Same here bough several, even recommended some to my cousin for her mower and she bought them on Amazon bolted them up and they've all started and ran fine, not gonna lie, they 2 cycle carbs do need a little fine tuning but they run great, some kits even have the pac-man tool or the splined tool to adjust them, the ones i bought for the mowers have ran great.
We replaced a carb on a Cub Cadet 126 ride on mower, had been sitting 6-7 years, the "amazon" carb cost $25, third turn over of the engine it fired right up and ran perfectly, ran all last season and fired up again this spring and runs well still.
Ive bought 4 for four different engines. Only had to adjust one out of four so far. They are all still great, they all fire up fast, rev high, and idle perfect. Only complaint is the primer bulbs feel cheap , but they usually send a couple of replacements with the carbs. They are so cheap I decided to go ahead and get all of my old broken down engines/tools running again.
Same here. Been through 3-4 on different garage sale finds and all have been perfect. I've started installing fuel shut-offs on everything and always run them out of fuel before putting away.
Zajac Motorsports that’s the key to them not having separated fuel in them come season time. Run them out and as they stall, hit the choke to try and extract every drop from the bowl.
I have had very good success with the Chicom carbs, though I purchase from eBay dealers. I needed a carb for a Sear Chipper, vacuum, that used a Tecumseh 5.5hp engine. The dealers that still had shelf stock of genuine Tecumseh carbs wanted stupid money, meaning more than $60. The carb I purchased came with both air filters, gasket, spark plug and the carb. Installed and pushed primer bulb three times and fired right up. This machine never started this easy when it was new 20 years ago.
I purchased one for my Tecumseh 10 hp motor and worked right out of the box perfect. wish I could find one for my B&S 6hp the carb parts are very expensive.
Bought one for the 200x three wheeler. It looked the same, at close glance there were multiple differences. Evident to save on production costs. Ended up rebuilding the OE one. Smiled on the (had to take a break and hours later) comment. Great video Moe!
I have bought 3 cheap chinese carbs for my old 15 year old echo weed eater and blower and two worked great and the other one was dead in the water. This last one I bought for $14 with spark plug , hoses and filter worked without adjustment on the second pull and has worked great for the last month that I h ave been using the tool. It seems that with chinese junk sometimes it is good quality and other times it just falls apart.
I hate to pile on with everybody else, but those ebay carbs have saved my butt 5 or 6 times so far. I just buy the first fixed pot one I can find, slap it on and 95% of the time it's fixed.
I get them often for trimmers , mowers , saws and such and never had a problem. Like any new carb give em a taste of cleaner to enhance draw and away it goes. Have never had to adjust either.
Similar problem on a Stihl trimmer... tried for months to get to run right. Gave up and rebuilt the original 11 year old carb and it now runs perfect again.
Chinese carbs without that rubber diaphragm work like a charm. I got a replacement Chinese carb for a Honda fortrax 250. Still running to this day, didn’t have to tune in or mess with anything.
I have replaced a ton of clogged carbs with cheapies from amazon and ebay and so far I only had to replace one that didn't want to stay adjusted. Still,that was cheaper than buying the OEM.
I have a Chinese carb for Tecumseh H50 on a generator, and due to strange Manufacturing, I only needed to open the idle and Main Jet mixture screws somewhere between an 1/8-1/4 of a turn, to achieve the proper mixture. Some of the older generators that I collect, I only wish that the chinese made aftermarket carburetors for them, they use a side draft Zenith type 1408g carburetor, and a new carb from the manufacturer is about $350 !!!, And good luck finding a used one on eBay, and if you manage to find one, when one gets listed, they last for maybe a day or two before they sell!
Put one on my echo cs3450,6 bucks from amazon, echo had bad check valve,needles needed to be adjusted quite a ways out before it ran good,now it does run well.
Great video and subject Moe! I bought a couple of those Chinesium carburetors from Amazon and my findings mirror yours almost exactly. I ended up just using parts out of them to rebuild the original carbs like you said. I see the water dog is still crazy about the garden hose water. LOL!
Ive had exactly the same experiences with every china two stroke carb ive tried. All have flooded the engine even with screws fully seated due to being jetted way too large. I have finally learned my lesson the hard way. I was wondering if others had the same problems.
I used one on an old honda mower that worked fine out of the box. Didn't go that route with the leaf blower sitting on my bench now. 2 stroke is too fiddly to mess around with Chinese carbs. A real rebuild kit was as much as a whole Chinese carb (counting shipping) but I'll trust it to work. Time is money.
I am a full-time mechanic cars and machinery I've used up to 100s of cheap Chinese carbs yes there not as God as a genuine 1 but I have had enough success with that it's worth the 10 pound they normally are they always need tuning but usually get somwhere very near to spot on at the worst I use all the bits to repair the genuine carb u can't buy a gasket set for the same money
I've used literally over 100 chinesium carbs off ebay and amazon on everything from riding mowers to chain saws... I've never had that problem. All so far are plug n play, other than the occasional adjustment. I think you got the one in a 1000 bad carb.
It was a perfect match for me for still chainsaw! Seems like you are the only person with an issue! I stopped rebuilding and have a pile of original carbs in a box. Cheap replacement clone carbs is my default maintenance solution.
Where the cable hooks to the carb, there is a tiny rubber stopper, You may need eye glass screw driver or dental pick to remove stopper, once removed, you will see a jetting screw down inside there. I use eye glass flat tip screw driver to turn it. Screw it out to fatten and in to lean it.
Nice video, I know your struggle. I like to keep an extra OEM carb on hand for my equipment so that if the carb needs to be rebuilt, I can do it during the winter when I have some spare time instead of when I need to be working.
I've had good luck with these cheap replacements, but this vid has me thinking I should rebuild my OEs. Besides, it never hurts to have a working spare. Now to see if I still have the originals.
I repair generators. The Chinese aftermarket carbs are inexpensive and work well. If I can, I will always rebuild the OEM carbs as I find the Japanese and American made carbs use a higher quality metal that is not prone to pitting as a result of ethanol fuel and improper long term storage. Having said that, the Chinese aftermarket carbs are usually 1/10th the cost of the the OEM ones.
I bought one for my lawn mower and it worked well right out of the box. The old carb float was plastic and warped so it was flooding. New one works great.
