Aftermarket Carbs Are Junk

Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)
 
Ya'll may recall, about a year ago, she wouldn't hit a lick - I first went through all the electrical - replaced points, condensor, coil, and plugs - made no diff. As a last resort, I bought another junk carb at Tractor Supply and she fired right up. Now, same old story.
 
Have your oem carb rebuilt......or buy an OEM Marvel carb off of eBay. Send it to a reputable shop for a rebuild.

Limit your purchases from TSC to chicken feed and shirts.
75 Tips
 
Knock on wood, I resurrected a 2N with a cheap carb that I bought off of Amazon, looks like it?s made out of pot metal, holding up good right now and tractor running good but I will not buy another one....
 
Yes they are and so are starter motors and governors. Fortunately you can buy a lot of used parts on ebay. Do what Bruce says and buy a used one from a ebayer with a good rating and rebuild it. PS don't buy the carb rebuild kit from TSC. Buy it from this site. Don't buy any tractor parts from TSC!
 
Those carbs are really simple. Parts are inexpensive. I can't imagine replacing the original unless it's completely worn out.
 
I have an original, already rebuilt, tested and adjusted.
Actually, I have a couple of them. Not sure if I have a black one
right now, I'd have to look but they can be painted any color.

Shoot me an email and we can talk. Here's one example.

18519.jpg


18520.jpg
 
By the way, the rebuild kits for a Marvel Schebler do not fit those
carbs from TSC either. Some parts do, main gasket, etc. but not all.
From memory, float pin is a different diameter, so the floats
where they meet the pin should be too. Screws that hold the carb
halves together are metric, probably other differences I'm forgetting.
 
(quoted from post at 18:02:12 06/19/18) Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)


Did you check the float setting? I bought one of those cheap carburetors on eBay, and had to open it up and adjust the float to get it to work.
 
(quoted from post at 20:57:13 06/19/18)
(quoted from post at 18:02:12 06/19/18) Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)


Did you check the float setting? I bought one of those cheap carburetors on eBay, and had to open it up and adjust the float to get it to work.
Are you talking about the $50 cast/pot metal carbs on eBay?
Those are quite a bit different than the TSC/Tisco carbs.
Both in make and price. The TSC carbs are $200!
Still might be able to replace a needle and adjust the floats tho.

This is one of the TSC carbs on my tractor for testing after I fixed it.
The guy said it was brand new in the box and didn't work. At all.

18526.jpg
 
Just my 2 cents, but if I needed a carb or one rebuilt I would contact Royse, last I knew he was still rebuilding them, never heard anyone complain about his work, he even test them on a tractor to make sure there right, I don't have any connection to him at all, but have seen his work on here. Might be worth checking into.
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence gblj.
As with any other road traveled, there have been bumps along
the way. Luckily, when they have came up, the guys have been
gracious enough to let me make things right for them.
Shipping a carb can cause problems of its own with the jostling,
even though every one is tested and adjusted before it leaves here.
 
(quoted from post at 02:35:19 06/20/18)
(quoted from post at 20:57:13 06/19/18)
(quoted from post at 18:02:12 06/19/18) Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)


Did you check the float setting? I bought one of those cheap carburetors on eBay, and had to open it up and adjust the float to get it to work.
Are you talking about the $50 cast/pot metal carbs on eBay?
Those are quite a bit different than the TSC/Tisco carbs.
Both in make and price. The TSC carbs are $200!
Still might be able to replace a needle and adjust the floats tho.

This is one of the TSC carbs on my tractor for testing after I fixed it.
The guy said it was brand new in the box and didn't work. At all.

18526.jpg


Royse,

It was one that only cost around $60.00. It looks like pot metal but is actually made of steel. Works good after the float adjustment.
 
