Leaking Carburetor! Not the Usual Cause 

Been doing the small engine thing since I was a kid. I also follow multiple small engine mechanics on RU-vid. The seemingly insignificant and unusual faults you discover and correct require next level troubleshooting skills, which clearly you have. Thank you for sharing this with us and taking time out of your life to produce these videos. I appreciate the sacrifice you make to get these great quality videos out to us and I hope it continues to be worth your efforts.

You have got to be the most patient soul walking this Earth.

I work on generators myself as a side hobby, sometimes helping friends other times working for customers (not my main source of income), I can't express how much I have learned with you James, your methodology, your step-by-step have made me a better hobby-mechanic. I will be always thankful for all your lessons Sir. I respect you and admire you. Greetings from Venezuela James!

After this unique carb problem all of our learning curves have been enhanced! Thank You!

I never would have believed that vent caused that. Nice detective work!

I just learned something else from you. I didnt think about fuel going up the main jet into the engine with a plugged vent scenario. Makes perfect sense though.

I love your perseverance and adherence to the Scientific Method. When most of us would be ready to swear or trow a wrench across the garage, you just go Plan "B" or "C", or...... Really appreciate what you do and what we all learn from you.

Great catch on the vent. Never even knew that was a thing!

Several good learnings in this one. Great as always.

Nice catch with the buggy vent blockage. I like your methodical approach to repairs and agree - with small motors it's always at least the carb. Those clones carbs are maybe 20% right. I restored Honda scooters and tried a Mikuni clone for $25. It ran awful when it would run. Called eBay supplier and he didn't want the old one back and actually sent me a box with 3 more carbs for free. Wound up rebuilding my old carb (and repaired a few others) with all those new clone parts.

Video definitely helped me and I learned something new from your content yet again! Not only great troubleshooting, but superb visibility by SHOWING that the bowl was not full enough to blame the needle and seat. Appreciate you, JC!

Get a harbor freight hand held sand blaster and then I believe it was soda blast from Amazon. Wear respirator blast carb in a container so you can catch and reuse and carbs come out looking new. Did this for my vw carb and now cleaning other carbs I take off for service. Great videos, between you and mustie1 I learn so much.

I love your videos. They are so very helpful to me as I often pick up curbside, garage sale, cheap non working gasoline powered equipment and repair for resale. As the hurricane season is in full swing here in Florida, your generator videos are a big help when I run into generator issues to help people without power. Keep up the excellent work. Thank you!

You are a very determined and exacting trouble shooter. Nice job, detective.

Great job James some Times cheap is not best but you have so much patience to get it right 👏👏

You are my hero. Teaching me patience and perseverance. Kudos.

The carb on my pressure washer must have a blocked passage like this. Leaks the same. Thanks for showing the process of checking everything. Great idea to take photos before working on it. The carb controls get out of position and causes limited performance. This vent blockage drives this home repair person crazy. I repaired it in past years by cleaning the other parts of the carb when it wouldn’t start. I worked over the lawn one year and lost a spring. New almost exact replacement carb came with gas line, shut off, gas filter, air filter, for 13$ on amazon. Love these solutions to every small engine problem.

Wow! Nice work Sherlock... I would've never thought a plugged vent, could cause a leak!

Great work James, who would’ve thought a little hole blocked would have caused this?! Good work!

So James, what did you personally learn from this to apply in the future when you get the next unit with a leaking carb? I wouldn't guess you checked the float during the carb cleaning since you had to check it later. Always remove all gaskets for carb dip, check all passages for blockage, and check the flatness of the mating surfaces? Just trying to put together a regimen of step to check for a rebuild. You have the patience of Jobe, no doubt. Thank you for remaining diligent all the way through to the end. Excellent job.

Thank you for teaching me the basic, I fixed eight log generators , yes I clean old carburetors

Wow, 2 years ago but still helpful! I'm having a similar problem but different style carb. Made sure the vent was clear but must have some other issue. Thank you for your great explanation and methodical approach! I really appreciate it!

U.K. It's not just what you show on your videos, it's the way you do it. I do so hate those wide open spaces surrounded by teeth. I have just bought a 4kW German inverter 'gen' and almost look forward to sorting it out. Thanks a million. Regards.

Awesome videos. Helped my solve similar problem with the Honda land mower. Thank you for posting!!

