Twelve year old push mower, worth maybe $60 if I sold it working. The carburettor is gummed up and needs at minimum a clean. A rebuild kit is $12 and a whole aftermarket carburettor is $28 including gaskets. I have basic tools and one free evening. Which way do people go on a machine this old?
Try cleaning it first for nothing. You said gummed, not damaged. Bowl off, jets out, cleaner, air, back together. If that fixes it you have spent an evening and can buy the spare carburettor when it eventually needs one.
This is what I would do, but only because I enjoy it. If the evening is precious, buy the carb.
Aftermarket carburettors at that price vary a lot. Some are perfect, some need the jets cleaned out of the box. Still the right call, just do not assume plug and play.
Either way, fit a fuel shutoff valve and drain the bowl at the end of the season, or you will be doing this again in two years.
@probe_to_ground · 12mo ago · 3 replies
Whole carburettor, and it is not close at that price gap.
A $12 kit gives you a float needle and gaskets. It does not give you a new throttle shaft, and on a twelve year old mower the throttle shaft bushing is usually worn. A worn shaft leaks air, which gives a lean surge that you will then chase for a second evening after a perfectly good rebuild.
For $16 more you get all the wear parts, and you can keep the old one as a backup and clean it at your leisure. Do check that the replacement matches on mounting spacing, bowl style and linkage holes - photograph yours from three angles before ordering.
The kit makes sense on an engine where the carburettor costs $150 and the shaft is still tight. Not on this one.
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@cast_iron_carl · 12mo ago
Wiggle the shaft side to side before you order anything. If there is play, you have your answer for free.
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@knobandtube_nan · 12mo ago
The throttle shaft argument is the one I had not thought about at all.
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