I'm not defending TSC as I believe their name is a misnomer -hardly any tractor parts, but some are made in the USA -like sediment bowl brass screens and cork gaskets. Whoopee. I avoid going there, have so for years, mainly because they never have what I need. Even their nut and bolt stock is limited and overpriced. If I gotta have a nut or bolt, I'll go there on a Sunday only because they are the only place open. I also do not patron FASTENAL for similar reasons -they never have what I need, but are never open on Sundays, but they will 'special order' a nut or bolt, just tack on a 20% extra fee for doing so. Sorry. I buy my hardware in bulk at McMaster-Carr, or hit my local CNH dealer where they only charge $2 per pound. Also, something like a carb or distributor purchased as an aftermarket item should never be just removed from the box and installed on the tractor without first going thru it and checking that all the settings and parts are right. Do you think the 12 year old kid assembling them in Cheena actually performs a float level setting or a point gap setting? HA! Think again. The original Ford parts were designed to be rebuilt over and over. Like most everyone else here, I rebuild all my own carbs and distributors and with a few others like Royse will do so for anyone else. I, too, have some rebuilt Marvel-Schebler TSX carbs for Ford N's on my shelf all set and ready to go. My email is open as well. Use 'Classic View' to get it. BTW, I buy my animal feed from the county grainery, not TSC and my Tee-Shirts I get from K-Mart. I don't know what you mean by, "...I've looked at the ones from this company...". Do you mean the parts sold here at yt? If so, YT does not manufacture any parts. They only sell from the suppliers who sponsor them. All suppliers selling new carbs and distributors and water pumps, et al, have the same aftermarket Cheena junk so roll the dice. Do you still have your original Marvel-Schebler TSX carb? If so, get it rebuilt -you can do it.

Tim Daley(MI)
 
"Works good after the float adjustment."

Glad to hear it! A couple other guys here have bought them
and said they're working good for them too. Cheap alternative.
I wonder about their longevity, but only time will tell on that one.
 
(quoted from post at 12:42:33 06/20/18) "Works good after the float adjustment."

Glad to hear it! A couple other guys here have bought them
and said they're working good for them too. Cheap alternative.
I wonder about their longevity, but only time will tell on that one.


My tractor doesn't see much use. The tires will most likely rot off the wheels before anything has to be done with anything mechanical. I do have the original carburetor for it. The only things wrong with it is a worn throttle shaft and a crack at the fuel inlet. Delco-Remy electrical epoxy would fix both faults, if I took the time to do the repairs.
 
Several years ago I bought a Zenith Carb off this sight and put it on my 8N.
he carb gave the 8N a new life.
 
Wow - thanks for all the feedback, Guys!

Let me see if I can respond to all of them? (sorry, but I cannot remember, who said what?)

I will have to look in the shop for my old original carb. It could be worth salvaging?
Meanwhile, I have my back half-acre about knee-deep, and I really need to get my bush hog working again.
So, I really don't want to wait to have one rebuilt?

Speaking of float setting ... the TSC carb had a piece of paper in the box that said "May Have Been Damaged in Shipping. Check Float setting before installing." Of course, I was anxious to see it run again, and did NOT do that. I have now broken it open, and the float *seems* to be right (note says "1/4 inch gap from bowl"). Do you simply BEND THE FLOAT ARM, TO RAISE OR LOWER?

So at this point, I will purchase a new (rebuilt) carb, either from this site or one of you guys? (Tim, I believe you said you had one ready to go? - Royse, yours looks good, too). If you guys will just quote me a price (I do PayPal only). And Royse, your email is not showing here. Please email me at [email protected] with your cost (plus shipping). I am just north of Memphis, TN.
 
I only buy from TSC when my tractor needs something and there's snow in the forecast. I bought an M/S rebuild kit last winter from TSC in that situation and it was surprisingly made in USA and my 9N starts and runs great with it.
 
(quoted from post at 00:45:24 06/20/18) I have an original, already rebuilt, tested and adjusted.
Actually, I have a couple of them. Not sure if I have a black one
right now, I'd have to look but they can be painted any color.

Shoot me an email and we can talk. Here's one example.

18519.jpg


18520.jpg

That is one pretty carb. I'm getting ready to rebuild mine but I doubt it will get painted. If I did it would stand out like a sore thumb.
 
TerryB Illinois, if you clean and media blast them down to bare
metal and do not paint or otherwise protect them, they will rust
overnight. If you don't do that deep of a cleaning, there is no reason
you have to paint them. Pay more attention to cleaning the interior.
That's the part that is the most important anyways!