I'm glad you showed this video. This is why I still clean my OEM carbs thoroughly and rebuild them most of the time, unless their totally trashed. I've had better results with the 4 cycle engines, but even with those, many times, they just wont run like they should. The last afternarket carb I did was on a 5hp L head Tecumseh, because the original carb was shot, the engine surged with the aftermarket carb, I could not stop it. It ran, but ran like crap. I've had better luck with the Oregon's at about half the price of an OEM, but when I can get an OEM carb cheap or a good used one, I go that road. The two strokes I don't mess with too much and now a lot of the newer two strokes have junk carbs from the start anyway. But yea if the OEM carb can be fixed, I always do that first...
I rarely work on two strokes anymore besides the occasional chainsaw. There's just not enough resale or customer money for the time spent on something like a weed eater. I figured if I could find a good 2 stroke carb supplier; then a $10, 10 minute fix for a $50 weed eater may be worth it. So far nope.
@@sixtyfiveford I agree, working on two strokes is usually a pain. 100 screws, everything is tiny and you get all beat trying to pull the cord a bunch of times, not to mention the blister. 4 cycles are usually a lot easier. I'll fix it its a Stihl or something like that, the cheap stuff I usually wont bother with.
With the poor gas we have these days, it seems that we are all becoming carburetor experts. Thanks for the video I’ve always wondered about those cheap carburetors. But honestly to rebuild them takes about the same on a time like you said. Happy trails Luke
Sure they "work" but I have yet to see one work fully to 100% peak engine performance. I just put another one on yesterday and the engine runs good, revs good, but with my 20years of carb service I know it's only allowing the engine to run at maybe 90% power. That's the best China carb I've gotten so far. I have helped hundreds online with trouble shooting their poor performing new carbs. Everything from enlarging jets to shrinking them for altitude. These are the perfect solution for a beat up piece of equipment that just needs to see another year or two and then will need servicing again because the neglectful owner left crappy gasoline in it again.
I've bought about 5 of the chinesium carbs and all work great so far mine have all been for B&S and Kohler v twins this video would have been totally awesome in 3D, pull/pull/pull at the camera
I bought one two summers ago for my Troy-Bilt riding lawn mower I think I paid $18 and it came with really shity fuel hose and Janke clamps... the carburetor is still kicking today but the hoses and clamps I never used...I just pulled them off the Briggs and Stratton Nikki carburetor and used my old fuel line...those Chinese carbs are certainly worth 20 bucks though..🇺🇸
@@sixtyfiveford I don't know that it's trashed...I think it just needed a rebuild... I rebuilt it last year just in case the $20 carburetor gives me problems.. I can swap the Nikki back on... but for now, as long as the cheap carb is running...I'll run it....👍
Those Chinesium carbs are for last ditch efforts only, or if you get an oldie with missing parts. At least in my experience, I totally agree on the rebuild OE if possible. Your dog cracked me up, he was really getting those leaps -good pup 😁
Great video with a great conclusion. I don't do a ton of carb work but I've bought a couple of the cheapo $9 carbs in the past. They always work but not without a ton of dinking around with. But when your on a budget and a rebuild kit for a diaphragm carb costs more than the chineseium knock off as long as you have the time to mess with them they are worth it. But just barely. As for how long they work for I haven't really ran one for an extended time period so I couldn't tell you but I bet it won't be without having to mess with it from time to time.
A lot of them from the factory aren't much better. You can get those Murrays and Weed Eaters from Walmart these days and some of them won't even work out of the box. And it seems that once they want to start acting up, no amount of adjusting or rebuilding ever makes them run just right again. Or you'll think you did, and then it won't run cold.
Glad I ran across this. I'm restoring an HT 22 model, and kinda happy that I decided to just do a rebuild on the original carb. Still weird though, I've never had too many problems with the knockoffs. Maybe they're losing what little quality control they have 🤷♂️
I have not had the same experience with the cheap carbs. 4 carbs on 3 pieces of equipment over the last few years. All started easily and required no adjustments at all.
I buy China carbs for my mowers and never out of a dozen + have never had a problem with any and they were always adjusted right out of the package. However it’s the shipping time that’s a hassle to wait for delivery. Well worth the savings.
I bought one for my generator It would work so I eventually took the bowl off to have a look. There was a little metal cap/plug rolling around in there loose. I took it out and it seems fine now
I remember when these aftermarket/clone carbs were becoming common to find on ebay 10 or so years ago and i remember thinking "theres no way these new carbs for under $20 can be any good" but back then i had a pretty high success rate with them, usually 9 times out of 10 they would work great if not the seller would usually send another one no questions asked. But recently in the past 2-3 years i have had nothing but trouble with then and now they almost never work or ever run "right". Nowadays i try to fix the original or look for an oem carb or a good rebuildable original. These clones are a good alternative though if you have an obsolete machine and have no other option then it can save the machine from the scrap pile.
I have had good luck with the Milttor carbs I bought for both Kohler and B&S engines. The aftermarket Kohler has the same numbers and name on it as the original carb.
I bought a new aftermarket carburetor for my boat, is was four times cheaper than paying for OEM. It works pretty well but the carburetor hates any trash in the fuel or gummy ethanol, my advice for anyone having trouble with the carb is to install a secondary fuel filter or a fuel water separator, also use fuel stabilizer.
I've had good luck with them . I just put one on my girlfriend Poulan weed eater. I tried cleaning the carb several times. I had extra parts from another one I fixed a while back but still couldn't get it going without that new carb. I try to buy the carbs kit that comes with carb and spare fuel lines, pump bulb, filters and spark plug. It seems that I remember way back taking the new carb apart and using the old body with the new carb parts. If you get board you can come over and work on my weed eaters. I got like 5 or 6. I got a Lincoln welder and a Kohler generator that I haven't got to work on either.
Having to close both jets to get it to run and not flood is the problem I have way to often. The holes are drilled to large for the jet to seal. The carb for my 8 hp Briggs 4 stroke has issues with the metering of fuel to the main jet. One time it's flooding and the next time it's starving for fuel. The float/needle seat nearly always will not seal and the fuel runs overfill.
I've always had good luck with these cheapo carbs, perfect for replacing the hopeless originals. I always try to rebuild, but sometimes it's just not possible and it just needs to be replaced. I don't think I've ever had a tunable one be plug and play, they ALWAYS require tuning, which really is a true art. The fixed jet ones I've had good luck with. Sometimes tweaking and modifying is necessary, but I guess that's what you get for sub $20 carbs. Love your videos, I've learned a ton from them.
