To avoid drilling too far I use a wood dowel and drill through it and expose just enough of the drill to get through the part without going too far to cause damage. Like others have said, a piece of rubber tubing or hose works great also. Great informative videos, thank you.
This is probably what is wrong with my old carb on my Areins 924102 Tecumsah Snowblower. I clean the air screw and the brass bolt in the bowl and still the engine surged. I had no idea about these parts as I am new to these types of repairs. I will order a rebuild kit and welsh plugs for the old one and fix it up as a backup. I purchased a new carburetor on Amazon for 16.00 and it works perfect. Great video thanks for making this
Interesting bit of trivia: "The Welch plug was originally designed in the 1900s by the Welch brothers at the Welch Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan. At that time core holes in the engine blocks were fitted with pipe plugs. During one of these run-ins a pipe plug backed out. In order to get back on the road one of the brothers drove a quarter or half dollar into the hole. From this they developed the Welch plug,. They then patented the plug and the M.D. Hubbard Spring Company became the sole manufacturer of the Welch plug for the life of the patent." References
PALAWNGUY: Dony wrap three layers of masking tape around the drill bit with only the amount of desired cutting extension protruding below the tape to help control the depth you feel you can drill in, also place a small amount of grease on this cutting end to help catch the chips. I would have extracted the chips with a shop vac rather than run the possibility of blowing some of them into the passages. Just some thoughts.
another great job ! i never take them out simply because i don't have replacements laying around . sometimes a carb still doesn't work right after cleaning and i wonder if removing the welsh plugs might result in a more thorough cleaning job. it would be really handy if there was a kit available with a wide assortment of these.
Smashing :-D I had to remove one last year to clean behind it. i also drilled a tiny hole in the center, i screwed a wood screw into the hole then carefully lifted the screw with wire cutters and a small bit of wood between the cutters and carb body to allow leverage. I didn't have a new plug so i reformed the dome shape, then soldered the tiny hole up. Tapped it back into place with a flat ended rod. Finally tested leaks by applying petrol, none got past the plug. Yes im a bit of a bodger, but this bodge seemed sound :-D
George Dodd, Thank you :-D. As i come from a poor family, i could not afford to buy new things, so diy repairs were the norm :-D. It didn't do me any harm, shame that the current society seems to throw so much away.
Any new kid would come with new plugs. You're going to take it apart to clean it and actually do the correct maintenance you would have had the new part. So that one day comes and it will when you go to start something and it don't run right you'll know why Dodger
Grease on the drill bit also helps stick any particles to the drill so that nothing enters the passages. Thanks for the information! Am just going out to my shop to rebuild my outboard carbs and will remove welch plugs since they came with the rebuild kit.
Nice! Thank you! I was wondering why Or when I would ever need to replace them. Now I know. You’ve just saved me some time and effort, along with the tips required if I ever need to replace them.
When I do the plugs I don't drill as it leaves too many shavings. I just use the punch and punch right through the plug and then pop it out. No debris that way. I do mostly old outboards though.
I know on the Walbro carbys on the 2 stroke trimmers they say it doesn't hurt to apply a dab of nail polish to the outside of the Welsh plug(s),just for added sealability. I know about not needing any glue as I bought a bodgy carburetor which was like that,the main jet was glued in with Loctite & the fuel ate it away & gave me a lot of trouble with air & fuel leaks. Replacing the carby was the only quick solution. I've replaced welsh plugs on a car engine that I rebuilt,I removed the old ones to clean the water jackets,they do require sealant. There's quite a few tricks of the trade with repairing carburetors,Taryl has made himself some tools to replace the needle seat inside them.
Thanks Donnie, I wasn’t able to get my Techumsee plug to hold. Now I know why. Tip on drilling to prevent plunging thru... use a piece of tubing cut to length and slid over drill bit only exposing enough to penetrate plug then it will act as a stop..... thanks for the tip
Good info thank you. one comment I would like to make when Drilling a blind hole and it is critical not to go too deep I like to take a small wooden dowel drill through it letting only part of the drill stick out deep enough to drill a minimum depth hole and not worry about any damage by drilling too deep thanks
Finally got a chance to be a patreon. You've helped me from doing everything from getting my snowblower running two years in a row. To living the dream in flying. Thanks Don.
The one inside my Briggs and Stratton Carb came loose and fell out when I was cleaning it. I didn't know what it was and after the cleaning, I forgot to put it back in. Should I have or can the Carb run properly without it? Thanks.
So question..... There is a little tab there to flick out the Welch plug that's what I use why you drill it and take so much more work for yourself? The outside yes but not the inside one. Good video.
I have a mower with a Briggs engine that is hard to start. I have taken the carb apart and discovered the two welch plugs were in the bowl and not attached to the carb. Could this cause a problem with starting? It has not yet been installed. Thank you.
Already done this. Hammer a center divot with a screwdriver bit. Hold in one hand. Drill in another. Start with a small bit. If you can't pick out the welch plug, drill a larger hole until you can pry it out. Put carb on bench or piece of wood. Tap in the new welch plug with a drill bit shank and claw hammer. It doesn't take much force to flatten.
I have question for the dome shape plugs is there a spécial tool to put them in. This will be my first time replace the plugs but ive rebuilt plenty of carbs i never did plugs thinking i needed speical tool to put them in. I can do it your way just woundering if they sell such a tool for that might be nice to have.
