Big Trouble in Carb Town

[gnarbrah]

Ok - so I went by the parts shop today and picked up a carb rebuild kit for my 1988 20hp Johnson.

Problem #1
Get home and pull the carb off and in the process of pulling the hose off the front coming from the primer the "nipple" snaps off! I thought I did it at first until I noticed what appears to be JB Weld (see pic) in there holding a previously busted fitting (see pic). Now - how do I clean that junk out of there and get the other half of the fitting out??? Is it even possible without compromising future performance issues?

Problem #2
As I begin to think about cleaning it up I look at the high speed jet (I'm assuming that's the brass fitting going through the float) it appears that the little round piece of brass inside the bigger piece is bent and off to the side (see pic). Is this normal? If yes or no how do I remove this setup? It appears to be notched for a screwdriver to unscrew it but I don't want to break anything.

Problem #3
What is all this corrosion (see pic)? It looks like salt deposits to me - has this thing been under water?

To sum it up - Is this thing salvageable or do I need to be looking for a new carb? Motor runs and has good compression by the way.

Thanks and I REALLY look forward to all comments!

 

[aesgator]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

Problem 2 isn't a problem. Thats how supposed to be, so no worries there. I would stop now though and invest in a owners manual. It will save you numerous headaches and money. Otherwise you get into a 1 step forward 2 steps back rut without it. For some reason my computer won't load up some of your pictures (probably my stupid computer), but unless its really bad I wouldn't give up on it yet. Because even if it you completely rebuild it you have only spent at most $30 on that carb, but when you do do something don't try cut corners, just go ahead a do it all they way. Again it will save you lots of headaches.

 

[gnarbrah]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

Thanks for the reply. I did get a manual and it's on its way (probably won't arrive till next week though). I've got a little experience with wrenches and such so I just pulled it off to have a look. Obviously I've run into some issues and haven't gone any further on it. Good to know #2 is normal at least that's one down!

Still hoping for some insight on #'s 1 and 3! Any thoughts on how to save the bowl? Is the corrosion normal?

By the way, I'm having trouble loading diagrams, pictures as well.

Thanks

 

[Rick.]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

I was able to pick up a good used carb for my 4 HP on ebay for 20 dollars. You might want to take a look there. I don't imagine your getting that nipple out if it was soaked in JB weld. I guess you could always try to glue it back into place but will you ever trust it? We are talking about a potential hazard. Rick.

 

[F_R]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

#2, that is not the high speed jet, it is the main nozzle and is not supposed to be removed. It is not shown as a replaceable item in the parts list. The high speed jet is deep in the hole behind the busted nipple.

#3, man those are ugly pictures!!! I agree, it has been sitting a long time with water in it. The only question is where did the water come from? It could have come from the gas tank. If the whole motor was submerged and allowed to sit around and corrode that long, it is long ago condemned to the scrap pile and no carburetor is needed.

#1, You might be able to get away with a new float bowl and related parts, if the upper section is ok. But the upper section is a big "if". From here, I say you need a carburetor.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

thought i had a carb for you. but i don't. you have a Private Message.

 

[gnarbrah]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

Ok so I'm not crazy in thinking this isn't the finest carb specimen around. I agree that it is scary thinking how it got in this condition. Now this brings up 2 more major qurestions:

1
I'm thinking I just need a new carb altogether - Any thoughts on where to look? I know I'll be checking Ebay but are there other models of carbs that will work? I didn't see one for the 20 horse. Also if I do find a 20 horse model - what years will work?

2
The motor runs (before I removed the carb) and it wouldn't surprise me if it has been rebuilt. The paint looks very fresh and there is no corrosion on the outside that I can see. Also, I just looked into the hole the carb mounts over and it looks shiny and new in there. Is it possible this motor is in trouble inside as well? How would I check?

Thanks again for all your insight and keep your eyes and ears peeled for a new carb for me!

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Big Trouble in Carb Town

Most people do not realize that carbs are anodized to keep corrosion to a minimum.

Often they soak the carbs too long in carb cleaner which eats away the hard anodizing, leaving clean aluminum now exposed to the elements, thus this type of corrosion begins. 20 minutes in fresh chemical is usually enough.

Soak the carb in good carb cleaner again to eat away the corrosion.

Get a new fitting to replace the broken one. Check the thread on the new fitting and get the correct tap. Very carefully drill out most of the old fitting then just as carefully, use the tap to finish cutting out the remainder of the old tap, leaving the original aluminum threads in place.