I generally rebuild using my ultrasonic cleaner, but occasionally I’ll run into a stubborn one that just won’t respond. I’ve only had one aftermarket carb that had a problem out of the box. I wouldn’t prime up for anything. Turned out to have an incorrect gasket on the metering side.
Nice video: I have had pretty good luck in my shop with those aftermarket carbs. One time I had a complete failure. Use them on Honda's with very good results. Thanks
I trust the the stock carbs way more. I find it's much simpler to try and rebuild the original carb. I keep metering diaphragms on hand and swap that out first before doing the full carb kit and that usually does it. I would not be surprised if you were to take the lever adjusting tool for the walbro carb and adjust the lever on the needle valve to spec it may run correctly on the cheap carb. I see it time and time again where people just buy the cheap carb and spend more time chasing their tail than if they had just bought a carb kit and replaced the diaphragms. Hard to beat the real Walbro or Zama carbs.
Thanks for this!! I've been tempted. I have a Tecumseh until with a card that almost worked after sitting for 15 years. I took it apart, cleaned it, not it won't start at all. I was very clean in my cleaning practice. The carb had the dried yellow deposits in it, but was not corroded. Did a bit of dirt get lodged somewhere? Don't know. Now I feel like I need to buy a kit with Welch plugs, etc. Urrrgh. I guess I just don't have when it comes to small engine carbs.
The last 4 I got have been very problematic, but prior ones have worked out reasonably well. I did just get a confirmation from a long time customer today that the $17 Chinese carb I put on his 4 stroke weed eater 2 years ago is working great. My biggest issue is I decide to pull a scrap weed eater out of the parts pile as I think I can put a $10 carb on in 10 minutes, tune it in 5min and sell it for $50. However, even the good running ones eat more time than that with unnecessary fiddling(fuel ports pointing wrong direction, throttle hook up different, choke lever modification required) and I feel like I putting an unreliable item into a customers hands. This budget $10 carb is easily a $30 carb with my time/effort and I only made a few bucks an hour. Also the carbs never allow me to tune them to the proper fuel air mixture that I am used to with oem carbs (talking 2 stroke stuff). I feel like in the long run I am better off putting a new diaphragm/fuel pump into these and cleaning the old carb and I still only make a few dollars. That's if the carb doesn't have swollen or damaged one way check valves. I just wish we could buy a Walbro or Zama for $20 like the oem manufactured did and put it on. Maybe these Chinese clones will put pressure on the big brands and they'll drop their prices.
I bought a china knock off carb for my 4whlr, finally got it on and the jets that came with it were to big and wouldn't interchange with any I had..... Cleaned up/repaired the old one and moved along. 9/10 would order again but check all jets before ordering.....
Most of your videos I totally agree with , the little 2stroke carbs may be totally different. I haven't used the little 2 stroke carbs , but the Honda clones work great , like I put them on old Briggs , Kohler , Wisconsin , and maybe other engines. Of course I make adapter plates for them along with linkage. Anyway for usually less than $10 I can get an obsolete engine running better than it ever did with the outdated carburetors they came with that were temperamental even when new. Also any of the points n condenser ignition on older engines I've used the Clonda coils that are $8 to do away with all that antique technology. You do have to drill new mounting holes in the coils to mount on the oddball engine you are putting it on. But they throw spark like crazy and no more sanding and setting points.
Great video. I'm a auto mechanic that's disabled( thxs M.S.) small engine work is rewarding as I can do it sitting. I usually just rebuild carb. Only buying a new OEM carb if needed, which is seldom. I ordered a Chinese carb, and it never ran right. In this case, it was running lean. I did adjust it, and it ran okay, not great. To me, it's not worth the time wasted to get it to run, just okay . An example of running just okay? Having your run a weedwacker or snowblower on half choke. To me that's not a option. It runs right. Or not at all.
Some work out ok while others never seem to run right. I had mixed results but for the price, even if one in three is no good it's still a lot cheaper than an over priced original part. Swings & roundabouts.
I've had pretty good luck with eBay/Amazon carbs. On my old chainsaws that I have in my collection I just get rebuild kits to keep them as original as possible
Yes! It was so many problem to me When replaced china carburetor its starts leaked gas fro. Carburetor then never stop Gas tank became an empty.. Or carburetor gasket does not fit 2 out of 3 so few seconds started engine then stopped engine. If you are lucky its will be ok but not long life So after many problem l gave up to use china carburetor l do try to find genuine carburetor. They must be improve this issue. Because they must think deeply before loos customer. Quality first with reasonable price and think about Total cost. Not only carbutrtor sum pump too And its will be huge increasing huge scrap in the world too. Thank you
I’ve had pretty good luck these .. just some just take a while to dial in or don’t prime very well .. hit or miss what you get .. sometimes just have to tweak the diaphragm/metering valve tension.
The China carburetors I've got and used from Amazon are about 75% good 25% bad . And still have to do some to none modified work on-them . For instance got a replacement for a Honda had too use the step system on the idle jet and after four attempts of drilling it out - finally passable run out . Have had to send two of the same exact two cycle carburetors back to Amazon that were bad right off the bat that had a100% no hassle return policy - and they were great to honor there warranty too . So yes I would order a two or four cycle carburetor again from them again ( Amazon. ) Just make sure when you order too get some kind of good return policy with it . Food for thought .....
All of the small gasoline tools on the market today are made in China, the carburetors on them are made there too. I use them regularly with no problem, right out of the package. No adjusting needed
well crap! I have a robin engine on a golf cart thats running bad. I was thinking of going chinesium with a new carb. maybe I'll just rebuild the original. I just want to get it running so I can send it on its way to another owner.
I think the larger 4 stroke engines are more lenient about their carbs. I know the 4 stroke Honda clone carbs all seam to work great. Order it from Amazon and just return it if it doesn't work. I have a pile of weed eaters that could sell for $50-60. So I was hoping to throw a $10 carb and ten minutes of my time into them. I think they're destined for the trash.
