Too much red 65 #1 Posted February 22, 2021 My 854 with K181s wasn't running right last week while trying to plow snow. I pulled the carb, tore it apart, sprayed it down, and slapped it back together and it seemed to idle and drive ok. Went to use it the next day and it was doing the same thing as before, would only run on full choke, kept almost stalling, didn't matter if it was under load or not. I pulled it again today and took it apart to put in some carb cleaner. I pulled the top fuel adjustment screw and this is how I found the needle. Can I buy a new needle or should I just buy a new carb? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 46,404 #2 Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) Looks like someone mashed down a little hard on it. Bet one of the guys has one out of scrap carb they could send ya. I'll go look in my scrap carb box. Edited February 22, 2021 by WHX24 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mickwhitt 4,082 #3 Posted February 23, 2021 Thats nasty! Did someone use a rattle gun to seat it? I got a scrap needle and just had to modify the cross holes to match the original. As long as the tip is not too worn a scrap needle is ok. Mick 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,195 #4 Posted February 23, 2021 4 hours ago, Too much red said: wasn't running right last week while trying to plow snow Have you considered that you might have the carb icing up? Granted that needle is surely bad, but you may have had an icing issue as well. Your symptoms support that diagnosis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Too much red 65 #5 Posted February 23, 2021 7 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said: Have you considered that you might have the carb icing up? Granted that needle is surely bad, but you may have had an icing issue as well. Your symptoms support that diagnosis. It never occurred to me, no. The day I cleaned it idled and revved fine in my garage. The next day it started having the same problems as before almost immediately out of the garage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 10,444 #6 Posted February 23, 2021 A good chance the needle is in this manual. In printed form there is a left and right page making it easier to follow as the charts cover 2 pages wide. Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,195 #7 Posted February 23, 2021 3 hours ago, Too much red said: It never occurred to me, no. The day I cleaned it idled and revved fine in my garage. The next day it started having the same problems as before almost immediately out of the garage. Was the humidity very high on those days? Like 80% or so? Here in NJ we have those conditions of high humidity in the winter, I don't know what you get in OH though... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carburetor_icing (image courtesy wikipedia.com) Icing will occur with high humidity and can even occur at moderate outdoor temperatures depending on a number of factors. Typical symptoms would be 'sputtering', 'surging', and then when the icing gets bad enough, the engine will sputter and stall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites