That Q-tip, drill, and metal polish trick was one of the best tips I have ever seen and used; and I've worked on carburetors for over 40 years. I have used carburetor spray and toothpicks for years to clean the jet seat area with mixed results. It usually still leaked and needed to be re-done, or I would have to replace the entire jet. At first I thought the polish would take too much metal off, thus ruining the tight tolerance with the needle valve, however I've used your tip twice now and have had perfect results both times. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the tip and video.
Great suggestion,had a honda foreman 450s that would not stop runnin fuel out the overflow tube and removed the carb 3 times and was ready to order a new carb/or float needle,but after seeing this video,took the wifes jewelry cleaning tarn x and used a few wet/dry q tips and cleaned the seat and pin and ta da,clean and smoothe,back together and perfect....no new parts and money spent...you are a guiness...its guys like you who save the common man money and headache...thank you brother..
thanks men.... been to the best mechanics in town to fix the carb of my honda xr250 but no one fixed it.. with this DIY video made me fixed my year long problem.. thnx bro...
Awesome idea. Will try this on my carb. The needle and seat keeps sticking open and leaking fuel out. Thanks again for taking the time to share your wisdom 👌🏻
Thank you very much for this tip (no pun intended). You helped us solve a seemingly unsolvable intermittent flooding condition. Removing the oxidation inside the cylinder allowed it to slide smoothly and consistently. Brilliant.
ATV leaked fuel from the overflow every time I shut the bike off. 3 carb cleanings a needle change and 5 months of aggravation came to an end when I tried this trick. I gotta admit I was skeptical but IT WORKED! From the comments it seems you saved many of us a lot of $$ and headaches. Thank you! Btw for anyone wondering I did not remove the seat from the carb before polishing because the seat was pressed in. Worked great!
UPDATE: WORKS GREAT!!! Results are exactly what he's showing us here!!! Thank you again!!! : ) My initial post: I'm currently working on my 2003 Vulcan 1500s carburetor and this is DEFINITELY great info!!! PERFECT results and cant wait to use this "Q-tip" technique!!! Thank you for the video!!! Don W., OH
I've been very frustrated trying to find the needle and seat for an old carb on my 2 stroke bike, will be definitely trying this technique, but I also saw a video of someone hitting a 2mm ball bearing inside the seat with a small hammer, so I have 2 techniques to try
Thank- you, thank-you............... You have no idea how much I appreciate you sharing this. I was stuck with no way to get parts and a leaky carb. Great job!
Thanks Mike. I had been tormented by a hesitation/backfire coming off idle on my Honda CBR 900 RR for a couple of months after I serviced the carbs installing new float needles and everything looked fine. However #1 was flooding and I couldnt work out why. Then I used your technique and it fired up like a brand new bike. It did backfire and play up again for a little while so I took it for a 20 klm ride and kept opening and closing the throttle. The valves eventually bedded in and now it is firing on all cylinders.
Thank you for this video. I was having a problem with my Mercury outboard and could not figure out why I was having cold start issues even after going through the carb. It is working perfectly now.
Saw your video and decided to try this on my riding mower with a Briggs & Stratton 14 horsepower engine. I was having the same issue with gas flooding out the engine and hydrolocking the Piston over a week of sitting in the shed. My carburetor looked clean on the inside but the needle valve was not sealing enough to hold pressure. Use your metal polish and Q-Tip trick and everything is perfect now! Thanks for this video it helped a lot
Thank you for taking the time to share this tip. I have a 1999 Aprilia RS50 that was neglected by the previous owner and the float needle was stuck solid in a crusty material. I managed to get it running again, but the carb was leaking. I applied your tip by cleaning the float needle nozzle with a q-tip and aluminum polish. The float needle is brass so I cleaned that up with Brasso. Put it all back together and blam, the bike is running like a top. Thanks again. Cheers
OMG!! I just polished the seats on my Briggs updraft needle and main jet seats. The method worked so well that the engine has not missed a best since!!
this trick solved the problem on riding lawnmower 18.5 hp B&S Nikki Carb....both needle valve and fuel cutoff servo. used alum wheel polish....great tip! saved $100 in new parts.