Great troubleshooting James 😊

Great video, such good investigation. I learned alot from this. On the point of clone carbs, I have had good luck with them however, the jet holes seem to come larger, than on the originals. If I ever have an issue I just swap original jet into clone and it works well. Thanks again for your videos.

Thanks for the video, always interesting where these mysterious issues end up. I've cleaned out my share of mud-dobber nests between cooling fins on cylinder heads, but that was a tiny insect to burrow so deep. Nature is a force to be reckoned with.

Always remove old gaskets from a carb, especially when you're going to put it in the sonic cleaning tank, lots of folk now put the carb in a smaller glass container in the sonic water with fuel in it, which cleans the carb better, but the water still gives the sonic blast. Another fault sometimes is the tang as I call it on the carb that controls the float height, upside down, most floats need to be roughly level when needle shuts off fuel, not after, or float level is too high, causing rich running. The opposite causes weak running. 33 years of small engine work in the UK.

I have had that happen on a motorcycle but never on a generator or small engine for equipment . I to have had my share of issues with the clone carbs . I most of the time work through them , But they are not as good as OEM for sure !! Great share , I will have to keep that in mind next time I have a carb flood and can't figure it out .. ENJOYED , Thanks James ..

Excellent video - I like all of them and find myself diagnosing in advance of the conclusion with mixed results. I now have a new parameter to choose from! I’m quite certain that I would have given up on this one but you persevered and WON as usual! Well done.

I tried one of those aftermarket carbs last summer and it opened up a new can of worms that I chased for a bit. Your right about going back and using OEM when you can. About the only aftermarket carbs that I have had success with are for Briggs lawnmowers.

Thank You James, I cleaned a carb real well. Ran the machine and all was well. Got back the next day, turned on the gas, started leaking just like yours. Leaking at the carb. I will see if that vent is clogged, but I am sure all holes were open. But we will see, because I was thoroughly confused as to why it was leaking. Thanks again.

Based on the title, @ 1:25 my guess is a cracked/broken float bowl...... Well, that was interesting. Even after a bath that bug was packed tight in there, the spider had no intentions of loosing that one. Great content, hope the "dry out" is going well.

Good lesson there. Tough one.

You are amazing, I really like your trouble shooting skills

Hi, James. That's a first. It really was a buggy carb. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

Great job and thanks for sharing all that diagnosis time. I have the same exact problem on my Honda GX390. Turn on the fuel valve at the tank and the fuel was dripping out the carb. The cylinder filled up with fuel and I hurt my arm trying to compress a fully filled cylinder of gasoline on the pull start...!! I just ordered a NEW OEM carb from Honda for $79.00 and will replace the entire carb only because this unit runs while we are sleeping during a power outage and I don't want to dump 3 gallons of gasoline while this is running unattended at night. As for the original carb, I also bought a rebuild kit and will rebuild it at a later time for use as a back-up. An upgrade to electric start conversion kit is also in the works. As for the clogged port, I haven't torn mine down yet, but will check for it. The problem may not be a cridder. It may be due to the ethanol in the gas we are now using. It breaks down old rubber hoses and solidifies as a black residue in the carb. I have an old classic car and have had the fuel hoses break down and also swell so much as to block the fuel line like a shut-off valve. It may be worth it to keep an eye on the rubber tipped needle valve annually and also replace any rubber hoses with ethanol compatible hoses which are available at the auto parts store. Also, as a rule, when I shut the generator off, I close the valve at the tank and let it run dry so the carb is dry of fuel for storage to avoid gum up... Thanks again for sharing.👍

Very interesting Doc., patience and persistence pays off and you definitely have both.

Well done, interesting investigation/diagnosis. Critters can and do get in lots of undesired places. Good to see this running at the end. The potentiometer is really sensitive. Lots to learn from this video. Thanks. Dave.

You just saved me some work. I’m working on a 6 hp Subaru my carb is leaking just like yours was. The carb had some issues as it’s on a go kart and been through the ringer. I couldn’t locate the engine side gasket so I cut my own. Since the original was ruined I didn’t have much to go on. Now I know I left out a port for the vent. Thank you for posting the vid!

Please don't take me wrong! But its funny how many times with all of our experience, that we go over and over the things we know for a " usual cause" and miss the obvious! I saw this at 7:29 and was screaming at my tv while you were checking the needle and seat continuously. These situations are how we gain knowledge and experience. 1-You will never have that get you again because it will now be stuck in your head! 2-No matter how many times you do something there are always lessons to be learned! 3-Although an unpopular opinion, this speaks volumes for NEVER re-using old gaskets! Great detective work, I had guessed a cracked carb before starting the video. Love the videos!

