I'm a doctor Jim, not a mechanic!
Well, actually I'm a grave digger, but today I was a mechanic. My goal today was to get the rebuild kit for the lawnmower's carburetor. (what asinine spelling on that word) Have I filled you in my carburetor problems? I forget. I don't think I have, but if I did, skip ahead.
Last week the riding mower died. I replaced the fuel line filter thinking it might be plugged. That and the spark plug seemed to do the trick. But later that day, after mowing most of the morning, the mower died. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I was afraid at first it had run out of oil, but that turned out not to be the case ( I check the oil often). Round and round it went, and I left it over the holiday weekend. When I came in on Tues, the place reeked of gas. The floor was covered under the mower with gas. I assumed it had somehow leaked by the new filter, but no. It was dripping out of the muffler. The plug was soaked. I called my brother for advise, and he said the float in the carb might be screwed up, or there might be something stuck in the needle and seat that is letting fuel flow by. FYI, if you are like me and don't know what the inside of the carb. looks like, it's kind of like your toilet bowl. A float goes up and down with the gas, causing the needle to go up and down shutting off the flow of gas, or letting more in. Pretty simple, but one tiny bit of dirt can mess it up. So my brother came by to show me how to take the bowl off and the float off and make sure it was all cleaned out. ( I looked it up on you tube and there are some good tutorials there)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7tlsEMn2c&feature=player_embedded
Because it was still full of gas and needed to have the oil changed, I didn't try it out then.
The next day I took the oil out, which was full of gas. Just to be sure the carb. was working right, I put some gas in and waited. When I checked the oil again, which I hadn't refilled yet, there was more liquid coming out. The gas was still leaking by.
Long story short, I went to get the carb. kit today. Armed with all the engine numbers, I asked if they had it. They had two kinds, and did I know which carb. it was. ****** I hate that. No, I didn't. (I would have had to take the thing off anyway to see because the name was on the other side of it as it so happens) The rebuild kit, which I didn't get a good look at but I guess just contained a needle and float and some gaskets, was priced at @ $60.00. I honestly thought he was kidding. He asked what the problem was, and I told him and he said to just replace the whole carb. And actually, because I don't know what the problem was, I'm actually thinking that was the better call. The more expensive call mind you, but hopefully the better one. I won't even tell you what the carb. cost. But at least it's metal and stuff, not just three parts.
So I take my prize back to the cemetery. Did I mention Biv was off? I drain the gas, I take the air filter off, I spray the area down with choke cleaner so I can see what I'm doing. I figure out how to take everything off, but when I do get it all disconnected, it still wont come apart. So I again call my brother. Thank god for brothers. He stops by on his way to lunch. One stupid screw later... I had put back a screw that I didn't think mattered, and it happened to be holding the whole thing together. Who'd a thunk? And my brother found a spring that needed to be removed because the carb. is built for two types of engines, and mine was the type that didn't need the spring.
I put it all back together with only one glitch. The carb. was about one mm too large in one area, and I had to cut the plastic just a pinch so it would fit. I hope like hell it is okay. It's where the air comes in, not fuel, so I think it will be fine. It seemed to seal.
Because it was getting late, I didn't try it out. I still have to change the oil again, and run it outside. I'm sure it's going to smoke. But that's for another day. I actually have to test it to make sure the gas isn't still going to run past, but I didn't want to do that over the weekend. My brother also suggested I look for a fuel shut off that I can put in the line. He was surprised that it didn't have one just as a safety measure. No one needs a puddle of gas on their floor.
Of course having gas on my hands for half the week has caused them to start cracking and peeling. I did try to use gloves today, but you end up picking up something and getting grease or gas on you hands, or choke cleaner, no matter what. Bad stuff. The choke cleaner is nasty. Took the paint right off the old parts. Ick. If you ever need to get paint off hinges or anything like that, choke cleaner is the chemical to use. But don't tell the state of California I said that.
I'll let you know how everything turns out. Maybe.
Last week the riding mower died. I replaced the fuel line filter thinking it might be plugged. That and the spark plug seemed to do the trick. But later that day, after mowing most of the morning, the mower died. I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I was afraid at first it had run out of oil, but that turned out not to be the case ( I check the oil often). Round and round it went, and I left it over the holiday weekend. When I came in on Tues, the place reeked of gas. The floor was covered under the mower with gas. I assumed it had somehow leaked by the new filter, but no. It was dripping out of the muffler. The plug was soaked. I called my brother for advise, and he said the float in the carb might be screwed up, or there might be something stuck in the needle and seat that is letting fuel flow by. FYI, if you are like me and don't know what the inside of the carb. looks like, it's kind of like your toilet bowl. A float goes up and down with the gas, causing the needle to go up and down shutting off the flow of gas, or letting more in. Pretty simple, but one tiny bit of dirt can mess it up. So my brother came by to show me how to take the bowl off and the float off and make sure it was all cleaned out. ( I looked it up on you tube and there are some good tutorials there)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7tlsEMn2c&feature=player_embedded
Because it was still full of gas and needed to have the oil changed, I didn't try it out then.
The next day I took the oil out, which was full of gas. Just to be sure the carb. was working right, I put some gas in and waited. When I checked the oil again, which I hadn't refilled yet, there was more liquid coming out. The gas was still leaking by.
Long story short, I went to get the carb. kit today. Armed with all the engine numbers, I asked if they had it. They had two kinds, and did I know which carb. it was. ****** I hate that. No, I didn't. (I would have had to take the thing off anyway to see because the name was on the other side of it as it so happens) The rebuild kit, which I didn't get a good look at but I guess just contained a needle and float and some gaskets, was priced at @ $60.00. I honestly thought he was kidding. He asked what the problem was, and I told him and he said to just replace the whole carb. And actually, because I don't know what the problem was, I'm actually thinking that was the better call. The more expensive call mind you, but hopefully the better one. I won't even tell you what the carb. cost. But at least it's metal and stuff, not just three parts.
So I take my prize back to the cemetery. Did I mention Biv was off? I drain the gas, I take the air filter off, I spray the area down with choke cleaner so I can see what I'm doing. I figure out how to take everything off, but when I do get it all disconnected, it still wont come apart. So I again call my brother. Thank god for brothers. He stops by on his way to lunch. One stupid screw later... I had put back a screw that I didn't think mattered, and it happened to be holding the whole thing together. Who'd a thunk? And my brother found a spring that needed to be removed because the carb. is built for two types of engines, and mine was the type that didn't need the spring.
I put it all back together with only one glitch. The carb. was about one mm too large in one area, and I had to cut the plastic just a pinch so it would fit. I hope like hell it is okay. It's where the air comes in, not fuel, so I think it will be fine. It seemed to seal.
Because it was getting late, I didn't try it out. I still have to change the oil again, and run it outside. I'm sure it's going to smoke. But that's for another day. I actually have to test it to make sure the gas isn't still going to run past, but I didn't want to do that over the weekend. My brother also suggested I look for a fuel shut off that I can put in the line. He was surprised that it didn't have one just as a safety measure. No one needs a puddle of gas on their floor.
Of course having gas on my hands for half the week has caused them to start cracking and peeling. I did try to use gloves today, but you end up picking up something and getting grease or gas on you hands, or choke cleaner, no matter what. Bad stuff. The choke cleaner is nasty. Took the paint right off the old parts. Ick. If you ever need to get paint off hinges or anything like that, choke cleaner is the chemical to use. But don't tell the state of California I said that.
I'll let you know how everything turns out. Maybe.