Great trick. Thanks!! I just tried this on an 80 year old scheduler D carb where the valve seat is cast into the body. I used Brasso brass polish on a q-tip for about 30 seconds. It fixed the slow leak perfectly!
That worked awesome. I sprayed carb cleaner in there, but it was so gunked up it did no good at all. Your trick cleaned it up nicely. Put it back together and now the bike runs great. Thanks man !
I just did this to a carb from a Suzuki DR200 that was leaking slightly. Worked like a charm. I could actually hear the float/needle moving more freely after I put the bowl back on.
Wow this worked like a charm on my Shovel Super B carb. And you also saved me a load of new carb parts. No more gas spewing out the carb and exhaust on a whim. Will add this to my preventive maintenance schedule. Thanks again.
Bowl-valve components shown are absolutely similar to SU carbs (which are also known for overflowing) so this video is totally applicable to SUs also! Thanks for posting!
Awesome tip... thanks. In my case I did not have to take the small copper piece, clean it while it was attach to the carburetor... Thanks again for taking your time filming. Hope you get a couple of bucks out of it. 👍
that is slick. i have clean the varnish from needle valve but never thought to polish the seat. i have cleaned it with solvent and q tip but never thought to polish it. thanks.
Thanks, I changed the needles on my ninja, and ran carb cleaner in the seats. Then it didn't leak gas in the oil for 130 miles then started doing it again. I bought new seats but I might compare them with the old ones, might be able to polish. The new ones are Japanese but not Kawasaki so the old ones might be better if cleaned up. The orings might be shot on the seats too. And I'll check my floats. Reluctantly learning about carbs.
That seems to have worked great on my generator. I couldn't get it to stop leaking gas, even after I cleaned all the carb with carb spray. Since I polished the brass needle tube the leaking stopped. Looking at the Qtip afterwards, it's evident that the aerosol carb cleaner didn't get nearly all the corrosion and varnish. I didn't need a drill to do this, just put polish on the Qtip and spun it until the needle guide tube looked like a new penny.
Pulled my generac 4000XL generator out of the shed (not used since hurricane Jeanne 2004) and no gas getting to bowl. Removed carb, Tapped out the float pin and gently removed the float -- need was stuck in there. , sprayed the whole thing with carb cleaner. Took Needle nose pliers and rotated needle, while pulling on it. Took a small drill bit and had to drill through about 1/2" of junk before getting to the needle inlet - drilled until I saw lite alum bits. Took guitar string and stiif wire and poked through the side jet and needle seat. Then I sprayed it through with more carb cleaner. Soaked needle in a cap with 1/2" of carb cleaner. Clean up inside needle bore with a tip and metal polish until smooth and bright. Reinstalled with a huge $3.99 5/16" clear gas filter I put inline. Filled oil to overflow, like the cap says. Started second pull and now frig is getting nice and cold again. Screw you Irma. - Melbourne Beach FL.
Hey, thanks for sharing. I tried this on my old articat 250 4 wheeler. Get what? After 3yrs of engine problems. It runs like new. Thank you. Oh yeah, i used head light cleaner. Its all I had as a polish. Still gave a nice mirror finish. Merry Christmas
great vid thanks for a great tip..and a tip for you any time you use petrol chemical cleaners and solvents, use some protections like some latex gloves.. chemicals soak into your blood stream and can damage your liver and other harmful things.
Good job on polishing, however once done you need to reassemble float valve into carb body and pressure test with a Mighty vac. It should hold around 4 psi of pressure. I have seen new needles fail and only way of knowing is to pressure test. Cheers
Very nice. I like it! I'm gonna try this on me KE100 motorcycle sticky needle issue. On outboards I like to remove the low speed (rich) knob, pull the needle, put it in a drill and use 600 grit to polish the sharp tip (gently). Does wonders for any idle issues. Just another idea for you...
I has having problems with mine and i got to messing with it and got it working but then I had to take the carb back off and add another jet put it back and started doing it again but then I found your video haha thanks for sharing worked like a charm.
ive done exactly the same - also my own idea, nice to see some1 else also getting it :) for a damaged seat.. u could try something a little more abrasive- ive used pens with the tips taken out wrapped in 1600 grit wet paper and sanded/resmoothed the seat, anything to reshape that contact area, even if its a thin seal - it shd work well. You can also use some ball bearings and smack em into the seat area to flatten any burrs / nicks.. if u sand one side of the ball bearing flat - u can use it on more than one seat as well as long as u tap on the flat part always - gr8 vid tx!
on the old AFB carbs. i would hold the lid at 90 degree and tilt it just a little and the floats should swing out and back . showing the pins are not hanging up.
this seems like good preventive techique too. if you have a carb off for a jet cleaning/tuning/whatever.... polish that float valveseat/valve it will probably slow down further oxidation.