You must have a warehouse for all these generators that you pick up lol. Great channel though. Learning loads. Thanks!

I took your advice and ordered the Stens carburetor from Amazon for $90 after returning the junk clone. Somehow what I actually got was a brand new Mikuni W3642 in a Subaru OEM box. She's running smooth as glass now. Thanks for your help.

I noticed those gaskets didnt look quite right at the beginning. Also the gasket on the other side of the carb that you didnt remove looked to be the wrong one as well. It was covering a vent by the look of it, at least when you were holding the 2 Makuni carbs side by side. I wonder if that had anything to do with why it was running lean? Very informative video as usual. Thank you James.

I saw this and literally laughed out loud. I've been fighting the same problem. thanks

I'm glad you put the old parts back on to prove them good ... or bad

Me: posted stating needs new carb? Alright let’s take a quick look at it if looks too bad order a cheap aftermarket carburetor. This guy really took the time and enlightened may of us, thanks a lot man!! 👏 you’re the man 😎

I used to preheat in a kettle before pour in the sonic machine, saves a lot of time !!

Jim, when you want to dry out distribotor caps, points, spark plugs, just douse it with starting fluid ( ether), and immediately blow it with air. It will completely dry......

I don't know how many times I have heard, "It needs a carb kit." I have repaired dozens of small engines for family, friends and neighbors and none of those engines ever needed a "kit", only cleaning and/or a new spark plug.

I knew you would get it fixed, nice work and interesting. Regards from Valencia Spain. Alec

Good job. I have had some luck in fixing the low speed jets that are broken off by cutting the end with a very small dremel tool and using a small screwdriver to remove and or adjust the jet. See them once in a while where people try to remove the limit cap and break off the end of the jet. Thanks for the video.

I just started watching your videos. Your camera action is professional and you show in detail the work. Great job! I'm learning and will watch all videos in time.

Well done i am learning more everyday 👍😉

When I heard....Son of ##@@&& I nearly had coffee come out of my nose. It could have been a mud wasp that tried to build that nest. I learned something new about carb vents today. Thanks for the lesson. Excellent job. Great genny too. Those Subie engines will last a long time.

love your videos. Keep up the great work James.

Im glad you know what you're doing. I would have never figured that one out. It would have been a new carb for me.

I have the same motor. I got a Woxla EX 30 for mine, and worked like a charm. No surging at all.

Great troubleshooting. The goal for me is to always to to keep the original carburetor. Have had good luck with cheap Chinese carbs, but always clean first before buying a knockoff.

As usual….great job! I’ve learned a lot from you. My Troybilt is running well, maybe I should get a killawatt just to see where it is voltage wise and hertz wise.

Hi, It just came up to my mind, small cable cutters are really nice with fuel hoses. You can keep one pair just for the hoses, so they keep sharp. Br, Eeli

Awesome video. We really appreciate when you explain your troubleshooting steps!

You have the patience of a saint

Job well done. Thanks for the info.

James the OLD MAN here from Eliminator Performance saying this was a great video showing how a vent was plugged and causing a flooding issue due to a bug or wasp situation. We had a situation where a customer living along Lake Erie kept his snowblower tarped outside and spiders had built a web nest inside the carb bowl entering through the choke plate. The bowl had potato bugs and spider webs inside. The customer had run the fuel out of the fuel tank and drained the carb bowl of fuel at the end of winter and had just added fresh fuel, it fired right up then died out and he could not get it started. We tried everything from carb cleaner to 1.5 hours in the ultrasonic cleaner and nothing will dissolve spider webs or remove it from the internal components of the carb. First time we had encountered this but a new carb replacement was required damn those spiders. The customer did everything right but by not having fuel in the bowl it allowed spiders to find a great home for the spring.

Yay lets check out those carbs!!! Man learning from you has made me feel like a carb expert!

mud dabbers caused allot of issues on the diesel generators I serviced in the past. good job on this one. I thought you would open the main jet to take care of the lean condition vs a carb swap

Still waiting for the video where I don't learn something....still waiting. Great job James!

You get great buys up there Happy for You and Merry Christmas

Thanks for continuing to educate me.

Rebuilding the carb is part of the challenge!

