ShawnG said:
The reason most people think carburetors suck is because they have been taken apart and put back together improperly by people with the attitude of "it's just some metal with holes in it".
A watch is "just a can with gears in it"
Chasing a tuning issue that is caused by flawed castings or improperly drilled orifices will make you pull your hair out.
There's a reason the big names in carburetion are big names in the first place. They build a good product.
I have never really experienced a flawed casting. Worn throttle shafts, loose bearings plates etc. wrong sized holes etc. etc.
but I think I would visually see a casting flaw when I take it apart. I can imagine how it would happen and I wouldn't see it. Yet it has never happened to me.
When I buy Chinese stuff I lay them on white butcher paper, take them completely apart, drag out the bright light and magnifying glass and look for Waldo.
More and more I'm finding less and less. Never going to stop looking because only a couple times in my life have I ever bought New Webers. And I've never bought a new SU.
When you're used to buying used I think it makes you more attentive and familiar with what can go wrong.
I don't normally hop into ghost threads but...
I have bought 4 Chinese carbs for small engines and they have all been spot on. The casting always looked great, all 4 ran perfect when installed. The first one I bought because it was cheaper than a rebuild kit, I was going to just take the parts off it and rebuild the Briggs unit. When I took it out of the box I was like shoot this is built really nice.
I have one on my golf cart (Kawasaki FE 290) and it has been perfect for 4 years.
I am sure there is a level of complexity and detail that is higher on a larger carb but these little ones are great.
NOHOME
MegaDork
1/29/23 12:41 p.m.
It is hard for most people that buy stuff to understand how much much of the cost goes into quality control of the finished good. Chinese products can skip this because they adopt a proven design to start with, and then don't bother to do any QC before shipping.
Odds are in your favour that the carb will work, if you like better than 50-50 odds.
In reply to NOHOME :
For sure. I can't imagine how they make that carb, put it in a box and get it to my house for less than $20. It doesn't make sense.
I was curious, so went and found some Weber IDF clones - the pricing was nuts if they actually work.
My brother has a couple of Triumphs that need SU carbs. Is anyone doing SU reproductions?
In reply to CJ :
SU's typically wear the throttle shafts. The cure is new oversized throttle shafts and a ream to the new size.