Wow I've been working on mine gas leaks into exhaust and want start was gonna by a new carb but will try that first got a honda cr dirt bike no clue how to get the seat out on it but ima try it thanks.
i have been working on my yz 250 for 2 days trying to ajust the float only to have it leak in a few minutes. i pulled the carb at least 15 times. i will try this tommorrow. thaNKS SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD WORK. I HAVE REPLACED FLOAT AND NEEDLE so it can only be the seat
I've got a 2001 Softail Deuce with a poor fuel flow due to very old fuel. Possible gummed up needle. I'll try it tomorrow :) TIP: NEVER EVER EVER STORE A MOTORCYCLE WITH FUEL IN IT. FUEL GOES OFF AND GUMS UP THE WORKS.
I'm having this problem with edelbrock 1406 , put new needles and seats, noticed when floats would drop the needles would be stuck up in the seats going to try your trick, hope it works thanks.
I like it too, but it works while the seal is the 90° angel tip of Rubber. And in the deep you see the Valveedge is roundet - mostly depend on the Vibritions ... too help the needle slide smoothly ... i will take it in my Brainpool ... (Y)
That Q-tip, drill, and metal polish trick was one of the best tips I have ever seen and used; and I've worked on carburetors for over 40 years. I have used carburetor spray and toothpicks for years to clean the jet seat area with mixed results. It usually still leaked and needed to be re-done, or I would have to replace the entire jet. At first I thought the polish would take too much metal off, thus ruining the tight tolerance with the needle valve, however I've used your tip twice now and have had perfect results both times. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the tip and video.
Theodore Egan thank you im glad it helped
S 4
M
Buddy u just saved me a cpl weeks order time and $50. I been spinnin wrenches 30 years and didnt know this one! U rock!
I've cleaned my 4 mikuni carbs 5 times with no results. this may be exactly what I need. thanks for taking the time to share this valuable tip!
Great suggestion,had a honda foreman 450s that would not stop runnin fuel out the overflow tube and removed the carb 3 times and was ready to order a new carb/or float needle,but after seeing this video,took the wifes jewelry cleaning tarn x and used a few wet/dry q tips and cleaned the seat and pin and ta da,clean and smoothe,back together and perfect....no new parts and money spent...you are a guiness...its guys like you who save the common man money and headache...thank you brother..
thanks men.... been to the best mechanics in town to fix the carb of my honda xr250 but no one fixed it..
with this DIY video made me fixed my year long problem.. thnx bro...
Awesome idea. Will try this on my carb. The needle and seat keeps sticking open and leaking fuel out. Thanks again for taking the time to share your wisdom 👌🏻
Thank you very much for this tip (no pun intended). You helped us solve a seemingly unsolvable intermittent flooding condition. Removing the oxidation inside the cylinder allowed it to slide smoothly and consistently. Brilliant.
awesome im glad it helped you out i do it every year it takes no time
And this is why youtube was invented.
That's amazing that harbor freight drill actually still works after you got out of the box!
ATV leaked fuel from the overflow every time I shut the bike off. 3 carb cleanings a needle change and 5 months of aggravation came to an end when I tried this trick. I gotta admit I was skeptical but IT WORKED! From the comments it seems you saved many of us a lot of $$ and headaches. Thank you! Btw for anyone wondering I did not remove the seat from the carb before polishing because the seat was pressed in. Worked great!
UPDATE: WORKS GREAT!!! Results are exactly what he's showing us here!!! Thank you again!!! : )
My initial post: I'm currently working on my 2003 Vulcan 1500s carburetor and this is DEFINITELY great info!!! PERFECT results and cant wait to use this "Q-tip" technique!!! Thank you for the video!!! Don W., OH
I've been very frustrated trying to find the needle and seat for an old carb on my 2 stroke bike, will be definitely trying this technique, but I also saw a video of someone hitting a 2mm ball bearing inside the seat with a small hammer, so I have 2 techniques to try
Thank- you, thank-you............... You have no idea how much I appreciate you sharing this.