18578.jpg


18579.jpg
 
HAHAHAHA!!! I love it, Bassman. Gotta be careful here in Michigan. It does snow on the 4th of July in the Keweenaw, really. I concur -like every product nowadays, READ THE LABEL. Country of origin is almost always stated now. Years ago TSC sold the TISCO parts. It's ironic TISCO stands for Tractor Implement and Supply Company, and TSC is Tractor Supply Company yet the two are not the same entities. Nowadays TSC sells a brand called "County Line" and I have seen some parts with "MADE IN THE USA" on the package. I only know this as I needed some cork gaskets and brass sediment bowl screens one Sunday and they were the only place open that had some tractor parts. I certainly would never buy a carb, distributor, governor, water pump (if'N they stocked them).

Tim Daley(MI)
 
OK, maybe ya'll didn't see my last reply?

Here it is, in part:

"So at this point, I will purchase a new (rebuilt) carb, either from this site or one of you guys? (Tim, I believe you said you had one ready to go? - Royse, yours looks good, too). If you guys will just quote me a price (I do PayPal only). And Royse, your email is not showing here. Please email me at [email protected] with your cost (plus shipping). I am just north of Memphis, TN."

Tim, I sent you a message through the board here.
Royse, there is no email showing for you.
 
Yeah, like Royse said, it's the internal works of the carb that matter. The external parts when properly replaced are important too when set right. All original M/S carbs were painted black. Guys would paint them 9N Grey or 8N Red when they rebuilt them. If gas and oil resultant paint not used, a leaky carb will soon melt away the paint anyway. I've worked on many M/S carbs and several that were painted over but once newer paint was removed, the original black paint was still on the body. As the late Dell use to say, "..you can paint it enny colour you like, as long as it ain't green and yeller...".

MARVEL-SCHEBLER N-SERIES CARBS:

VYYhczJh.jpg

DxPZKjfh.jpg


Tim Daley(MI)
 
I saw and replied to your email yesterday. I gave you my price quote. You have my direct email now so no need to go thru here. Prices are fair and competitive with other suppliers only I offer guaranteed work. I can give testimonial satisfied customer statements. The last carbs I did for customers were installed on their tractors and required NO TWEAKING. I have a Pay Pal account but have never used it to accept payment with, only make them.

Tim Daley(MI)
 
OK, I went back out to my tractor shed one more time yesterday, and decided to give her one last try, before throwing in the towel on the TSC carb?

With a little coaxing on the choke and several grinds on the starter, I finally got her to kick in and run. So I quickly jumped on and managed to knock down my back forty.

Now, I can take a little more time to decide what to do about the carb (yes, it's going away). And I was NOT able to find the original M/S carb, but I did find the previous TSC carb. I will be selling them, CHEAP.

Thanks, Tim and Royse, for giving me quotes on your carbs - I will get back to you if I decide to go that route.
 

Not sure why most people on this board insist on rebuilding 75 year old parts ad nausem. Eventually even the best parts wear out... I had leaking issue with an original MS carb leaking gas. I then (gasp) bought a replacement zenith based carb from
eBay. Shockingly, it started right up!!! And it has continued to start right up ever since!! I know that is impossible to beleive... By it is true. And I don’t care what others think. I’ll run my good eBay carb till it dies and anyone who doesn’t like it can kiss my @$$! You can only rebuild something so many times... at least I’m fixing my junk and not parting out the tractor! I’m keeping a good runner running, and if you don’t like how I do so I could care less!
 
"if you don’t like how I do so I could care less!"

I believe you mean you couldn't care less.
Anyway, I'm glad the Zenith is working for you. It's your tractor,
do as you see fit with it. No need to get all in an uproar.
On the flip side, those of us who like to fix the originals and keep
our tractors running with those parts are afforded the same right.

The only Marvel Schebler carbs I have not been able to rebuild were
ones with broken castings. I have trouble finding parts for Zeniths.
Things like the choke and throttle shafts with Ford ball connectors,
jets, some of the adjustment needles, etc. Gaskets are available,
but putting gaskets in isn't a rebuild so I stick with M/S.
Each to their own.
 
FWIW, I can understand the interest (zeal?) in keeping an old machine original.

For the past 2 years, my other 'hobby' had been restoring a '62 Thunderbird. I went through it, from first running, then stopping. She's now in the shop (paint & body) for looking good.

