Carb rebuild

[MarcusB]

Hi guys, I'm rebiluding a #26 kohler/carter carb from my 122. I got a Kohler kit from Madsens, & took my old carb apart, the seat portion of the neele & seat in the old carb has 4 holes near the base. The new kit seat base does not. Did someone put a wrong needle & seat in my old carb?? I confirmed w/Madsens that I have the correct kit for a Kohler/Carter #26.I am wondering if either are acceptable, & if any of you that have alot more experince than I have seen this before? Once again, your expertise is appreciated. Marcus B.

[ksanders]

Marcus,
If I'm thinking about the same thing you are (and believe I am), then I have seen some old enough ones with the holes. The new ones do not have those holes and work all the same. Again, I think I'm talking about the same thing as you. The brass piece that screws into the carb base and needle fits in?

[ksanders]

On a side note, weren't older needles all metal and newer ones have a rubber tip? Can't wait for someone else to confirm all this. I'm curious again.

[Paul B]

Kevin,
Yes.

Marcus,
I assume you are talking about the needle and seat for the float, and if so, either type/kind will work. You can find different types of seats depending on who made the the carb kit, Kohler or an aftermarket company, and whether it is an older Kohler or new version.

[MarcusB]

Thanks guys,Yes its the needle & seat for the float, I'll put it together see how it works. Marcus B.

[vince_o]

Set the float even

[PTWannaHave]

Hello Carb Experts!

I am rebuilding a #30, which I believe is the correct carb for my 14hp Kohler. This carb had most likely been tinkered with in the past...

I cannot get the float to sit horizontally as it should; it seems like the hinges are not appropriate... I took a float out of a #26 carb sitting on the shelf, and it too does not fit the #30 carb appropriately. (And no amount of adjusting the bend on the tab would make it work.)

Can someone confirm that the float for a #30 carb is actually a bit different (in the hinge profile) than for other more common carbs on the 8-10-12hp engines?

Thank-you in advance,

[ksanders]

I don't remember them being different but haven't messed with one in several years

Is the needle and seat the correct one? If it was too tall or short, it would cause an issue. Do you have a picture?

[Klapatta]

The float used for the 10 thru 16 HP engine is the same according to parts lookup, and yes that's the way I remember it as well.
KH-25-757-03-S
Perhaps the needle and seat are a mismatched set ?

[PTWannaHave]

Hmmm... Interesting... Thanks for the feedback!

I will post some pics as soon as I can.

Bye for now,

[PTWannaHave]

Issue resolved. I'm a bit embarrassed to explain why...

Turns out that the brass fitting that holds the float needle was not screwed in all the way into the carb housing... After about 3/4-1 turn, the float sat as it should.

So, it was not easy to turn that brass fitting tight, for lack of being able to get a good grip on it with something... I did the best I could with needle nose pliers, but perhaps someone here has figured out a better way...?

Cheers,

[JMotuzick]

I use a 1/4 drive deep socket. It should be 3/8. Unless your using a aftermarket kit, then all bets are off....

[PTWannaHave]

Yeah, I tried a deep socket, but its wall was too thick to fit inside the carb housing... (Not much space/clearance where the hinge pin goes...)

[Dave C]

this is where some nice cheep Chinese sockets do the trick... the cheaper the better less steel equals thinner wall.

or you take it to the bench grinder and make it smaller!!!!

[JMotuzick]

1/4 drive is the key! I use the crapsman ones.

[Klapatta]

I took a standard 1/4" drive 3/8" socket and turned the outside dia. down to 1/2" and keep it as around as special purpose tool, works great.

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[PTWannaHave]

OK then, I don't feel so bad for not having the 'correct' tool for the job...!

Thanks for the good ideas,

[PTWannaHave]

OK, so I finished rebuilding this beat-down carb, and have made a custom rubberized bushing for the throttle shaft to remove excessive play. (Got the idea on this forum.) The shaft does turn, but with some resistance. (It has been oiled.) It probably would not move unless the carb was shaken strenuously...

In a normal situation, that shaft turns without resistance... How mush resistance is acceptable?

If this repair does not work, I am thinking it's time for a new carb. I am eyeing the following: http://isavetractors.com/kohler-carbure ... 1-m14-m16/.

Thank-you in advance,

[ReicheP]

A standard Craftsman 3/8" "Nut Driver" works well for R&R of the needle valve seat.

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[PTWannaHave]

No thoughts on my previous question about resistance, eh...?!

[Tom Scott]

Ben - My concern would be that the governor will have difficulty adjusting the carb properly with any noticeable resistance. Worst case scenario is that the engine over-revs before the governor can overcome the resistance. Even if not that bad, the engine could end up hunting; it will need to slow down or speed up too much before the governor overcomes the resistance and end up in a situation where it is constantly "chasing its tail". If you could ream the bushing to remove the resistance, or better yet use brass, that would be better.

[PTWannaHave]

Many thanks, Tom!

You confirmed what my limited experience suspected... I'll have to look at my options...

Bye for now,

[PTWannaHave]

Hello all,

Winter is back, so I'm back at it inside the shop... Looking for thoughts on places to buy a new or rebuilt #30 carb for my 14hp... (I mentioned a place previously in this thread.) I'm finding prices between 30. to 130. on the internet... Not terribly useful...

Thank-you in advance,

[Klapatta]

Ben, I have this remanufactured #30 just laying around, I can't remember right now if it's a 15/16" or a 1.0".
I test ran it on a K301 for about 20 minutes and it worked better than great. No play in the throttle shaft. I ran it out of fuel before taking it back off.

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The price is nice, send pm if interested-

[BigMike]

And if ya'll have carbs you took out of service because of loose throttle bore don't toss it. A 1/4" reamer and a new shaft and it's like new again.

[PTWannaHave]

Hey Kenneth, thanks for the lead! I'll PM you.

Mike, how does 1/4" reamer and new shaft solve a now out-of-round, larger than original 1/4" bore hole...? (There's something I'm missing...)

Bye for now,

[BigMike]

Reaming the hole over its original size makes it round again.

[Tom Scott]

Mike - Is the missing link that the replacement shafts are larger in diameter than the original? Are the new shafts from Kohler?

[BigMike]

Now i see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw. Original shaft is, I believe, 3/16" and the new shop made one is 1/4"

[Tom Scott]

Ok, now we're getting somewhere! So does shop made mean "Big Mike made", or are there commercially available oversize shafts? The other method would to be to bush the carb if the original shaft was still round...