I was stuck with no way to get parts and a leaky carb. Great job!
Thanks Mike. I had been tormented by a hesitation/backfire coming off idle on my Honda CBR 900 RR for a couple of months after I serviced the carbs installing new float needles and everything looked fine. However #1 was flooding and I couldnt work out why. Then I used your technique and it fired up like a brand new bike. It did backfire and play up again for a little while so I took it for a 20 klm ride and kept opening and closing the throttle. The valves eventually bedded in and now it is firing on all cylinders.
Had the same issue and did this, however I used toothpaste. 1973 Kawasaki 250 motorcycle. Thanks for this video, bud!
Thank you for this video. I was having a problem with my Mercury outboard and could not figure out why I was having cold start issues even after going through the carb. It is working perfectly now.
Paul xj9-2000 awesome man im glad it helped you out
Ayyye....I'm here for my Mercury outboard too
Saw your video and decided to try this on my riding mower with a Briggs & Stratton 14 horsepower engine. I was having the same issue with gas flooding out the engine and hydrolocking the Piston over a week of sitting in the shed. My carburetor looked clean on the inside but the needle valve was not sealing enough to hold pressure. Use your metal polish and Q-Tip trick and everything is perfect now! Thanks for this video it helped a lot
Thank you for taking the time to share this tip. I have a 1999 Aprilia RS50 that was neglected by the previous owner and the float needle was stuck solid in a crusty material. I managed to get it running again, but the carb was leaking. I applied your tip by cleaning the float needle nozzle with a q-tip and aluminum polish. The float needle is brass so I cleaned that up with Brasso. Put it all back together and blam, the bike is running like a top. Thanks again. Cheers
I'm the "guy" that would have come up with something like this, and never thought of it. You saved me a ton of frustration. Great video, thanks.
Pulled apart and kinda rebuilt my first carb today, as somebody who loves older vehicles this is awesome
OMG!! I just polished the seats on my Briggs updraft needle and main jet seats. The method worked so well that the engine has not missed a best since!!
I tried your trick after trying everything else so I gave polishing a try and No more flooding carburetor thanks so much for the info!!!
Thank you very much, this was a really good video, took about 20 minutes after about 4 days of fooling around. Works like a charm
AWESOMe, been driving me nuts for years. was about to scrap the bike. You live and learn
this trick solved the problem on riding lawnmower 18.5 hp B&S Nikki Carb....both needle valve and fuel cutoff servo. used alum wheel polish....great tip! saved $100 in new parts.
Steve Kilby awesome glad it helped it just works
Great trick. Thanks!! I just tried this on an 80 year old scheduler D carb where the valve seat is cast into the body. I used Brasso brass polish on a q-tip for about 30 seconds. It fixed the slow leak perfectly!
GENIUS !
Without any metal polish on hand, I think toothpaste mixed with a little baking soda might work too !
That worked awesome. I sprayed carb cleaner in there, but it was so gunked up it did no good at all. Your trick cleaned it up nicely. Put it back together and now the bike runs great. Thanks man !
awesome glad it helped
I just did this to a carb from a Suzuki DR200 that was leaking slightly. Worked like a charm. I could actually hear the float/needle moving more freely after I put the bowl back on.
Thanks, I should have watched you video way earlier could easily save me over 200 buck on those freaking needle jet, great job pal.
Wow this worked like a charm on my Shovel Super B carb. And you also saved me a load of new carb parts. No more gas spewing out the carb and exhaust on a whim. Will add this to my preventive maintenance schedule. Thanks again.
Awesome about to clean one and didn't think of polishing the interior or the needle! Beauty!
Bowl-valve components shown are absolutely similar to SU carbs (which are also known for overflowing) so this video is totally applicable to SUs also! Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much. I did that on my 3 vintage sleds and wow!!! Problems gone!