Nice video a good way to stop you drilling to deep when you a job like this one is to have a drill bit reserved for it and drill out a few pop rivets with it leave the all pop rivet heads one this will act as depth stop and no damaged to the carb
Lately I have bought new carbs and there is no welch plug on the inside where the float sits. Is this a new design or is it really needed. It seems to work fine
Good video Don..Did you ever do a video on replacing those lead shot plugs on a carb?I had one come loose on top of my Johnson outboard carb.Never saw one come loose before.The top of it popped off I guess leaving the piece going into the needle jet area loose.Motor started running terrible at idle.Took alittle bit of troubleshooting to figure it out.I did get info from some others on how to fix it.Hammered a piece of sinker in there and sealed it with a number of coats of good nail polish.
Thanks for nice video, but I have a question. This first plug next to the center column, there are gaps in the circle. Won't these gaps nullify the need for a welch plug?
Good information Don. Now, how do you remove a main jet nozzle from a carburetor, such as a old Carter model "N" carburetor from a small engine? It is made of brass, has a slot for a perfectly fitting screwdriver, but will not budge. I have such a situation and it should be removed to clean any small holes. Thanks again.
Great video as usual. I'm curious why B&S says to use enamel nail polish once the welch plug is put in. If you have a drill press it's a bit easier and you can almost guarantee that the drill bit will not hit the inside. I would love to see a video of those little rectangular welch plugs on 2 cycle engines - hot to remove and replace.
Donny is really flattening out that plug more than he needs too. Briggs tells you to use nail polish because it resists gasoline and seals the edges of the plug instead of really flattening it out like Donny does. I worry he might mash it in there too much and disturb things inside that metering chamber. Not only is there fuel in there but also air. You need a certain amount of space inside the chamber for those two components to mix so then they air and fuel passes through the tiny ports from the low side of the carb behind the throttle shutter they are a fine mist and not big droplet.
Where can I buy an assortment of these plugs ? The carb on my JD x300 is missing a small welch plug on the top above the tip of the emulsion tube and the air leak from the missing plug is creating surging idle that cannot be influenced by the pilot jet needle valve. I assume the plug fell out sometime in the past (?) I have a dab of silicone sealing the hole now but would rather use a metal plug if I can find one.
Silicone is bad, crystalizes and clogs the passages inside a carb, that's why I'm rebuilding 3 carbs off an outboard. The previous owner used silicone to "seal" the gas line fittings from fuel tank to the outboard. What a mess!
Dear Donyboy 73 I need your help. I have engine Tecumseh OVXL120-202704 and when I turn it on it start with high speed and the leaver for speed doesn't work, also I have to say I opened the carburetor and cleaned with purple power but I didn't changed any thing in it. Help me
I have a Briggs & Stratton 19.5 Intel XRD Model#31P677 Type: 137381 Code: 0911167D Can you recommend a new carb. I tried cleaning jets with carb cleaner. Low idle it runs OK, above 1/2 throttle to full throttle it misfires. There is a lot of Chinese ones, hard to tell which are the good ones.
I have a power generator with the Tecumseh engine and carburetor on it and never was used since I purchased it new in 2000. I have to get it working if the parts are available for it. I know the carburetor is in need of repair since it has been sitting so long without being used.
Kinda looks like a Tillotson carb.... but maybe that's just my old eyes. Good basic lesson, Don - these things need to be taught these days - real mechanics and true repairs instead of replacing "assemblies" is a fast-dying art.
Melquiades Estrada that is exactly what it looks like used on Old Harleys and Harley golf cars and many other older tractors. Thought the same thing as you did when I first saw it. And when rebuilding them use a ball pump to test for leaks in the Welch plug and diaphragms
Nice video Dony. Do you ever replace the plugs on a Zama carb. Would the same procedure apply? They're a lot smaller and must be a pain to get put. Have a great weekend Dony
Great video thanks for the tips . But I was just wondering which carburetor cleaner do u use to clean your carburetors ?, the reason I ask is because a lot of them will destroy any rubber on carbs an I've learned the hard way an had to buy replacement parts .
uh oh!!!); hey my dumb ass just accidentally drilled into to carb itself under the plug!Is there any way i can fill the hole with jb weld or anything that will last and hold up to the fuel and oil?it an old series 2 tecumseh outboard carb!im kicking myself hard right now!!!!plz help!
Could you do a video on STIHL carbs and what causes them to idol ok but they have problems running full throttle? I have to run mine 3/4 choke to get them to run up. Thanks and great videos as always!
When I disassemble for the first time the carburetor of my Briggs and Stratton 650 there was a welch plug missing. Probably some previous repair man that I gave the lawn mower miss it. I wonder if I should replace it (it works fine without it, I think...). Also if someone knows how I’ve got to order a “Welch plug” in spanish, it would be helpful to illustrate me because I can’t translate the concept.
rk22cc A Welch plug is a specifically sized space that acts as a vacuum port to regulate air intake flow through the carburetor to help meter the air with the flow of fuel.
I've taken lots of these out. But it's kind of a nerve racking process every time I do it. Some of these carbs (especially on outboards) are very expensive. Always afraid I might punch too far through and mess up the carb.
