Small engine, carb gummed up part 2

Some of you may have seen my thread on ethanol in gasoline and what it does long term to carbs in small engines that sit for periods of time.
Well, I dropped of my genny to the small engine repair shop last Wednesday and they assumed it was ethanol gumming up the carb after I described the issues. I got a call Saturday saying it was the carb and it had to be removed for cleaning and they suggested a new spark plug. Long story short, they wanted $168 to finish the service, I told them no way. I'm picking it up tomorrow after they call. Too much money!

Does anyone have any experience with cleaning a gummed up carb from using ethanol fuel that got old while sitting? Looks like I'm fixing this myself.

 

It's a 2 yr old generac that has maybe 4 hrs max of running time on it. Because it's a smaller generator the carb was kind of buried in the exteriors housing so the repair shop said it was time consuming to fix. I had been running it monthly and this fall time got away from me and voila, paying the price now.

 

Maybe you buying the carb wont be so expensive. The shop was going to mark up plus labor. Id look into the price of a new carb and go from there. Also I would look into access to the carb to drain when not in use and fuel shutoff.

 

No shut off valve on your Generac? I have a mid-size unit with shut-off so running the carb dry after each regular start-up is nice - I'd definitely put in a shut-off valve when you repair/replace the carb. I wouldn't think significant corrosion in a few months of non-use, but you never know - I'm guessing a cleaning and possible kit would have you back in business. But, a quick glace at eBay prices and not knowing your model - looks like kits will run near $20, and a new carb ranging between $50-70, so might not be a huge difference to replace. Personally, I'd just clean the carb well, no kit, and try her out before ordering anything. Cheers!

 

You bringing the beer?

 

Check out the welding supply section of HD/Lowes/hardware store and pick up a set of oxy-acetylene torch tip cleaners and a couple cans of carb cleaner.
The carb should come off easy - few screws to remove air filter cover and then typically two 10mm nuts/studs to take the carb off - just make note of the governor linkage&spring position(take a pic if necessary).
The bowl should come off the bottom with one nut and then clean the main jet with a torch tip cleaner, blow carb cleaner through all passages. Taking the float needle out is easy getting them back in can be a bit frustrating, so verifying flow by pressing the fulcrum and spraying cleaner through the passage will usually work.

 

You can install a cut off right into the fuel line yourself.$2-$3 bucks at most.
I just did it on a riding mower that I couldnt get to stop leaking past the seat and would hydraulic motor to keep it from starting.

 

These generators often have very small pin-hole fuel nozzle entry points into the carbs which get clogged with any foreign debris (sand/dirt) which is a KILLER, that's why they normally have a very fine screen/filter in the bottom of the tank pickup. Also, if you leave etho fuel in the lines and carb for a month or longer, it will get gummed up from the natural humidity in the air. ANY water droplets mixed with ethanol becomes a yellow gum-like substance. This stuff clogs hoses, nozzles, and carbs. 99 out of 100 times when a small engine these days won't start or is running poorly, the problem is this gum clogging the carbs fuel port. Most of the time you don't need to replace the carb, or even remove and clean out the carb to fix this problem. All you have to do is remove the fuel line from the bottom of the fuel tank and blow compressed air into the line. Use 10 or 20 lbs. of air pressure, it usually doesn't take much. If it is a clog, it will blow it all out of the lines/fuel ports, and out of the carb. (REMOVE the carb cover 1st, so it go out into the air and not into the motor if possible). I can't tell you how many times I have done this to my own, and other peoples motors. Sometimes if you out in the field somewhere (no air available), the carb cleaner will work also, between it's air pressure blowing into the carb, and it's cleaner properties, it will break down the etho clog and fix the problem.

I have installed both a cutoff (as above) AND a drain port on all my small motors. So now when I am done using them if I will use it within 1 month, I will just shut off the cutoff and let the motor run dry. If I will not use it for over 1 month, I run the motor dry with the cutoff valve, and then drain the entire fuel tank dry. To do this, simply install a "T" in the hose line a few inches after the fuel tank, on one side of the T install the cutoff and continue on to carb with the old hose. On the other side of the T, install another cutoff and a short piece (6" or so) of hose with nothing on the end. Leave this cutoff closed always, except to drain the tank.

I've done this to my generator, tractor, snow blower, gas hedger, weedwacker, 5hp outboard dinghy motor.... haven't had any problems since!

 

Seafoam works good too for cleaning the carb.

I have a small Honda EU2000 generator that I've had for awhile now. I had a no start issue with it when it was new. However, I was convinced that it couldn't be bad gas because I'm OCD with my equipment and the gas (ethanol) was treated (sta bil) and maybe 30 days old. So, I just dropped it off at the dealer for warranty work figuring something was wrong mechanically. A day later they called and told me bad gas. I had to pay a diagnostic and old gas disposal fee which made me angry but I learned my lesson with ethanol gas.

The generator was used weekly during the summer on my boat but the boats gone now so it see's little use. What I did was buy 4 quarts of the Tru-Fuel 4 cycle gas and put it in. It's ethanol free and lasts 2 years. I exercise the generator every time I vacuum car's which is 1-2 times a month so I have to add a quart every 4-5 months. But I have the piece of mind that the gas is good if I need it in an emergency.

 

That sounded just as good as any repair manual basod .
Thank you for that

 

So, do you put the tru-fuel in just as it sits and occasionally test runs? And if need be run the genny with sta-bil treated ethanol fuel if it's needed for longer (like an emergancy). The ethanol free fuel the small engine shop had was $20 per quart.

 

I live in an area that's had ethanol added to ask fuel for about 20 years now. The carb probably just needs a good cleaning/ replacement parts in the carb.
I just had the carb rebuilt on my Tecumseh 5hp snow king snow blower motor. The bill for taking a carb to my small engine guy, all new carb parts cleaned and rebuilt, new recoil cord, and rebuilt recoil assembly was $23.50. A couple hours assembly and tuning on my part with figuring out Tecumseh's governor/ throttle linkage and it ran as good as new. Pretty good for a 1988 model that's only seen e10 it's entire life.
I don't use stability. Just use the shut off, run the gas out of the carb until it dies, and store it. Funny thing is, that was the prescribed storage method for seasonal/ seldom used things before ethanol was around.

 

Would something as simple as gumout clean this fuel system for me?

 

I'd go with sea foam once you get it running. Sometimes just dropping the bowl and blasting some carb cleaner in there and the fuel pickup is a quick 5 minute $5 fix.

Just dig in, post some pics with questions. You can certainly get this done.

 

Probably not at this point. Take the carb off, soak it in carb cleaner and replace the wear parts. There's a ton of carbs out there, you just have to get the right pieces. Luckily for me I "have a guy" that does this as a side job and it's easier for me to drop off the carb and recoil and just have him do the dirty work. But it's not difficult. Look up the carb/ motor model online and find a microfiche and instructions on rebuilding the carb. The internet is an amazing resource.

 

Correct. In the event I had to run it for day's on end I'd use plain old gas cause the canned fuel is pricey. But I haven't needed to run it longer than 10 minutes a month vacuuming cars so the canned fuel works fine.

I'd double check the canned fuel pricing in your area though. I can get the stuff for 6-7 dollars a quart.

I do the same with my chain saws. Use canned fuel unless I'm going to be running a saw all day. If I use a can up cutting some wood every so often I don't sweat it. Beats dealing with ethanol gas and dumping it every time I get home. For the saw I run VP Racing Fuels small engine fuel at 50:1.

 

+100. Love Seafoam as well!!

Wow! I can't remember the last "year" I vacuumed my car!! Ok, I guess the car wash last summer hit it, but.....!