Wow! Thanks Mike this was a great (Q) tip!! Worked like a charm on my JD lawn tractor carb.
glad to hear it
One of the best ideas and videos I’ve ever seen
Thanks for the tip
Simple & ingenius, thanks for uploading this great tip Mike.👍
Always learning and don’t think I’ll ever know it all about machines. Great method. Thank you!
great method, just did a mower and it worked the first time, a big thank you for sharing this
Nice one, good simple solution to a common issue. Thanks dude.
Thanks very much for your idea. Worked great. Stopped pain and hassle.
Fantastic trick! I'm using that right now for a valve seat that is not removable on an Honda XR250R carb. Thank you and Cheers!
Awesome tip... thanks. In my case I did not have to take the small copper piece, clean it while it was attach to the carburetor... Thanks again for taking your time filming. Hope you get a couple of bucks out of it. 👍
E7 thanks i appreciate it
You ALSO just saved my butt. Thank you for this info!
Worked great on my motorcycle.thanks for the tip
glad it helped
that is slick. i have clean the varnish from needle valve but never thought to polish the seat. i have cleaned it with solvent and q tip but never thought to polish it. thanks.
Thank You Mike, we'll see if it works tomorrow.
Worked! You are a genius!
Thanks for posting this video
Whoa.. very slick indeed. Doing it tomorrow- Thank you Sir
SupercarsOfSarasota it works great
A+ #1 playa!!! Much thanks for help with two SOB float needles.
Great details! Thanks! Strengthened my ideas of what to do!
Thanks, I changed the needles on my ninja, and ran carb cleaner in the seats. Then it didn't leak gas in the oil for 130 miles then started doing it again. I bought new seats but I might compare them with the old ones, might be able to polish. The new ones are Japanese but not Kawasaki so the old ones might be better if cleaned up. The orings might be shot on the seats too. And I'll check my floats. Reluctantly learning about carbs.
Got a sled running with your method, thanks for the info!
Came back to reply, I'm now 4 for 4 with this trick.
Nice!! Great tips. Carburetor floats can be submerged in boiling hot water to check for defects. If a stream of bubbles emerges then float is bad.
im trying this tip later today/this weekend.
thanks this trick worked on a set of carbs that were giving me trouble
Excellent! this saved me headaches on 1940 Farmall
That seems to have worked great on my generator. I couldn't get it to stop leaking gas, even after I cleaned all the carb with carb spray. Since I polished the brass needle tube the leaking stopped. Looking at the Qtip afterwards, it's evident that the aerosol carb cleaner didn't get nearly all the corrosion and varnish. I didn't need a drill to do this, just put polish on the Qtip and spun it until the needle guide tube looked like a new penny.
Walter Lego glad it helped it will always stop the flooding as long as your float height is set right
Pulled my generac 4000XL generator out of the shed (not used since hurricane Jeanne 2004) and no gas getting to bowl. Removed carb, Tapped out the float pin and gently removed the float -- need was stuck in there. , sprayed the whole thing with carb cleaner. Took Needle nose pliers and rotated needle, while pulling on it. Took a small drill bit and had to drill through about 1/2" of junk before getting to the needle inlet - drilled until I saw lite alum bits. Took guitar string and stiif wire and poked through the side jet and needle seat. Then I sprayed it through with more carb cleaner.
Soaked needle in a cap with 1/2" of carb cleaner. Clean up inside needle bore with a tip and metal polish until smooth and bright. Reinstalled with a huge $3.99 5/16" clear gas filter I put inline. Filled oil to overflow, like the cap says. Started second pull and now frig is getting nice and cold again. Screw you Irma. - Melbourne Beach FL.
Tony TonyTony 1now thats awesome
awesome! Worked like a charm!No more leaks! Thank you!
Hey, thanks for sharing. I tried this on my old articat 250 4 wheeler. Get what? After 3yrs of engine problems. It runs like new. Thank you. Oh yeah, i used head light cleaner. Its all I had as a polish. Still gave a nice mirror finish. Merry Christmas
great vid thanks for a great tip..and a tip for you any time you use petrol chemical cleaners and solvents, use some protections like some latex gloves.. chemicals soak into your blood stream and can damage your liver and other harmful things.
