I always remove the seat since they come as a set. They aren't a matched set however. Instead of folding the fuel line, you can stick a quarter inch bolt in the line and that will plug it off.
There are fuel shut offs available as well that you can put in the line. I like them so I can put them up for winter without having fuel in the carb all year long. I close the shut off and then run the engine until it's out of gas. The kit should be under $5 for a needle and seat. I'm out of touch with pricing now so I don't know how much more a carb kit runs. But that will have the ring that seals the float bowl to the carb. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 11:18 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question OK, I figured it might be called a needle valve. I have run into trouble with them decades ago on marine outboard motors, I suppose the oil, quart to five gallons back when I used to play with them, maybe as you say, perishing rubber from the hoses. I'll have to try and get my hands on a kit I suppose. One other question. Do I remove the original seat or can I leave it? I expect you are right about the rubber hose. The bowl was full of crud when I removed it. I don't remember ever seeing crap like that in one like that before now. That little spring clip wasn't attached, I suspect it was interfering with the needle moving up into the seat but there may well be debris in there as well. This hose doesn't have a shut-off either and I would like to find one to install. I have been folding the hose and stuffing it between the tank and the engine while working on it to keep the fuel from running through. Thanks for this, I'll go in search of spare parts. Dale Leavens. ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Kennedy To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 10:11 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question It's called a needle. It closes fuel off by the float pushing it into a seat. Thus the name I'm sure you've heard together, needle and seat. You'll have to buy them as a pair. The spring can drive you crazy. But before that happens, know it will work well without the hassle of the spring clip. What you will want to do when you get a new one is to install the seat, on that engine it should be a round O ring looking piece kind of squared off at the shoulders. You can install it by setting it in the opening, and use either a round punch, or the shank end of a drill bit to push it in place. Try not to use a hammer to set it, there is a small shoulder in the opening and you can push right past it using a hammer. Next, set the needle in the new seat and then run the pin through the back of the float. When that is done, feel across what will now be the bottom edge, normally the top edge of the float. Make sure that edge is parallel to the body of the carb. If it sits "low" pointed toward the float bowl, or up at you in this case, it can starve the engine. If it sits high, pointed toward the body of the carb, it can flood. That's all there is to it. While you have it apart, spray some carburetor cleaner in the area to wash out any dirt or garbage that has found it's way in. You may also consider replacing any of the quarter inch fuel line. Often times as they get older the insides will break down and bits of the line can lodge in the seat area causing it to flood. Let me know if this doesn't work. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 9:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question Good evening, I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief over the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this year it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top of the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises and pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, there is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it connects when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can chase down a new one. It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end where this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the fuel tank. Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device is called. Thanks for this. Dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