Yes. My 25 year old Echo weed wacker carb is showing some signs of aging. I can't bring myself to throw a Chinese knockoff in it. The machine doesn't owe me a thing! It may cost more, but I think it's worth it (provided the OEM is Made in America)
When you buy that junk consider this, your purchase went to supporting the commie regime who brought these gifts to the world Avion, Swine, Sar's, and now the Corona virus Covid 19!
I install a lot of these at my shop. It makes a difference when you find a good Chinese supplier stick to them. Most of the time we get good carbs but sometimes run into a bad batch.
I got a B&S "red bulb" priming issue on a free Swisher String Trimer. Rotten gas(it was free), cleaned, rebuilt the carb (it was real bad) and replaced the "bulb" and it won't prime. Cleaned all the passages again, wired them with a jet tool. No Prime..needs a shot of starting fluid. Runs great, plenty of power, sooth idle and starts just fine after warmed up. Feel a clog in the prime circuit that I can't get too...so debating a replacement. B&S wants $50 (which is cheap for B&S), Chinese ones are $15.....or just keep the starting fluid handy???
I wonder if these two stroke carbs are intended to fit engines of several different sizes. Maybe they work better on the larger cc engines. Like they just send everyone the large jetted carb and expect us to just lean it out with the screws and make it work?
I spend the few minutes to tear new carbs down, check jet sizes with clean drill bit shanks to make sure they match, and inspect the seals. Painless and cheap.
Thank you 65f, you described my exact experience, unfortunately I've already tossed my original carb so there's no way home for me now. I'm guessing that buying a rebuild kit isn't gonna help at this point? Thanks brother, I at least know what I'm looking at now.
Good evening Mr 65 Ford. Now although I like the 64 Fairlane 2 door hardtop better especially little sport model with all the Chrome but anyhow to the carburetor problem. That's a two stroke and they are more touchy then others to start with and especially I see that you can't even adjust the fuel on that one because the way they are made that's a bummer I mean if it comes for their run all the way down where you going to get any adjustment at that's crazy. But what about the 4-stroke tiller engine? The reason I'm asking is I got out there in my tiller wouldn't start and it has an 8 horsepower Magnum engine on it and we're talkin about a 1986 model Troy-Bilt. So I'm in a tizzy and thinking o'lord, how am I going to get this thing loaded cause I'm kind of crippled up and done got too much age on me and I really need to work right now. So I'm checking out for carburetors for my tiller and they can't get them or they cost you a fortune and this thing hadn't probably been a part in years and I thought oh no. So I looked on eBay and found one for $13 and others that go on up to $16 and up to $25 and more but it appears most of them come from China. well I eventually got my carburetor off without tearing up the gasket and I was able to clean it out pretty good and I got it running the next day I think but it put me in a bind with the rain. so I was thinking if I had one of those $13 jobs and it would work then I could keep it handy and if the rains were coming I could stick it on real quick and get my job done and then worry about rebuilding my other one while it's raining. Well now you scared me. Have you tested any of the other carburetors to see if they were any good for the four stroke tiller Motors or Lawn Mower Motors? I'd sure like to know and appreciate it and thank you in advance if you can help me. Good day to you sir, bye-bye
I’ve got a 1983 Suzuki and put a $40 carb on it, it doesn’t tune right and I had to loosen the screws so much that they fell out when I was riding it, now it’s a struggle to get it to start and keep running
I say carburetor rebuild kits are the way to go still myself though truthfully. That's just my own opinion on all of that part to. Although everyone else has their own opinions on things like.& About those types of things to anymore.
Out of the 3 I have purchased I have 1 that functioned partially on a Intek 13.5 in a lawn tractor. It revs now, but idle cannot be tuned. The 1 for the stihl trimmer wouldn't tune at all, it would run okay and 5 minutes later it would run like crap or wouldn't start. The one I got for the B&S 10HP on my old generator wouldn't even run, I stole the float and needle out of it to get the original carb going an so far that's been fine. I have to wonder with all the name brand stuff from the big box stores being made in china that does work correctly, how do they screw up cloning a proven design?
I've bought several from Amazon and eBay, bolt them on, start up and go. Never had a problem.
Same here bough several, even recommended some to my cousin for her mower and she bought them on Amazon bolted them up and they've all started and ran fine, not gonna lie, they 2 cycle carbs do need a little fine tuning but they run great, some kits even have the pac-man tool or the splined tool to adjust them, the ones i bought for the mowers have ran great.
Same here..23 hp kohler running like new with no adjusting...straight out of the box working
We replaced a carb on a Cub Cadet 126 ride on mower, had been sitting 6-7 years, the "amazon" carb cost $25, third turn over of the engine it fired right up and ran perfectly, ran all last season and fired up again this spring and runs well still.
Ive bought 4 for four different engines. Only had to adjust one out of four so far. They are all still great, they all fire up fast, rev high, and idle perfect. Only complaint is the primer bulbs feel cheap , but they usually send a couple of replacements with the carbs. They are so cheap I decided to go ahead and get all of my old broken down engines/tools running again.
Most are junk .
I have to say it has been a completely different story for me. Zero issues so far right out of the box and I've bought a bunch! Love your videos bud
Same here. Been through 3-4 on different garage sale finds and all have been perfect. I've started installing fuel shut-offs on everything and always run them out of fuel before putting away.
Zajac Motorsports that’s the key to them not having separated fuel in them come season time. Run them out and as they stall, hit the choke to try and extract every drop from the bowl.
Yeah, I have bought the heck out of them too, and have had zero problems.
I have had very good success with the Chicom carbs, though I purchase from eBay dealers.
I needed a carb for a Sear Chipper, vacuum, that used a Tecumseh 5.5hp engine. The dealers that still had shelf stock of genuine Tecumseh carbs wanted stupid money, meaning more than $60.
The carb I purchased came with both air filters, gasket, spark plug and the carb. Installed and pushed primer bulb three times and fired right up. This machine never started this easy when it was new 20 years ago.
I bought a cheap one off Ebay two years ago to put on my lawn mower. Install was easy and it has worked great ever since.
I purchased one for my Tecumseh 10 hp motor and worked right out of the box perfect. wish I could find one for my B&S 6hp the carb parts are very expensive.
Bought one for my Honda mower. 14 dollars with new air filter and spark plug. Fires up on first pull.