It cost me more money, but so far, everything I've replaced has been FOMOCO. Not only does it improve the car's value but I also get a sense of pride in keeping a 45-yo car original (I HATE Resto-Mod).

So I guess that's true for old tractors, too? (although in my case, I'm a lot more practical - I just want something that WORKS).
 
Royse why don't you fix the ones with cracked castings? When I bought my mutt the carb bowl had been brazed and it is still running with that carb 7 years later.
 
I've fixed some cracks reomack and some far worse than cracks.
See [b:9dcde26e28]this[/b:9dcde26e28] YT thread for one example.

This picture is of one I chose not to fix. Reliability is the concern.

18713.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 16:45:24 06/19/18) I have an original, already rebuilt, tested and adjusted.
Actually, I have a couple of them. Not sure if I have a black one
right now, I'd have to look but they can be painted any color.

Shoot me an email and we can talk. Here's one example.

18520.jpg
WOW! That's not a rebuilt carb, that's a piece of art. Beautiful work!
 
I can see both sides of the coin here. The originals are simple and made to rebuild. Many people are not especially gifted in the mechanical department and are very intimidated by this stuff. Some people have no business picking up a wrench LOL. The biggest problem with the chicom knock offs are non standard/non interchangeable parts and hit/miss quality. It might work great and last as long as you own the tractor, or it might haunt you all the days of its life. I put a 25 dollar Chinese carb on an old troy bilt tiller and it started on the second pull and has worked great for years now. My 860 Ford came with an incorrect carb on it. I could not find a rebuildable original in the timeframe I needed one so bought a USA made Zenith. The Zenith as near as I can tell gives very few problems and people who have them love them. But as someone stated, they can be hard to find parts or information on. I also know what its like to be on a shoe string budget so can't fault someone for taking their chances with a $60 chicom carb. To each his own.
 
(quoted from post at 13:02:12 06/19/18) Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)
ne thing you can cast in stone is that any such broad generalized statement as , "Aftermarket Carbs Are Junk", will not always be correct! I have a old peweter one that is virtually identical to my M/S in every way other that iron. Works equally well and has for decade & I have been into both of them.
 
(quoted from post at 23:24:54 09/13/18)
(quoted from post at 13:02:12 06/19/18) Well, in the past 3 years I've gone through 2 aftermarket carbs from Tractor Supply - they are junk!

Both new carbs have failed - seems to be a float problem? (flooding gas out venturi)

Anybody have a suggestion for a replacement? (I've looked at the ones from this company)
ne thing you can cast in stone is that any such broad generalized statement as , "Aftermarket Carbs Are Junk", will not always be correct! I have a old peweter one that is virtually identical to my M/S in every way other that iron. Works equally well and has for decade & I have been into both of them.
This is one of the TSC/Tisco carbs that I had here. I noticed some differences between them.
The full kit didn't fit this carb. The gaskets did. As did the needle and seat.
Shaft seals/retainers and float pin did not. One of the shafts wouldn't fit, but I don't recall which one.
The screws holding the two halves together were smaller than M/S and the brass plugs were a different size.
This one was dead new, out of the box due to a plugged passage.
It worked pretty well once all the obstructions were clear.
But they're $200 new from TSC. I'd prefer to rebuild an original.
I also agree with you on the blanket statements. Always/Never etc.

23408.jpg
 

I have sold a dozen aftermarket carbs to locals either a Tisco are Sparxe none have ever came back... The only aftermarket one to give me problems was the first one I ran across on a tractor I brought it had a black Finnish the idle circuit was not completely drill all the way... I got it drilled out it, it ran great..

I don't paint carbs either I did one it was the last one I have never had a issue with them rusting.

We take a simple repair like a flooding carb and turn it into its gotta be junk if so every original must be junk also..
 
"I have never had a issue with them rusting."

When I was a kid on the farm, dad had me smear grease on the
all the plow shares, shins, moldboards, etc. when we were done
plowing for the season. Kept them from rusting over the winter.
If they were clean, they rusted.
 

Its not a plow share it does not take long for them to self coat themselves in there own sealer... Gas... That surface rust is not gonna hurt it at all never has and never will...
 

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