowest point till it fires then quickly up to the middle

9. It usually starts about now

 

If I turn the choke down to off or even half it looses power and dies. If I put the throttle all the way it dies. My dad and I tried to adjust the carb according to this manual. Kohler K341. Pages 10-13 I think. We fiddled with it for awhile then finally gave up and put it where we could at least start it. I know that the gasket seal on the bowl underneath the carb is bad and I found out where to get a new one. Here. We also redid the main seal on the carb with some stuff in a tube. I haven't had any problem with it so far. The spark plug gives a good shock. My dad can attest to that. The fuel also pumps strong. The air filter is dirty though and one day I took it off the look at it and it was wet and some gas poured out of the carb. I don't think that is good.

 

Could someone share some knowledge in the subject?

Edited May 20, 2014 by Kwa1ski

[rmaynard 15,434]

First, whenever I have a suspected carburetor problem, I give it a thorough cleaning. Probably the most often overlooked part is the main needle valve. This part needs to be clean not only on the outside, but inside as well.

 

 

Each arrow points to a set of holes. Those holes are all interconnecting via the hollow brass tube. Those holes, and the inside of the tube must be clear. When cleaning, you must be able to pass air through the entire length of the tube. 

 

Start with that, readjust to the basic settings and go from there. 

 

Also, check to make sure that the throttle shaft doesn't have a lot of play in it.

[Kwa1ski 1]

Okay thanks I think we might have cleaned the needle but that might have been the gas leaf blower I cna't remember. I'll talk to my dad, but I believe we checked that and we were able to pray something through it. Thanks though.

[Kwa1ski 1]

Just wondering, would a bad seal on the bowl cause it to be tempermental?

[rmaynard 15,434]

A bad bowl gasket would cause it to leak. A bad splash guard in the bowl would cause it to flood out whenever you go over a bump. I think your problem is with the needle valve or some other dirt somewhere in the carburetor.

[Kwa1ski 1]

Thanks for your help guys! I got it to work!

 

I cleaned the needle valve by letting it soak in some gasoline for a few hours. I then pooked a wire through the holes to make sure they were clear. I then turned in the needles till they lightly bottomed out like the manual says. I turned them out the right number of turns and started it up. I fiddled with the screws a little and got it to work just the way I wanted.  I have a link to the manual in previous posts.

 

Thanks guys!