I've bought a few 2 stroke & 4 stroke. chinesium carbs, I haven't had any issues with them so far. Great vid👍
Bought one for the 200x three wheeler. It looked the same, at close glance there were multiple differences. Evident to save on production costs. Ended up rebuilding the OE one. Smiled on the (had to take a break and hours later) comment. Great video Moe!
I think I spent 2 hours messing with that new carb. I even tore it completely down and essentially did a rebuild on it hoping it was something simple.
Similar experience here, when replacing Honda carbs.
OEM $75, Chinese $20 so for my own power equipment the $20 carb works good enough.
I've installed dozens of these over the last few years and have had remarkable luck with them.
I have bought 3 cheap chinese carbs for my old 15 year old echo weed eater and blower and two worked great and the other one was dead in the water. This last one I bought for $14 with spark plug , hoses and filter worked without adjustment on the second pull and has worked great for the last month that I h ave been using the tool. It seems that with chinese junk sometimes it is good quality and other times it just falls apart.
I hate to pile on with everybody else, but those ebay carbs have saved my butt 5 or 6 times so far. I just buy the first fixed pot one I can find, slap it on and 95% of the time it's fixed.
I put a chingdow carb on my Honda atc 200 and never had to adjust a screw, worked great!
Overall, I’ve had good luck with chineseum carbs, 9 out of 10 times. It’s a crapshoot, just like rebuilding one.
When I rebuild a carb, there's nothing chancy about it.
I get them often for trimmers , mowers , saws and such and never had a problem. Like any new carb give em a taste of cleaner to enhance draw and away it goes. Have never had to adjust either.
Similar problem on a Stihl trimmer... tried for months to get to run right. Gave up and rebuilt the original 11 year old carb and it now runs perfect again.
Chinese carbs without that rubber diaphragm work like a charm. I got a replacement Chinese carb for a Honda fortrax 250. Still running to this day, didn’t have to tune in or mess with anything.
I have replaced a ton of clogged carbs with cheapies from amazon and ebay and so far I only had to replace one that didn't want to stay adjusted. Still,that was cheaper than buying the OEM.
It takes longer to get stuff up here (CAN). I have had good luck with the 4 stroke non OEM. But not the 2 strokes.
It seams the larger 4 stroke engines are less picky about proper fuel mixture.
I have a Chinese carb for Tecumseh H50 on a generator, and due to strange Manufacturing, I only needed to open the idle and Main Jet mixture screws somewhere between an 1/8-1/4 of a turn, to achieve the proper mixture. Some of the older generators that I collect, I only wish that the chinese made aftermarket carburetors for them, they use a side draft Zenith type 1408g carburetor, and a new carb from the manufacturer is about $350 !!!, And good luck finding a used one on eBay, and if you manage to find one, when one gets listed, they last for maybe a day or two before they sell!
Put one on my echo cs3450,6 bucks from amazon, echo had bad check valve,needles needed to be adjusted quite a ways out before it ran good,now it does run well.
I have not had any luck at all , the 2 stroke carb kits are the same most times , its like flipping a coin 😂
Great video and subject Moe!
I bought a couple of those Chinesium carburetors from Amazon and my findings mirror yours almost exactly.
I ended up just using parts out of them to rebuild the original carbs like you said.
I see the water dog is still crazy about the garden hose water. LOL!
Ive had exactly the same experiences with every china two stroke carb ive tried. All have flooded the engine even with screws fully seated due to being jetted way too large. I have finally learned my lesson the hard way. I was wondering if others had the same problems.
Made with 100% Chineseium
I used one on an old honda mower that worked fine out of the box. Didn't go that route with the leaf blower sitting on my bench now. 2 stroke is too fiddly to mess around with Chinese carbs. A real rebuild kit was as much as a whole Chinese carb (counting shipping) but I'll trust it to work. Time is money.
I am a full-time mechanic cars and machinery I've used up to 100s of cheap Chinese carbs yes there not as God as a genuine 1 but I have had enough success with that it's worth the 10 pound they normally are they always need tuning but usually get somwhere very near to spot on at the worst I use all the bits to repair the genuine carb u can't buy a gasket set for the same money
I've used literally over 100 chinesium carbs off ebay and amazon on everything from riding mowers to chain saws... I've never had that problem. All so far are plug n play, other than the occasional adjustment. I think you got the one in a 1000 bad carb.
It was a perfect match for me for still chainsaw! Seems like you are the only person with an issue! I stopped rebuilding and have a pile of original carbs in a box. Cheap replacement clone carbs is my default maintenance solution.
Where the cable hooks to the carb, there is a tiny rubber stopper, You may need eye glass screw driver or dental pick to remove stopper, once removed, you will see a jetting screw down inside there. I use eye glass flat tip screw driver to turn it. Screw it out to fatten and in to lean it.
Nice video, I know your struggle.
I like to keep an extra OEM carb on hand for my equipment so that if the carb needs to be rebuilt, I can do it during the winter when I have some spare time instead of when I need to be working.
I've had good luck with these cheap replacements, but this vid has me thinking I should rebuild my OEs. Besides, it never hurts to have a working spare. Now to see if I still have the originals.
Thanks for sharing this video. It's a great way to make a good decision about being cheep.
I repair generators. The Chinese aftermarket carbs are inexpensive and work well. If I can, I will always rebuild the OEM carbs as I find the Japanese and American made carbs use a higher quality metal that is not prone to pitting as a result of ethanol fuel and improper long term storage. Having said that, the Chinese aftermarket carbs are usually 1/10th the cost of the the OEM ones.
I bought one for my lawn mower and it worked well right out of the box. The old carb float was plastic and warped so it was flooding. New one works great.
The larger ones seam to be less finicky than these little 2 stroke carbs.
I'm glad you showed this video. This is why I still clean my OEM carbs thoroughly and rebuild them most of the time, unless their totally trashed. I've had better results with the 4 cycle engines, but even with those, many times, they just wont run like they should. The last afternarket carb I did was on a 5hp L head Tecumseh, because the original carb was shot, the engine surged with the aftermarket carb, I could not stop it. It ran, but ran like crap. I've had better luck with the Oregon's at about half the price of an OEM, but when I can get an OEM carb cheap or a good used one, I go that road. The two strokes I don't mess with too much and now a lot of the newer two strokes have junk carbs from the start anyway. But yea if the OEM carb can be fixed, I always do that first...
