jerrell 1 #1 Posted March 26, 2009 OK guys, here is your chance to defend the tecumseh engines,, i have had several , in fact i still have 2 and they won't run,,, carb problems,,, i have a 6 hp sport tecumseh engine that will start and run with the choke partically on and dies when choke is off, backfires regularly , it has about 4 hours on it, the problem it has been sittiing since last fall and i took the carb off and cleaned everthing, the carb is clean.. and it will still will not run right, checked the fuel line, filter, drained cleaned gas tank, and have new gas.. since there are no adjustments on the carb what can i do ???? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
past7971 0 #2 Posted March 26, 2009 I prefer Kohlers but have the Tecumsehs and Briggs too. For the most part, any engine is only as good as the maintainance they receive. Certain engines do have their "quirks" though and as your finding out, Tecumseh carbs seem to be one of theirs. Once they "booger up" seems like no amount of cleaning will get all of air passages cleared up to run right again. Its been my past experience to be better off just finding another new one than trying to do anything with one that just does not seem to want to cooperate with you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drydock 3 #3 Posted March 26, 2009 You have a fixed idle jet under a small cap on one side of the carb. Its a little plastic cap, comes right off. Looks like a screw underneath. Unscrew it. You'll find a small hole at the end, leading to a cross hole futher up the screw. That hole is your jet. its clogged. Strip a bread tie wire and poke it in the hole from the end to clear it out. You can see light thru it when its clear. Screw it in, snugging down lightly. Your Engine will now run normaly. I have 3 of these carbs, cleaning out the idle jet is a regular thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coadster32 793 #4 Posted March 26, 2009 You have a fixed idle jet under a small cap on one side of the carb. Its a little plastic cap, comes right off. Looks like a screw underneath. Unscrew it. You'll find a small hole at the end, leading to a cross hole futher up the screw. That hole is your jet. its clogged. Strip a bread tie wire and poke it in the hole from the end to clear it out. You can see light thru it when its clear. Screw it in, snugging down lightly. Your Engine will now run normaly. I have 3 of these carbs, cleaning out the idle jet is a regular thing. I agree. When I jetted out the carbs on my motorcycle, I had to drill out the caps, to get to the idle screws. They are factory set, and don't want you to mess with them. If you use the engine regularly, no adjustment, or cleaning is really needed. When the engine sits, and get gummy, this HAS to be done. :omg: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duff 206 #5 Posted March 26, 2009 I don't have any Tecumseh engines, but reading this post just reaffirms the depth and value of the knowledge around this forum and the willingness to share! WOW! Duff :omg: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldandred 15 #6 Posted March 26, 2009 Ive got about ten or a dosen tuckes on rangers theres about half of them start right up and the others need a little tlc but after running a few mins the all run good now all the kohlers I have on horses no problem starting even the worn out ones and yes the carb is the biggest problem with the tuckies, I guess they would start and run fine if I could have the time to run the all once a week but dont.even the little wt-242 tiller is a little hard to get started Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iicap 1 #7 Posted March 27, 2009 I would like to add a little info that may help all in the future. All my small engine powered equipment, snow blower, chainsaw, weed wacker, lawnmowers, etc that are not used on a regular basis (weekly) or are seasonal. When I'm done using them I shut off the gas supply or empty the tank and run the engine till it quits, then I choke it or push the primer and start and run it till it won't pop any more. On tractors shut the gas valve off and run it out of fuel as descibed above. If there is the littlest bit of gas left in the carb it will evaporate and leave no residue to clog up the jets. I've told this to many people over the years and they thanked me whennthe next season their equipment would start and run with no problem. When possible I always use a large plastic funnel that has the finest brass screen in it to keep debris out of the fuel tank. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Bullington 5 #8 Posted March 27, 2009 if it ran when you stopped it,,its the carb....I learned my lesson with leaving gas in these carbs awhile back. Cleaning does not solve the problem :omg: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,147 #9 Posted March 27, 2009 I would like to add a little info that may help all in the future. All my small engine powered equipment, snow blower, chainsaw, weed wacker, lawnmowers, etc that are not used on a regular basis (weekly) or are seasonal. When I'm done using them I shut off the gas supply or empty the tank and run the engine till it quits, then I choke it or push the primer and start and run it till it won't pop any more. On tractors shut the gas valve off and run it out of fuel as descibed above. If there is the littlest bit of gas left in the carb it will evaporate and leave no residue to clog up the jets. I've told this to many people over the years and they thanked me whennthe next season their equipment would start and run with no problem. When possible I always use a large plastic funnel that has the finest brass screen in it to keep debris out of the fuel tank. Excellent advice. I might add that before i run her out of gas I add some stabil...that way any gas that does possibly remain in the carb hopefully will not turn to crud. Also I add an in line fule filter to all my equipment. My L-107 starts better than any of the Kohlers and has for since she was new (the engine was replaced about 20 years ago (to get compression release to make it easier for my father to start it...carb was still OK) She is used all year round and never sits for long. Also have a 1970 Troy-bilt tiller with an HH60. She only gets used a couple hours a year but starts well . (she gets drained and run out of gas ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerrell 1 #10 Posted March 27, 2009 :omg: thanks guys, will get out there today and check that little cap and screw.. i saw it when cleaning it, didn't know know what it was, i am going to get an untrasonic cleaner just the right size to clean carbs, we used them in the military to clean surgical instruments , use it to disolve that tar and gunk inside carbs. i saw a couple on the gov surplus sites. about 20.00 and i know they work wonderfully.. i think cleaning that screw will solve the problem, i put some stab-lize in it yesterday and let it set for a couple of hours and it ran better but not well enough.. :drool: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rollerman 290 #11 Posted March 27, 2009 Another trick with Tecumseh carbs...after disassembling for cleaning boil the carb body in water. That will help clear out any crud that builds up & can't be reached normally. Of course I take my Tecumseh engines to a place that boils the entire thing. Right after the shred them.... :omg: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 991 #12 Posted March 28, 2009 I too have used an ultrasonic cleaner that my local rental shop loaned me to do my chain saw and my whipper snipper that coincidentally i bought at the same time as my 308-8 in 1986 ,the cleaner worked exelent,you can use a cheaper type that jewellers use and can save the cost of the cleaner from one carburator Share this post Link to post Share on other sites