carburator check

Does anyone clean their carburators regularly? Maintenance I pull is pretty much, oil change, air filter, spark plugs, batterys, fuel filters, oil filters, and blade changes. Curious if theres any other in depth maintenance people go about....

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by LawnMedic Does anyone clean their carburators regularly? Maintenance I pull is pretty much, oil change, air filter, spark plugs, batterys, fuel filters, oil filters, and blade changes. Curious if theres any other in depth maintenance people go about.... As far as cleaning the carburetor, it should only be disassembled and cleaned under these conditions (**NOTE: If you are not completely comfortable with either of these steps, just take it to your favorite small engine shop and let them do it! It will probably be cheaper in the long run.**): A. If the engine is not getting fuel. Basically, if your engine starts and runs correctly there is no need to clean the carburetor. In this case, just make sure you run a fuel stabilizer through your machine. I am not a big fan of using most of the carburetor cleaning products that you put in the gas. They are primarily concentrated alcohol which is typically the biggest problem with carburetors anyway so it makes no sense to pour more carburetor problem creator in your gasoline..... First try to start the engine (make sure the mower has gas in it!!). If it will not start when choked briefly, your carburetor may need to be cleaned. Keep in mind that if your mower has set over winter it may start harder than it did last fall (if it starts at all) if it was not properly winterized. Try giving the engine a shot of starting fluid. If the engine still does not start there may be a deeper problem. If it starts but will not continue to run even with the choke "on", then your carburetor may need cleaned. Try starting it several more times before you decide to clean the carburetor. Only go to the next step if: 1. your engine will not start and continue to run after several attempts, 2. if you are comfortable doing so. B. If you are comfortable disassembling small components! If you are not comfortable disassembling small components do yourself (and your mechanic) a big favor and DO NOT try to disassemble your carburetor!!!! Keep in mind that carburetors have multiple small parts that need to be installed in the correct sequence and properly adjusted. If you are not completely comfortable with this step, do not perform it! Just take it to your favorite small engine shop and let them do it! It will probably be cheaper in the long run. If you intend to clean your carburetor yourself you need to: disassemble it, make sure you don't loose any parts, spray the inside of it with carburetor cleaner, wipe out what you can, and blow it out with compressed air. Now reassemble it and in stall it. If it still does not start take it to your favorite small engine repair shop. There may be a deeper problem than you can repair. And in some cases a brand new carburetor is only $30-50 so it is not worth messing with them. In other cases, carburetors are priced more in the $50-350 range so don't assume a carburetor will be cheap in the event you destroy your old one or lose parts from it!

thanks for the good info. How do you feel about carb/engine cleaners that you put in the fuel when your are running it?

[lnbn1975]

A little SeaFoam in the fuel is a good insurance against carb contamination.

hmm seafoam? never heard of that

[lnbn1975]

Originally Posted by LawnMedic

hmm seafoam? never heard of that

Walmart carries it, as do most auto stores such as Autozone, etc. It comes in a white and red container. Pretty expensive ($8) per can, but you only need about 2 oz per gallon as a preventative. If you have a motor acting up with a fuel problem, put about 2 oz per pint of gas. Believe me, it takes crud out and off. I put some in an older Lawnboy 4 cycle with the Tecumseh engine that I had already cleaned the carb on. Ran it a bit, then let it sit. When I took the carb apart again to check, you would be amazed at the junk in the bowl. Cleaned the jets and float up.

How about that Stab-bil fuel stabilizer. It says that you can use it on every fill up at a less of a rate. Has anyone tried this practice? My mower is up around 1000 hrs which isnt crazy I know but still, I dont want to be stuck with a carb problem in the middle of the year.

[lnbn1975]

I don't know if Stabil will clean/prevent carb problems from a machine that is used regularly. It won't hurt, that's for sure. I thought it was more for equipment that didn't use a lot of fuel and would keep fuel fresh.

Well it says on the label that you can use at every fill up at a lesser rate, theres got to be some preventative with it right?....

was reading some more on the seafoam. You can use in in the oil too? Anyone added seafoam to their oil? They say to do it before you change it....