[AT] ATIS members

[Larry Goss]

Some makes and models leave you no choice in that repair job, David.  The retail price for a brand new carburetor is less than the hourly shop rate.  It pains those of us who have lived our whole lives with the premise that it's cheaper to clean and repair an item rather than to replace it, but 2-cycle carburetors have changed that scenario.

Larry
  
----- Original Message -----
From: David Bruce <davidbruce at yadtel.net>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:05:44 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: [AT] ATIS members

A couple years ago I had a trimmer that was gunked up.  The dealer who 
did the service as a matter of course replaces the carb.  Less expensive 
over all.

David
NW NC

On 11/8/2012 8:17 AM, Will Powell wrote:
> A relative of mine lost his job and got a job in a small equipment dealer as a repairman. I asked him what he did when an engine came in with gelled gasoline. He said they never tried to clean out or rebuild the carburetors, always ordered new ones.
>
> I've been repairing small engines for about 40 years now. I clean my own carbs, and I've seen some bad ones.... Though, if I was going to make a business out of it I would surely have the customer get a new carb if it was an option.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Sloane"<mikesloane at verizon.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Thursday, November 8, 2012 7:57:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] ATIS members
>
> Here is my "word of advice" on your endeavor: enjoy working on those old
> engines, but if anyone shows up with an older 2-stroke that "won't
> start", show them the exit. I have a barn full of chain saws, string
> trimmers, leaf blowers, etc. that look like new but won't run. They can
> be fixed up, but it usually means replacing the fuel lines, gas tank
> filter, and overhauling or replacing the carburetor - all the result of
> running ethanol laced gasoline that the machines weren't designed to
> handle. (Most of the old 4-stroke engines seem to manage the ethanol,
> but not well.) While I don't mind puttering with these things for my own
> amusement, there is no way you could do the work and charge less than
> the cost of replacing the whole machine - a brand new chain saw can be
> bought for $100 or less at one of the big box stores. I just brought
> home an older Husqvarna 40 chain saw that cleaned up very nicely, but,
> of course it won't start. Now I have to partially disassemble the saw to
> get at the carburetor/line/tank and see what I can do. If the Husky
> wasn't such a nice machine, I would send it right back to the town
> Clean-up day where it came from.
>
> Mike
_______________________________________________
AT mailing list
http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at