Fantastic skills James thanks for sharing your vast knowledge 🦘🇦🇺👍

That was a very good video. Your content is always informative and great! Thanks🍺🍺

The clone carbs are junk. I have tried them on ezgo gas carts and maybe 1 in 20 work. I need one myself now for a 9 hp briggs and nothing is available anymore. Rule number one. Never throw away your OEM. Good video James.

Great catch on the plugged vent... I still would have been scratching my head.

Nice find on the plugged vent.

Great fault finding James, well done!

mud wasps..........they are chronic for blocking any kind of a small opening on small engines................

Tip cleaners work good on carbs, but sometimes a strand of wire from small wire rope is a good alternative. We used this technique on bug spray nozzles at work, and it was most adequate.

Not long ago I worked on a gen for a friend that got the gen for free. The throttle butterfly valve screw rattle loose and out. Fortunately, the screw and the plate didn't get pulled in past the valve, where it was jammed up. It must have ran unmetered and max throttle for some time, seeing how banged up the brass plate was. Replaced the whole carb since that was my only option. Cheap. Runs and makes power. 1500 watt heater plus whatever a circular saw draws at startup. I think I heard a slight knock. Probably from over-reving stress damage. Told him about it and potential problems. Gave him options. He'll run it as is.

Thanks for the vid James.

Thanks!

thank's for the tip l'll keep my eye's out for that problem

Bravo, another Sherlock homes case solved.

with no vent pressure will build and fight the float causing the needle to ofset from its seat also our power supply down here is 115v/60hz no need to adjust never have faith in any clone carbs .Nice one today james was not expecting any video this week because the mishap earlier

Actual lol when you said "Son of a..." ;-) That was a great diagnosis on that flooding carb. Not sure I would have figured that one out. I wonder if you could have used the OEM jet in the clone carb to get it running better.

Ages ago I did a cheap replacement carb on an old Ryobi 4 stroke gas weed wacker. It ran, but fuel usage went way up. In Chinese manufacturing, I think 0.5mm and 10mm are pretty much the same thing.

I have to use rubber plugs on my air tools, to keep those flying pests out of them,same with spare brake line and fuel hoses.All my best.

Mud dauber wasps, they get everywhere - They even daub mud into tractor cab keyholes! Well, this was well worth watching, and we have a problematic Mikuni to resolve - The classic fault of running too lean, apply some choke and it runs fine, but choke fully open is a no go. I was going to order one of those clone carbs, but I think not, now. However, we have the prodders, micro brushes and even a miniature hand drill, so I think we'll be trying alternative remedies before we send in the clones!

Always learn from your video's!

Hi James good being in your class as always nice detective job I think that carb would have ended up in my parts bin mate

Thanks, another great video. Very relaxing watch.

Nice work on this generator James, I figured it must be a clogged vent on the carburetor once you confirmed the needle and seat were working. Those Chinese aftermarket carbs are hit or miss, sometimes you might get a good one and the engine runs fine, other times you get a bad one that produce a rich condition or another issue.

Only Mitsubishi generator, I didn't get a filter with it, but I had some foam of similar manufacture, and I cut it to fit, and it works quite well. It was from a shipping box.

I have been chasing an overflow issue with champion 11h honda clone and now I have another thing to check (my clone carb is on route maybe I can cancel it). Thanks James

Great catch on the vent!

Anytime the carb starts flowing gas, usually out the air filter, it means the carb is dirty and the float is sticking open. I bought a brand new Briggs&Stratton 4.5KW gen set and out of the box the carb was filthy. I had to clean it and put it back on. Have not had any problems with it since. The main jet was completely blocked up with gummy crap. It had probably sat in the box for a year or so with ethanol gas in the float bowl. It runs nothing but PNE gas, now. I added a top hat filter to the gas line when I put it back on. I try to run it once a month but do not always get around to it. It has never let me down when we loose power. Knock on wood.😎

Never seen that problem before. Guess that vent is going on your check list for future reference. On the plug, when they're that black, probably worth replacing. Often the carbon conducts and wrecks the spark. Your blow torch clean seemed to work though. Nice work and genny

Wow, that was awesome, has made my July!!

That's the first video of yours I've yet seen where you didn't announce - even once - that you were going to do everything "real quick". Feels like Christmas! I did feel a bit bad for the poor bug, though. I guess that's what you get for deciding to live in an oil refinery. Oh well...