chinese carburetors

[damon91 7]

I have been searching forums on these and haven't found a whole lot. A guy I know gave me a old K301 to get running for him. The throttle shaft is worn very bad like the rest of the motor. I don't want to sink a lot of money in it because I have a feeling its going to burn oil bad. I don't like the Chinese parts, but given the bad condition of the carburetor I don't think its worth rebuilding. I been checking out reviews on the different brands of carburetors and it almost seems like its the luck of the draw if you get one and don't have issues with it.

 

Here is my question. To anyone that has used a bunch of these, is their any particular brand/source that you have had consistently good luck with?

 

Thanks

Damon

[AMC RULES 37,146]

I would suggest you use reputable American source for your purchase, someone who will stand behind the product they sell, and replace it should you encounter any problems.  

[WHNJ701 4,165]

I tried one it was total garbage, the floats are plastic and broke at the hinge a few minutes after using it

[AMC RULES 37,146]

I've used a few of 'em...

with no issues at all, and nothing but success. 

[roadapples 6,983]

Two 95 cent washers from Ace Hardware will probably fix that throttle shaft....

[AMC RULES 37,146]

For another buck you can have a whole new carb.  

[bc.gold 3,403]

Repairing lose throttle shaft is on my to do list, there are stepped reamers available that assure alignment is correct.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by bcgold

[briankd 819]

i was wondering about them china carbs also and im getting my rebuild kit from i save tractors and they use em.   so i contacted them about it and they assured me  i wouldn't have any problems with the carb  and they would stand behind it 

[bds1984 1,466]

I have purchased three of them in the last 3-4 years over ebay and have not had any issues.  Two points I will makes: 1) Your original choke shaft may be 180 degrees from what is on the carb which makes the controls opposite, 2) Clean out the bowl if you do go that route.  All three of mine had some sort of cosmoline in it (it basically smelled like Harbor Freight).  I am going on four years on my C165 and it starts/runs great.

[pacer 3,175]

I've had some 6-7 of em and am currently running 3, with the only glitch was having to reposition the choke lever. With a cost of under $20 you cant go too wrong (the last 2 I got were a whopping $14!)

[Sarge 3,464]

I have one of the knockoff carbs - it works, but the quality of the castings is not really there in my opinion. Personally, I think you're better off going through the engine manual and learning how to re-bush the original Kohler carb and be done with it. Once a bronze or brass bearing is pressed in and the thing properly reamed it should last a very long time once again. Best part - it can be rebuilt over and over. Just be aware than any carburetor that has been allowed to wear too far is beyond help - look closely at the main throat bore - if there is a line worn into one side or the bottom, that casting is junk and cannot be brought back into the specified bore diameter unless you want to bore it out and install a larger throttle valve. On a stock engine - that doesn't work, just fyi. Best to get a good used casting and properly rebuild it - they lasted this long and no reason not to get another 40+yrs out of it. 

 

Chucking reamers are cheap and easy to get the needed size. Easy to use in a drill press or even by hand if you're careful. I recommend drilling the hole out round again with an undersized bit, then using a reamer to finish the hole size to fit the bushing/bearing. Goodson carries piloted reamers to be used in engine valve reaming jobs - they work great if you don't have a good solid drill press. 

 

Sarge

[The Tuul Crib 7,338]

The problem I had with a jap carb is threads are metric an I couldn't hook up the fitting from the old carb on it.

[bottjernat1 2,190]

If you cant rebuild the factory one. i have had very good luck with the chinese ones. Been buying mine off ebay for a few years and haven't had one fail me yet! Yet  is the key word! i've bought them from who ever has the best deal and reputation!! I really recommend buying a rebuild kit and doing it yourself. tons of videos out there on how and there easy to rebuild. i can do it blind folded. LOL Hope this was helpful. 

[oliver2-44 10,370]

13 hours ago, The Tool Crib said:

The problem I had with a jap carb is threads are metric an I couldn't hook up the fitting from the old carb on it.

