How does a company compete

john in la · Jul 15, 2017

The carburetor on my generator needs to be rebuilt.
Needle valve is sticking.
Have put it off for months as it is not a item I need daily.
Couple of days ago a crew dug up some wires for street lights going into a subdivision up the road.
Knocked out power on our 3 mile dead end road.
SWMBO was not happy the generator would not work.

So facing a iron skillet up side my head I better get this done.
In talking to a small engine repair shop he said do not rebuild. Replace.
We never rebuild any more. To many come backs.

So I look at the B&S web site and they got the carburetor for $105. plus $5 shipping.
This is about the same price the repair shop gave me for a OEM part.

I have to assume B&S is having these parts made over seas and just rebadging them.
So what is the point of buying OEM parts.
Especially when you can go on amazon and find aftermarket parts for $23 to $35.

I do not see how a mom and pop repair shops that sell OEM parts can compete with this.
The price is so low $23 aftermarket compared to $110 OEM it almost makes you scared to buy them as they may be so cheap as not to work.

pete black · Jul 15, 2017

I know, i know, but have you tried sea foam?

Steve@Advance · Jul 15, 2017

I've used several of the aftermarket carbs and had 100% success.

But I suspect if you take the bowl off, spray some carb cleaner on the needle/seat/float, poke out the main jet, it would free up and work.

john in la · Jul 15, 2017

It needs a float needle valve for sure.
The end of the valve is rubber.
When I took it apart I had to pull the needle out with pliers as the rubber end was swollen up so bad.
I even think there may be small pieces of rubber still in the hole.
I was going to have it rebuilt by a shop but I will just replace.

Just trying to decide if I spend the $100 or try one of these aftermarket knockoffs.

I know why the carburetor is in this condition. I even know better.
Chalk it up to laziness. But we will not go there.

JOCCO · Jul 15, 2017

John: be carful some aftermarket parts are cheap knockoffs some are built to a good standard. I do agree with the man a new one will surly solve the carb issue. Some of this stuff today is throw away not like our old tractors.

coshoo · Jul 15, 2017

Try to get non-ethanol gas for your small engines in the future, but if its only the needle, I think I'd try just a needle first, then go with the carb if it doesn't work. I try to remember to run them out of fuel before putting away, then spray some carb cleaner into the tank and start it again so the carb goes to bed with carb cleaner in it, not gas.

Somebody on here gave a pretty fool-proof way of starting an engine after a winter with gas in it. Drain the gas by removing the hose from the bottom of the tank. While the hose is off, spray carb cleaner into it (so it goes into the carb). Then hook the hose back up, spray some more carb cleaner into the air intake and then quite a bit into the fuel tank. I've tried this on three different engines, some of which hadn't run in years, and each started on the first pull.

Stephen Newell · Jul 15, 2017

Understandable. I tried to rebuild the carburetor on my jeep and it didn't work because the float needed to be adjustable to a angle completely different from the instructions and everyone's advice. I then took it to a mechanic to rebuild it and he made it worse so I rebuilt it again and found missing parts in one area and extra parts in another area. With a lot of tinkering and help from folks here I managed to get it rebuilt and works fine now. In hind site I should have bought a rebuilt carburetor.

UncleTom · Jul 15, 2017

On small engines that i dont use that often, i run avgas in them. It never goes bad. Cheaper than a carb and the inconvenience of not being able to use the genny.

Pete in MD · Jul 15, 2017

Power will probably be back on before you get the genny running.

WGM · Jul 15, 2017

Just another uninformed ethanol basher. My small engines run just fine on ethanol gas.

rlp in Co. · Jul 15, 2017

I have bad luck using carb cleaner on needle valves. It attacks the rubber on some of them and they either leak or stick closed.

El Hombre · Jul 15, 2017

(quoted from post at 21:00:38 07/15/17) Just another uninformed ethanol basher. My small engines run just fine on ethanol gas.

If you let them sit for 6+ months they won't run. You must be using them often enough that the ethanol doesn't destroy all the plastic and rubber parts. If they sit, the carb diaphragms get stiff and they won't work. Been there, done that. At least 8 engines.

There's a reason they make Sta-bil and all the other fuel additives; except for Sea-Foam. Just mix up some ATF and paint thinner and you've got SF.

The $7 a quart fuel, no alcohol, is another response to the trash we got to put in small engines.

JD Seller · Jul 15, 2017

WGM YES keep running ethanol gas in your small engines!!!!! My son needs all the work he can get!! LOL

WGM I am very informed about the issues with ethanol gas. The biggest issue is that we do not get a good quality gas when we buy ethanol blended gas. The petroleum companies can take a lower grade of gas then blend the ethanol with it and make the octane be where it should be. The trouble is the blend is not really very good gas when you look at the total composition.

Then any gas with an oxygenator in it will have evaporation issues. So when stored it has a very short shelf life . I just got a new training manual from Kawasaki. In stated any gas more than 6 weeks old is to be considered "bad". If a new motor is not running properly on the "old" fuel then there is no warranty on any repairs related to this fuel issue.

Frank 41 · Jul 15, 2017

These small engines might run on 10-15% blend but they do not do well sitting with this junk in them. I can get 100% premium gas without ethanol, that I use in small engines and antiques tractors.

Ozlander · Jul 15, 2017

(quoted from post at 15:00:38 07/15/17) Just another uninformed ethanol basher. My small engines run just fine on ethanol gas.

I agree.

Almost as bad as the China bashers.

jimg.allentown · Jul 15, 2017

And you are an "informed" ethanol user?
Or are you a corn farmer getting rich off the ethanol craze?

