Why rebuild a carburetor

Find the parts here. Once you finish the rebuild, make sure to use a quality fuel treatment designed for ethanol gas or buy non-ethanol gas when filling up your tank. How does ethanol gum up my carburetor? Barn Find Outboards. Symptoms of a Carburetor that Needs to Be Rebuilt. What is in a Carburetor Rebuild Kit?

The Float -The float controls the fill level and rate of the fuel from the gas tank to the carburetor. Gaskets — Some carburetors separate into two halves or pieces. Gaskets make the air tight seal between these two mating parts. Remove the throttle plate shaft and foam seal. Then, remove the choke plate and choke shaft and felt or foam washer in the same manner. Use your carburetor repair kit to identify replaceable welch plugs. These seals cover openings in the carburetor left over from machining.

Unscrew the main jet from the side of the carburetor pedestal if equipped. Then, unscrew the emulsion tube; it may be screwed in tight. A carburetor screwdriver is the best tool for the job. It's designed to fit the slot in the head or the emulsion tube so that you won't damage the threads inside the pedestal of the tube itself as you loosen it.

Remove the emulsion tube. Step 3: Inspecting the Carburetor. Soak metal and plastic carburetor parts in all-purpose parts cleaner for no more than 15 minutes to remove grit. Or, while wearing safety glasses, spray the parts with carburetor cleaner.

Then, wipe away solvent and other residue thoroughly using a clean cloth. Never use wire or tools because they can damage or further obstruct plugged openings. Inspect all components and use additional carburetor cleaner to loosen stubborn grit and to clear obstructions.

Replace any parts that are damaged or permanently clogged. Brass mixture screws control the air-fuel mixture at high speed and at idle. Over tightening can damage the tip of the screw so that proper adjustment is no longer possible.

Remove any non-metal parts and soak mixture screws in carburetor cleaner for 15 minutes. Then, inspect them carefully for wear. Replace a mixture screw if the tip is bent or contains a ridge. Step 5: Reassembling the Small Engine Carburetor. Install new welch plugs from your repair kit using a pin punch slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the plug. Tap on the punch with a hammer until the plug is flat strong blows with the hammer will cause the plug to cave in.

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When people figure out their carburetor is causing problems they might think they only have two choices. In this article we're going to talk about a third possibility that few realize is an option. What if I told you rebuilding your own carburetor and keeping the original equipment with the automobile is the way to go.

This can be a big deal for automobiles considered collectible classics or will be someday. With that said, rebuilding your own parts can also be the cheapest way to a repaired vehicle. Take a minute to watch the time lapse video of an actual carburetor overhaul on a 4 barrel Holly at the bottom of this page. Join me as we dive into why you should consider a rebuild operation instead of replacing it.

If this isn't right for you, at the bottom we've added a section about buying a high quality rebuilt Rochester carburetor found on General Motors cars. Unfortunately, the carburetor itself is susceptible to some normal wear and tear. The internal parts and gaskets can deteriorate and cause multiple problems. These can also cause some common problems with the way the engine starts and runs. In addition, the gas that sits in the fuel bowl can deteriorate and start to varnish parts inside the carburetor.

However, that isn't the main reason for overhauling the existing part. The fact of the matter is the factory selected the carburetor that would best complement the automobile, transmission and engine selection. Meaning this carburetor was specifically chosen by engineers that built the automobile. Now that we discussed the reasons to rebuild the carburetor that came with the car or truck, let's talk about what's involved.

Removal of the carburetor is a relatively simple operation with removal of four easy to reach bolts. It's also necessary to disconnect the fuel line, carburetor linkage and any vacuum lines. I recommend snapping a picture before you start removing anything so when it's time to reassemble you know where everything belongs.

The standard carburetor overhaul kit comes with all of the seals and gaskets required to perform the operation. Carburetors found on domestic automobiles are held together with long screws that thread into the base plate. Removal of all the screws allows the carburetor to come apart into three sections.

Once you pull the top off, which is called the air horn, you'll see down inside the fuel bowl. This is where the float and the needle and seat are located.