I rarely work on two strokes anymore besides the occasional chainsaw. There's just not enough resale or customer money for the time spent on something like a weed eater. I figured if I could find a good 2 stroke carb supplier; then a $10, 10 minute fix for a $50 weed eater may be worth it. So far nope.
@@sixtyfiveford I agree, working on two strokes is usually a pain. 100 screws, everything is tiny and you get all beat trying to pull the cord a bunch of times, not to mention the blister. 4 cycles are usually a lot easier. I'll fix it its a Stihl or something like that, the cheap stuff I usually wont bother with.
With the poor gas we have these days, it seems that we are all becoming carburetor experts. Thanks for the video I’ve always wondered about those cheap carburetors. But honestly to rebuild them takes about the same on a time like you said.
Happy trails
Luke
The one I needed for a snowblower bolted up perfect. No adjustments needed worked great all winter.
Sure they "work" but I have yet to see one work fully to 100% peak engine performance. I just put another one on yesterday and the engine runs good, revs good, but with my 20years of carb service I know it's only allowing the engine to run at maybe 90% power. That's the best China carb I've gotten so far. I have helped hundreds online with trouble shooting their poor performing new carbs. Everything from enlarging jets to shrinking them for altitude. These are the perfect solution for a beat up piece of equipment that just needs to see another year or two and then will need servicing again because the neglectful owner left crappy gasoline in it again.
I've bought about 5 of the chinesium carbs and all work great so far
mine have all been for B&S and Kohler v twins
this video would have been totally awesome in 3D, pull/pull/pull at the camera
I bought one two summers ago for my Troy-Bilt riding lawn mower I think I paid $18 and it came with really shity fuel hose and Janke clamps... the carburetor is still kicking today but the hoses and clamps I never used...I just pulled them off the Briggs and Stratton Nikki carburetor and used my old fuel line...those Chinese carbs are certainly worth 20 bucks though..🇺🇸
If the old carb is trashed and not cleanable, then I think it's a good option. Larger 4 stroke engines aren't as picky as tiny 2 stroke motors.
@@sixtyfiveford I don't know that it's trashed...I think it just needed a rebuild... I rebuilt it last year just in case the $20 carburetor gives me problems.. I can swap the Nikki back on... but for now, as long as the cheap carb is running...I'll run it....👍
I had one with issues. Stripped it down and adjusted the little fuel pump pivot lever straight and it was the issue.
Good fun with the springy dog 😀🐕🐶
Those Chinesium carbs are for last ditch efforts only, or if you get an oldie with missing parts. At least in my experience, I totally agree on the rebuild OE if possible. Your dog cracked me up, he was really getting those leaps -good pup 😁
enjoyed the dog having fun. I just buy the rebuild kits. Never had much luck with full generic replacements.
Great video with a great conclusion. I don't do a ton of carb work but I've bought a couple of the cheapo $9 carbs in the past. They always work but not without a ton of dinking around with. But when your on a budget and a rebuild kit for a diaphragm carb costs more than the chineseium knock off as long as you have the time to mess with them they are worth it. But just barely. As for how long they work for I haven't really ran one for an extended time period so I couldn't tell you but I bet it won't be without having to mess with it from time to time.
A lot of them from the factory aren't much better. You can get those Murrays and Weed Eaters from Walmart these days and some of them won't even work out of the box. And it seems that once they want to start acting up, no amount of adjusting or rebuilding ever makes them run just right again. Or you'll think you did, and then it won't run cold.
Glad I ran across this. I'm restoring an HT 22 model, and kinda happy that I decided to just do a rebuild on the original carb. Still weird though, I've never had too many problems with the knockoffs. Maybe they're losing what little quality control they have 🤷♂️
I bought one for my Billy Goat blower. It runs better now than it ever did. Just bolted it on and went.
I have not had the same experience with the cheap carbs. 4 carbs on 3 pieces of equipment over the last few years. All started easily and required no adjustments at all.
I buy China carbs for my mowers and never out of a dozen + have never had a problem with any and they were always adjusted right out of the package. However it’s the shipping time that’s a hassle to wait for delivery. Well worth the savings.
I bought one for my generator
It would work so I eventually took the bowl off to have a look.
There was a little metal cap/plug rolling around in there loose.
I took it out and it seems fine now
There's just not much in the quality control dept with these.
I remember when these aftermarket/clone carbs were becoming common to find on ebay 10 or so years ago and i remember thinking "theres no way these new carbs for under $20 can be any good" but back then i had a pretty high success rate with them, usually 9 times out of 10 they would work great if not the seller would usually send another one no questions asked. But recently in the past 2-3 years i have had nothing but trouble with then and now they almost never work or ever run "right". Nowadays i try to fix the original or look for an oem carb or a good rebuildable original. These clones are a good alternative though if you have an obsolete machine and have no other option then it can save the machine from the scrap pile.
I got an 11 dollar predator carb that was nicer than the original. The whole thing is already cheap chinesium, so can't really harm it.
Can't go wrong there.
I had the similar problem with a cheap carb I bought for my snowblower , junk! Good video
I have had good luck with the Milttor carbs I bought for both Kohler and B&S engines.
The aftermarket Kohler has the same numbers and name on it as the original carb.
Cool dog intermission!
She needed a break.
I bought a new aftermarket carburetor for my boat, is was four times cheaper than paying for OEM. It works pretty well but the carburetor hates any trash in the fuel or gummy ethanol, my advice for anyone having trouble with the carb is to install a secondary fuel filter or a fuel water separator, also use fuel stabilizer.
where do you think the one that came on it was made at?
I've had good luck with them . I just put one on my girlfriend Poulan weed eater. I tried cleaning the carb several times. I had extra parts from another one I fixed a while back but still couldn't get it going without that new carb. I try to buy the carbs kit that comes with carb and spare fuel lines, pump bulb, filters and spark plug. It seems that I remember way back taking the new carb apart and using the old body with the new carb parts. If you get board you can come over and work on my weed eaters. I got like 5 or 6. I got a Lincoln welder and a Kohler generator that I haven't got to work on either.
your dog is awesome!
Never had a problem with the ones I've bought on Amazon for my Stihls.
Having to close both jets to get it to run and not flood is the problem I have way to often. The holes are drilled to large for the jet to seal. The carb for my 8 hp Briggs 4 stroke has issues with the metering of fuel to the main jet. One time it's flooding and the next time it's starving for fuel. The float/needle seat nearly always will not seal and the fuel runs overfill.
