is it just me?

Or is getting the gasket on the fuel bowl a work of art? I replaced the old rubber gasket with the cork gasket from tractor supply and I just can't seem to get it right. If I tighten the bowl to where it doesn't leak, no gas flows even with the tank cap off. If I loosen it to when gas flows, it leaks. Am I just that incapable of something so easy or am I missing a trick to this?

If it didn't flow and wasn't leaking you likely had it. It wont flow until you turn the engine over. loosen the line at carb or remove plug below carb

Turn the knob off fully, remove the bowl & carefully check the groove in the top of the assembly for dirt/crud/old gasket material. Most leaks on a new gasket are caused by having it seated incorrectly or because some of the old gasket was left in the groove. Or, some misguided soul may have gunked it all up w/ gasket pucky. Don’t forget to check the bowl rim for chips; if it’s chipped, you will never get it to stop leaking. Clean or replace the screen. You can get both the cork gasket & the screen from TSC; p/n 0237144. A cork gasket will work if you soak it first in gas, but I like rubber. Check out tip # 10 at the link below for the correct NAPA part number. However, the newer ones aren't as thick as the old ones and the price is now $4 each. I’ve got the new ones to work, but it takes a few tries. And, at $4 for a thinner gasket, I’m not planning on using the NAPA gaskets anymore.

Put the bowl back on & hand tighten the thumb screw. Turn the gas on & look at the bowl. If it starts to fill the bowl, turn the gas off & start over; it has a leak. You will know it's sealed when gas does not flow into the bowl w/ the engine off. It won't fill with the bowl securely on because the float has closed the needle valve in the carb and there is nowhere for the air in the bowl to escape. (assuming the carb bowl is full) When the engine is started the needle valve will open and the trapped air will escape through the carb vent. If you loosen the bowl, it will fill.....and leak.

Do not open the valve more than 2 or 3 turns. All the way open gets you the 1 gallon reserve & that port is usually clogged.

All of the above assumes you have an OEM sediment bowl. If not, I'd get one because a lot of the off-shore replacements never work right & the gaskets are odd-sized.

75 Tips

Oh. Well i guess incapable of understanding would be the problem. I thought gas had to flow into the bowl. Thanks.

Gas won't flow if the carburetor is already full.

Won't even let the air out of the bowl.

Logical isn't it!!!!

Zane

Very simple. 2 things can not be in the same place at the same time. The sediment bowl when you install it is full of air. So the gas can not flow into it till you have to have more gas in the carb and the float is sitting shut off since the carb is already full of gas. Start the engine and the sediment bowl will fill with gas