What is Included in a Lawn Mower Carburetor Kit?
Every spring millions of folks haul out their dusty lawn mowers for the first time in nearly a year. They yank the starter chord with dread, praying to the lawn gods their mower will start. But nine times out of ten, the engine roars to life, and just as quickly, sputters out. And so the ritual begins: dump out the old gas and replace it with new, take of the air filter and thoroughly clean it, pull out the rusty old sparkplug and put in a new one, and finally, dump out the dirty oil and put in some nice clean oil. With fingers crossed, once again the starter chord is yanked. And once again, the engine roars and swiftly dies. Alas, there’s nothing left to repair save the carburetor. It may simply need to be cleaned. But chances are you need to rebuild the pesky thing. This will require a carburetor kit.
Carburetor kits differ according to the type of carburetor you wish to rebuild. However, there are some basic components of all carburetors, and this is what this article will focus on. You’ll notice in your kit there will be spare parts. These are included in case your carburetor has slightly different modifications. You won’t use all the parts.
The most important part of any carburetor kit is the instructions. The provided diagrams are vital to understanding what goes where, especially if your carburetor is excessively gunked up. Next, a typical carburetor kit will contain several gaskets (choke, flange, throttle body, air horn), any of which may be used according to the instructions. If you have a diaphragm carburetor, your kit will contain a new diaphragm. There will be several “O” rings in your kit, a fuel inlet seat and needle, and an accelerator pump. Also included may be welch plugs and a damper spring.
With carburetors being made all over the world, kit contents can vary greatly. Be certain you obtain the correct kit (based on the engine make and model). And don’t panic when you finish the job but still have leftover parts. Each kit is made as universal as possible, to accommodate as many carburetors as possible.