You can find the carbs with SAE US threads and the correct throttle and choke connection. I messaged the eBay seller to verify. I got this

[oliver2-44 10,370]

@damon91  at the hardware store in all the little grey special parts drawers. You can find 2 little brash washers that are Hillman bronze bushing 68087. You can tap 2 of these in the recess at the top of the housing where the throttle shaft comes through. Test the throttle shaft fit. If it is a lillle tight take a 1/4” drill bit and use it as a hand reamer 

 

Kohler also makes a special repair bushing to drive in this recess kohler part #  2515802-5 But they always seem to be out of stock when I try to order them 

 

sorry I countdown find the numbers for my earlier reply

[tunahead72 2,518]

@oliver2-44 I hate to be a pest, but in the interest of getting the right information out there, can you check the two part numbers you posted?  Fixing a couple of loose throttle shafts is also on one of my lists, so I looked up both these numbers, and they don't look quite right to me...

 

I searched the Hillman web site for part no. 68087, and didn't find anything.  They do have a 58087, which is a 1/4" i.d. x 7/16" o.d. x 1/16" thick bronze thrust bearing.  Is that the part you meant?

 

And I believe the Kohler part you meant is 2515802-S, correct?  They are currently in stock at RepairClinic.com, and probably other online places as well.  They're pricey though, about $10 a piece.

 

Thanks!

 

And @damon91 I can't give you any particular advice on your original question.  If the carb you have is original to the engine, then the rebuild kits and throttle shaft repairs the guys here have already mentioned might fix your problem, and that's personally the way I would go to start.  If that doesn't work, or you just don't want to put the time into repairing something that might not work (I get that), I myself would probably start with isavetractors.com.  His aftermarket carbs have a lot to offer, at a reasonable price, and he stands by all his products, plus he's just a very personable guy to deal with.  Other guys here have some particular eBay sellers they use with confidence, hopefully they'll chime in here too.

 

[pfrederi 18,334]

I use these

[tunahead72 2,518]

On ‎2‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 9:02 AM, Sarge said:

... Personally, I think you're better off going through the engine manual and learning how to re-bush the original Kohler carb and be done with it. Once a bronze or brass bearing is pressed in and the thing properly reamed it should last a very long time once again. Best part - it can be rebuilt over and over...

 

Hey @Sarge Thanks for reminding us all about the service manual.  I tend to forget it's here, but the section about replacing the throttle shaft is very helpful here, especially the exploded view of the throttle and choke shaft assemblies.

 

[Sarge 3,464]

No problem - I always push the use of factory service manuals as much as possible. The folks that actually built the equipment know what they are talking about and are the best resource to restore something to original spec. If you want to really tackle a shaft rebuild - invest in a Dremel tool or similar. I have a cordless Hitachi and it has become a favorite around here for its good torque level, decent battery life, and portability. A simple, quality set of double cut carbide die grinding tools will help a lot with small engine carb rebuilds. I use a rounded head carbide to grind off the tips of the peened throttle shaft screws before removing them since many times the shaft can be re-used. I do prefer to use the Kohler screws if I have time to wait for them - they are high quality and very strong despite their tiny size. I generally just buy or make my own bushings here, either from brass or thin-walled bronze. Installing the bushing is not hard but it's a good idea to use the correct size reamer to cut the hole out first, then another sized correctly to do the final bore fit for the shaft. Using a bushing like that will increase the service life of the carb versus the original die-cast zinc bore - the bushing will probably outlive all of us. I always center punch those throttle shaft screws when I'm done setting the throttle valve into the bore at the correct angle - nothing worse than wrecking a valve or piston from one lousy errant screw.

 

Sarge

[peter lena 9,092]

I  can relate to the Chinese garbage out there, and have had carb issues with them, last carb I bought I got from , https://isavetractors.com/ , asking about their carb detailing , (  it comes in a sealed bag  )  the carb is built to us specs and verified operation. I installed that carb , and have not touched it ,it starts instantly and has no issues at all. they are not cheap , but the great results I have with it are worth it, pete 

[Herder 2,354]

Carbs from IST come with a one year warranty, over time i have purchased at least 5 or 6 of them and yet to have an issue.  I've got one on the shelf of my Charger 12 and not had time to install it. Weekend project. 

Edited February 12, 2019 by Herder

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,204]

I've had good luck with the $20. (Ebay) Chinese carbs that I buy for my Tecumsehs.     Bought a $85 O.E.M  through Parts tree 6 or 7 years ago...open the box and it said "made in China"....and it didn't work very well!