Good job on polishing, however once done you need to reassemble float valve into carb body and pressure test with a Mighty vac. It should hold around 4 psi of pressure. I have seen new needles fail and only way of knowing is to pressure test. Cheers
Very nice. I like it! I'm gonna try this on me KE100 motorcycle sticky needle issue. On outboards I like to remove the low speed (rich) knob, pull the needle, put it in a drill and use 600 grit to polish the sharp tip (gently). Does wonders for any idle issues. Just another idea for you...
I has having problems with mine and i got to messing with it and got it working but then I had to take the carb back off and add another jet put it back and started doing it again but then I found your video haha thanks for sharing worked like a charm.
PursuitOfHappyiness thanks I'm glad it helped
Worked like a charm for an EXMARK Zero turn mower carb. (WALBRO) Thanks dude!!!
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Been doing this for years and iv had a 95% success rate every time
Great video and Great idea thank you for your post.
Thanks dude never thought of that your a life saver
ive done exactly the same - also my own idea, nice to see some1 else also getting it :) for a damaged seat.. u could try something a little more abrasive- ive used pens with the tips taken out wrapped in 1600 grit wet paper and sanded/resmoothed the seat, anything to reshape that contact area, even if its a thin seal - it shd work well. You can also use some ball bearings and smack em into the seat area to flatten any burrs / nicks.. if u sand one side of the ball bearing flat - u can use it on more than one seat as well as long as u tap on the flat part always -
gr8 vid tx!
Tried it on my Kr1-s worked spot on thank you :-)
Used turtle wax "light to medium" polishing compound on the brass floats in a VFR just now. Seems to be sealing nice with newer float needles.
on the old AFB carbs. i would hold the lid at 90 degree and tilt it just a little and the floats should swing out and back . showing the pins are not hanging up.
Beautiful !!
Thanks 4 sharing bud !!!
U always learn something not everone nos it all good tip again u always learn somthing new keep up the good tips !!
Thanks so much my snowmobile would flood after one pull
this seems like good preventive techique too. if you have a carb off for a jet cleaning/tuning/whatever.... polish that float valveseat/valve it will probably slow down further oxidation.
Wow I've been working on mine gas leaks into exhaust and want start was gonna by a new carb but will try that first got a honda cr dirt bike no clue how to get the seat out on it but ima try it thanks.
love these kind of tips AWESOME!!! Thanks Man
cool. Thanks, going to try something similar with an outboard carb
Cool great job. Im gonna try this on the other needle. main jet thingy on my quad
Great idea and suggestion. Saving big $$ for us!!
I've had the carb apart four times because the float valve sticks shut. If this fix works I'll be one happy camper.
Thanks for sharing this trick👍👍
i have been working on my yz 250 for 2 days trying to ajust the float only to have it leak in a few minutes. i pulled the carb at least 15 times. i will try this tommorrow. thaNKS SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD WORK. I HAVE REPLACED FLOAT AND NEEDLE so it can only be the seat
Thank you for sharing this infio you just saved me time and money. What a great idea:)
I will try this tomorrow, day 4 of my Journey
NICE TRICK! YOU ARE AWESOME.
great tip! (no pun intended)
Thanks, good idea.
I've got a 2001 Softail Deuce with a poor fuel flow due to very old fuel. Possible gummed up needle. I'll try it tomorrow :) TIP: NEVER EVER EVER STORE A MOTORCYCLE WITH FUEL IN IT. FUEL GOES OFF AND GUMS UP THE WORKS.
mine was leaking i have a 38 mm mikuni. i replaced the needle and seat perfect. the brass bore was to worn out to do what u did.
Great info buddy thank you.
I'm having this problem with edelbrock 1406 , put new needles and seats, noticed when floats would drop the needles would be stuck up in the seats going to try your trick, hope it works thanks.
Will See Ya Next Time on This Old Carb
Thank you!
Great idea! Thanks for making the vid.
Cool 👍
Thanks for the tip
great idea man! for some reason the float needle seat is not on the oem parts diagram, not even sure how to order one!
Naaa Ja
You might have one that is not serviceable/removeable
Hi what model artic cat snowmobile were you working on in your carb/needle video and what year? Awesome video really helpful thank you, Mark.
I like it too, but it works while the seal is the 90° angel tip of Rubber. And in the deep you see the Valveedge is roundet - mostly depend on the Vibritions ... too help the needle slide smoothly ... i will take it in my Brainpool ... (Y)
You are a genius.