I've always had good luck with these cheapo carbs, perfect for replacing the hopeless originals. I always try to rebuild, but sometimes it's just not possible and it just needs to be replaced. I don't think I've ever had a tunable one be plug and play, they ALWAYS require tuning, which really is a true art. The fixed jet ones I've had good luck with. Sometimes tweaking and modifying is necessary, but I guess that's what you get for sub $20 carbs. Love your videos, I've learned a ton from them.
I generally rebuild using my ultrasonic cleaner, but occasionally I’ll run into a stubborn one that just won’t respond. I’ve only had one aftermarket carb that had a problem out of the box. I wouldn’t prime up for anything. Turned out to have an incorrect gasket on the metering side.
I agree, I’d rather fix the old one (as long as it was original and working before a repairable part failed).
What I've found is the little brass balls used to plug the drill holes leak and can suck fuel on the cheap carbs, My cattle dog attacks the hose too.
Nice video: I have had pretty good luck in my shop with those aftermarket carbs. One time I had a complete failure. Use them on Honda's with very good results. Thanks
Would not a Chinese hedge trimmer come originally with a Chinese carburetor??
China is a large place, with a lot of manufacturing companies. Not all the same.
I trust the the stock carbs way more. I find it's much simpler to try and rebuild the original carb. I keep metering diaphragms on hand and swap that out first before doing the full carb kit and that usually does it. I would not be surprised if you were to take the lever adjusting tool for the walbro carb and adjust the lever on the needle valve to spec it may run correctly on the cheap carb. I see it time and time again where people just buy the cheap carb and spend more time chasing their tail than if they had just bought a carb kit and replaced the diaphragms. Hard to beat the real Walbro or Zama carbs.
Zama is made in china
Thanks for this!! I've been tempted. I have a Tecumseh until with a card that almost worked after sitting for 15 years. I took it apart, cleaned it, not it won't start at all. I was very clean in my cleaning practice. The carb had the dried yellow deposits in it, but was not corroded. Did a bit of dirt get lodged somewhere? Don't know. Now I feel like I need to buy a kit with Welch plugs, etc. Urrrgh. I guess I just don't have when it comes to small engine carbs.
I have had great luck with those carbs. I have used over 50 of them.
The last 4 I got have been very problematic, but prior ones have worked out reasonably well. I did just get a confirmation from a long time customer today that the $17 Chinese carb I put on his 4 stroke weed eater 2 years ago is working great. My biggest issue is I decide to pull a scrap weed eater out of the parts pile as I think I can put a $10 carb on in 10 minutes, tune it in 5min and sell it for $50. However, even the good running ones eat more time than that with unnecessary fiddling(fuel ports pointing wrong direction, throttle hook up different, choke lever modification required) and I feel like I putting an unreliable item into a customers hands. This budget $10 carb is easily a $30 carb with my time/effort and I only made a few bucks an hour. Also the carbs never allow me to tune them to the proper fuel air mixture that I am used to with oem carbs (talking 2 stroke stuff). I feel like in the long run I am better off putting a new diaphragm/fuel pump into these and cleaning the old carb and I still only make a few dollars. That's if the carb doesn't have swollen or damaged one way check valves. I just wish we could buy a Walbro or Zama for $20 like the oem manufactured did and put it on. Maybe these Chinese clones will put pressure on the big brands and they'll drop their prices.
I bought a china knock off carb for my 4whlr, finally got it on and the jets that came with it were to big and wouldn't interchange with any I had..... Cleaned up/repaired the old one and moved along.
9/10 would order again but check all jets before ordering.....
Most of your videos I totally agree with , the little 2stroke carbs may be totally different.
I haven't used the little 2 stroke carbs , but the Honda clones work great , like I put them on old Briggs , Kohler , Wisconsin , and maybe other engines. Of course I make adapter plates for them along with linkage. Anyway for usually less than $10 I can get an obsolete engine running better than it ever did with the outdated carburetors they came with that were temperamental even when new.
Also any of the points n condenser ignition on older engines I've used the Clonda coils that are $8 to do away with all that antique technology. You do have to drill new mounting holes in the coils to mount on the oddball engine you are putting it on. But they throw spark like crazy and no more sanding and setting points.
Great video. I'm a auto mechanic that's disabled( thxs M.S.) small engine work is rewarding as I can do it sitting. I usually just rebuild carb. Only buying a new OEM carb if needed, which is seldom. I ordered a Chinese carb, and it never ran right. In this case, it was running lean. I did adjust it, and it ran okay, not great. To me, it's not worth the time wasted to get it to run, just okay . An example of running just okay? Having your run a weedwacker or snowblower on half choke. To me that's not a option. It runs right. Or not at all.
I fixed my 2 stroke yard equipment. I threw them in the trash and bought battery powered equipment. Just stick the battery in and pull the trigger.
Some work out ok while others never seem to run right. I had mixed results but for the price, even if one in three is no good it's still a lot cheaper than an over priced original part. Swings & roundabouts.
I've bought two 4 cycle carbs and they worked great. I bought a new Weedeater brand line trimmer and had to adjust the OEM carb on it.
I’ve had mixed luck. The fake Honda ones have been good. The fake walbros for my back pack blower and string trimmer were crap.
I think the smaller 2 stroke motors just need a lot more precision than a larger 4 stroke.
I've had pretty good luck with eBay/Amazon carbs. On my old chainsaws that I have in my collection I just get rebuild kits to keep them as original as possible
Yes!
It was so many problem to me
When replaced china carburetor its starts leaked gas fro. Carburetor then never stop
Gas tank became an empty..
Or carburetor gasket does not fit 2 out of 3 so few seconds started engine then stopped engine.
If you are lucky its will be ok but not long life
So after many problem l gave up to use china carburetor l do try to find genuine carburetor.
They must be improve this issue. Because they must think deeply before loos customer.
Quality first with reasonable price and think about Total cost.
Not only carbutrtor sum pump too
And its will be huge increasing huge scrap in the world too.
Thank you
Neat idea for a test/comparison.
I’ve had pretty good luck these .. just some just take a while to dial in or don’t prime very well .. hit or miss what you get .. sometimes just have to tweak the diaphragm/metering valve tension.