Some FACTS for you:

1) Ethanol IS a corrosive solvent. This is basic chemistry 101. It is corrosive to rubber and plastic parts in carburetors used in most small engines.

2) Ethanol has a high affinity for water. A full glass of ethanol will draw enough water from the atmosphere to make the glass overflow. We did this experiment in General Science class in high school. What this means is that in solution with gasoline, ethanol will draw moisture from the atmosphere to cause phase separation over time.

3) Ethanol contains less BTUs than gasoline. That means that fuel consumption will increase for the comparable amount of work produced.

Some opinion:

I have never had to continually work on small engine carburetors to the extent that I need to with ethanol containing fuels. I also do not like the increased fuel consumption. My personal position is to offer the choice. Let the market make the decision as to whether to use E10 or E0. If that all makes me an ethanol basher, then so be it. I simply don't like having it forced on me.

Galen Houk · Jul 15, 2017

There is a very good article on Ethanol-Based Fuels in the latest, July/August, issue of Hart-Parr Oliver Collector magazine. I suspect many farmers will not be happy with it. I goes into great detail to describe the good and bad of ethanol. It's pretty hard to deny that ethanol blended fuels are not good for engines that set for any period of time without use. You apparently have been very fortunate to not have any problems but from my experience you are the only one.

sammydwm · Jul 16, 2017

Have never run anything but ethanol gas. Chainsaw sits idle for a longer time now that we no longer use wood heat, but it starts right up without a hitch.
Lawnmowers, weed eaters, sickle mower, tiller, all work in the spring.
Our gas tractor doesn't have a loader so it sits all winter, go out in the spring and away it goes.
Do not run any form of additive in the gas.

Ken Macfarlane · Jul 16, 2017

Same here, run ethanol fuels in everything gas. There are two engines I have with very vented carbs that varnish the fuel in the bowl quickly when sitting and gum the passages but the rest are fine. Some sit a year or so between uses.

dhermesc · Jul 16, 2017

Since when does AV-Gas not go bad?

https://generalaviationnews.com/2011/05/15/how-long-can-fuel-be-safely-stored-2/

Bret4207 · Jul 16, 2017

(quoted from post at 13:02:32 07/15/17) It needs a float needle valve for sure.
The end of the valve is rubber.
[b:127372e148]When I took it apart I had to pull the needle out with pliers as the rubber end was swollen up so bad.[/b:127372e148]
I even think there may be small pieces of rubber still in the hole.
I was going to have it rebuilt by a shop but I will just replace.

Just trying to decide if I spend the $100 or try one of these aftermarket knockoffs.

I know why the carburetor is in this condition. I even know better.
Chalk it up to laziness. But we will not go there.

Thats the ethanol issue that so many people believe doesn't exist.

coshoo · Jul 16, 2017

Well, WGM, I just find that I have fewer problems with small engines when I use non-ethanol gas. Despite your convincing arguments, I think I'll just continue to stumble along with my present program, in blissful ignorance.

Bret4207 · Jul 16, 2017

(quoted from post at 05:31:43 07/16/17) Have never run anything but ethanol gas. Chainsaw sits idle for a longer time now that we no longer use wood heat, but it starts right up without a hitch.
Lawnmowers, weed eaters, sickle mower, tiller, all work in the spring.
Our gas tractor doesn't have a loader so it sits all winter, go out in the spring and away it goes.
Do not run any form of additive in the gas.

I believe the specific blend of fuels in your area have a determining effect on who has problems with ethanol and who doesn't. Also, the age of the equipment used has a great deal to do with it. I know for a fact that back in the early to mid 80's when I was wrenching on chainsaws professionally we didn't have the problems I see with modern fuels. Take older equipment, add ethanol fuel and problems crop up.

Ethanol issues in small engines are simply a fact. Those not experiencing the issues are simply lucky IMO, or they have new enough equipment that the components are ethanol resistant.

Old Scovy · Jul 18, 2017

Just a little swig of Marvel Mystery Oil would most likely fix it.

steve_in_mo · Jul 18, 2017

The sad - and aggravating - part of that is the OEM parts are most
likely made in the same factory as the cheap eBay part. There is just
too much overhead, too many people trying to earn a living, in the OEM
distribution system. The biggest and most likely problem you will have
with the eBay part is it may be drilled incorrectly for your specific
application.

JML755 · Jul 18, 2017

Few weeks ago, my Snapper lawn mower with a 5 hp B & S engine was running rough and wanted to quit. I sprayed carb cleaner in it and perked it right up. I did this again with success one more time. Then it wouldn't run even with a shot of carb cleaner. So.... I took it apart, cleaned the needle valve and the ports. Still wouldn't run continuously. Went online, bought a carb for $ 8.99 off Ebay that included shipping. Had it within a week, installed it on Saturday and voila, fired right up and been running great. How can you beat $ 8.99??? I spent almost that much on the carb cleaner. And even if it doesn't last, I could install a new one every spring and still be ahead of the game. :lol:

BarnyardEngineering · Jul 19, 2017

Corn farmer getting rich? That's a laugh when corn is under $4 a bushel.

Maybe a few years back when there truly was a "craze" because of all the government money being pumped into the industry, but not now.

Fact of the matter is JD Seller has it right. It's not the ethanol itself but the crap they put in with the ethanol that's the problem, but that's not everywhere, either.

If you leave ANY engine sit for years, the diaphragms will stiffen, the rubber parts will swell and degrade. Gasoline has always done that.

How does a company compete

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