Tecumseh carb

Has anyone ever played with a Tecunseh float type carb? My walk behind 5HP blower started giving me problems this spring with the carb overflowing with gas. After several attempts of cleaning I finally shook the float only to find to had a hole in it!! I got a new float as well as a rebuild kit - You know one of the kits that has about 100 parts in it and you only need 2 of them!! I changed out the needle and seat and it still overflowed with gas. I opened it up again and lowered the float level by bending the brass tab on the float up. Well, that didn't work ether!! I'm about to pull the seat out again and take a look to see if anything is obvious.

Don't know what king of needle you have but if you are using the needle that is all metal then make sure you remove the seat from the barrel. Preassure air from the other side works, careful since the seat will out of the barrell, use a rag or somethign to catch it. When you put the new seat make sure it goes all the in into the seat, make sure you dont kink the seat. Also, the seat has a smooth side, that side should go facing the the needle. If is wrong it won't stop the gas flow. Put the carb upside down, the float should be slightly up, about 1-5 degrees. This will help closing the valve. If you close it too much the motor might quick at high RPM since it will run out of gas. Also, the bowl screw has some holes on the side, is very common for them to get clog. Get a small wire, like a bag tie and use the wire to clean the hole. Let me know if that works, When I was a child I used to fix lawnmover at my brother's shop. I remember most of the things.

Anthony,
Thanks for the advice on the seat position. It worked!! I finished turning the seat over a couple of hours ago and no gas out the carb. I wish I had saved the directions. I still think they state to put the grooved side of the rubber seat towards the needle. After posting the problem, Billy called me up and cautioned me on cleaning the counter bore in the carb under the seat. Evidently the area can get real gummed up. He also said to be real careful no to scratch the bore of the needle and seat.

What a site - I wonder if you can get advice on fixing your lawn equipment over on the MC site!!!

The only good thing that came out of the leaking carb problem is I think I got rid of the skunks that had made a home under my yard shed. The gas leaking out of the carb and then down through the sheds floor did it!

behindpropeller wrote: Pete- Check out these new Epoxy floats that they developed for airplane carbs. A typical piston driven airplane carb really isn't much different than a carb on a tractor. My guess is the ethanol fuel is giving your carb trouble over time...

It was actually the float problem I mentioned. The brass float had a hole in it. I really didn't even need to mess with the needle and seat but bought the rebuild kit at the same time as the float.

BTW, for my gas powered lawn equipment, I buy premium gas! Not that much more money and I do feel it helps with the typical problems.

Tim,
I realize that the premium is a ethanol. Hard to get away from it but, I do feel it does have more additives that should help with keeping things clean. I too have heard of peoples claim to engines getting performance gains from running high octains that aren't needed. It's all in their minds!!!
BTW, I'm getting about 7 seconds from 0 to 60 on my EFI mower!

Sort of on the same topic. I have given up on trying to get Stabil into various powered yard tools at the end of the season. I mix it in the gas year round. The only exception is the riding mower in the spring and summer months when I consume a lot of fuel. Chainsaws,weed whacker, log splitter,etc. You never know what the fuel level will be when you are done for the season.