The China carburetors I've got and used from Amazon are about 75% good 25% bad . And still have to do some to none modified work on-them . For instance got a replacement for a Honda had too use the step system on the idle jet and after four attempts of drilling it out - finally passable run out . Have had to send two of the same exact two cycle carburetors back to Amazon that were bad right off the bat that had a100% no hassle return policy - and they were great to honor there warranty too . So yes I would order a two or four cycle carburetor again from them again ( Amazon. ) Just make sure when you order too get some kind of good return policy with it . Food for thought .....
All of the small gasoline tools on the market today are made in China, the carburetors on them are made there too. I use them regularly with no problem, right out of the package. No adjusting needed
I buy them for mowers. Most are great, but just had one where the bolt hole threads were too tight to take the factory bolts.
well crap! I have a robin engine on a golf cart thats running bad. I was thinking of going chinesium with a new carb. maybe I'll just rebuild the original. I just want to get it running so I can send it on its way to another owner.
I think the larger 4 stroke engines are more lenient about their carbs. I know the 4 stroke Honda clone carbs all seam to work great. Order it from Amazon and just return it if it doesn't work. I have a pile of weed eaters that could sell for $50-60. So I was hoping to throw a $10 carb and ten minutes of my time into them. I think they're destined for the trash.
11/2 turns to 21/4 turns should be the correct settings for those clone carburetors.
Good observations and recommendations Moe. Thanks
Stick with OEM. Guess I've just been lucky buy doing a thorough cleaning of the carbs I've worked on.
Buy OEM Parts! keep your own people working.
Exactly.
Yes. My 25 year old Echo weed wacker carb is showing some signs of aging. I can't bring myself to throw a Chinese knockoff in it. The machine doesn't owe me a thing! It may cost more, but I think it's worth it (provided the OEM is Made in America)
When you buy that junk consider this, your purchase went to supporting the commie regime who brought these gifts to the world Avion, Swine, Sar's, and now the Corona virus Covid 19!
@@ronbarker3074 I hear ya, this virus is the longest lasting thing they ever Made!
No problem using these myself but I hate it when some sellers try to fob them off as OEM and at the same prices. Ebay is full of fakes.
I install a lot of these at my shop. It makes a difference when you find a good Chinese supplier stick to them. Most of the time we get good carbs but sometimes run into a bad batch.
Metering lever height should be checked
I have found it's hit or miss with the little 2-cycle Walbro or Zama clones. They can be very touchy with the adjustments.
People dont realize that zama is made in china
So I ended up rebuilding the original carb and the emulsion tube was stuck and I stripped it but I cleaned it with it stuck in and it runs perfect
Awesome.
I got a B&S "red bulb" priming issue on a free Swisher String Trimer. Rotten gas(it was free), cleaned, rebuilt the carb (it was real bad) and replaced the "bulb" and it won't prime. Cleaned all the passages again, wired them with a jet tool. No Prime..needs a shot of starting fluid. Runs great, plenty of power, sooth idle and starts just fine after warmed up. Feel a clog in the prime circuit that I can't get too...so debating a replacement. B&S wants $50 (which is cheap for B&S), Chinese ones are $15.....or just keep the starting fluid handy???
The larger 4 stoke engines seam to not mind these carbs as much as the tiny 2 stroke engines.
I wonder if these two stroke carbs are intended to fit engines of several different sizes. Maybe they work better on the larger cc engines. Like they just send everyone the large jetted carb and expect us to just lean it out with the screws and make it work?
I spend the few minutes to tear new carbs down, check jet sizes with clean drill bit shanks to make sure they match, and inspect the seals. Painless and cheap.
Thank you 65f, you described my exact experience, unfortunately I've already tossed my original carb so there's no way home for me now. I'm guessing that buying a rebuild kit isn't gonna help at this point?
Thanks brother, I at least know what I'm looking at now.
The only real option is to buy another carb from a different supplier and hopefully it works.
Good evening Mr 65 Ford. Now although I like the 64 Fairlane 2 door hardtop better especially little sport model with all the Chrome but anyhow to the carburetor problem. That's a two stroke and they are more touchy then others to start with and especially I see that you can't even adjust the fuel on that one because the way they are made that's a bummer I mean if it comes for their run all the way down where you going to get any adjustment at that's crazy. But what about the 4-stroke tiller engine? The reason I'm asking is I got out there in my tiller wouldn't start and it has an 8 horsepower Magnum engine on it and we're talkin about a 1986 model Troy-Bilt. So I'm in a tizzy and thinking o'lord, how am I going to get this thing loaded cause I'm kind of crippled up and done got too much age on me and I really need to work right now. So I'm checking out for carburetors for my tiller and they can't get them or they cost you a fortune and this thing hadn't probably been a part in years and I thought oh no. So I looked on eBay and found one for $13 and others that go on up to $16 and up to $25 and more but it appears most of them come from China. well I eventually got my carburetor off without tearing up the gasket and I was able to clean it out pretty good and I got it running the next day I think but it put me in a bind with the rain. so I was thinking if I had one of those $13 jobs and it would work then I could keep it handy and if the rains were coming I could stick it on real quick and get my job done and then worry about rebuilding my other one while it's raining. Well now you scared me. Have you tested any of the other carburetors to see if they were any good for the four stroke tiller Motors or Lawn Mower Motors? I'd sure like to know and appreciate it and thank you in advance if you can help me. Good day to you sir, bye-bye
I’ve got a 1983 Suzuki and put a $40 carb on it, it doesn’t tune right and I had to loosen the screws so much that they fell out when I was riding it, now it’s a struggle to get it to start and keep running
I say carburetor rebuild kits are the way to go still myself though truthfully. That's just my own opinion on all of that part to. Although everyone else has their own opinions on things like.& About those types of things to anymore.
Out of the 3 I have purchased I have 1 that functioned partially on a Intek 13.5 in a lawn tractor. It revs now, but idle cannot be tuned. The 1 for the stihl trimmer wouldn't tune at all, it would run okay and 5 minutes later it would run like crap or wouldn't start. The one I got for the B&S 10HP on my old generator wouldn't even run, I stole the float and needle out of it to get the original carb going an so far that's been fine. I have to wonder with all the name brand stuff from the big box stores being made in china that does work correctly, how do they screw up cloning a proven design?