Craftsman Carb Gasket

[cedarshark]

I have a good white spark. I had the needle "screwed down." I just raised it a half turn. The pics will show all of the gas that's welling up in the cavity where the fuel lines are. Attaching pics of everything. I took pics, reduced them down to 50K and I get an error message when I try to upload them. This is a Buffalo Wild Wings Commercial!

Reggie, we still do not know if your carb is supposed to have 1 needle or 2. If your carb should have two, and only has one, that could be the entire problem. Lets tackle this problem one piece at a time.

1) Does the carb have one needle and need two ?
2) When you installed the diaphram in the carb, does the diaphram "sit" on top of the metering lever or does it have a small "tit" that slides into a slot in the metering lever ?
3) What is the model number of the carb(letters and number on the side)? You must have ordered the rebuild kit w/ these numbers.
4) the saw has spark...no need to verify further, unless the saw is out of time.
5) Did you happen to take notes on the way the carb(and purge bulb) were plumbed with the fuel,impulse lines ?
6) Do not take parts out of one carb and put into another unless you verify the carbs are the same model number. When you installed the new carb kit, did you match the new gaskets and diaphrams with the old ones?

We are trying to help but this problem is so convoluted with different carbs, new kits, missing needles, etc....its impossible to accurately troubleshoot anything, not to mention we must not have enough "cosmic knowlege".

 

[dougand3]

Tiny line on pickup.

 

[Reggie]

Thanks Doug. The "fat" link from primer bulb is going back into tank. Thin line from primer bulb is going to lower nipple on carb. Line running into tank with fuel filter on end is attached to top nipple on carb. This all seems to be working correctly. I have about 10 pics to upload but I get an error message every time I try. I reduced them to below 50K in size. How do I reach the moderator to get help on this?

 

[Reggie]

I tried again to upload the pics. Still getting an error message. I need to travel for a week. When I come back, I'll rebuild the original carb and see what that does. Thanks all for your excellent advice!

 

[dougand3]

I understand wanting to fix what you have. Remember, you can get a new carb. Partner 350 works and costs $6-10.

 

[Reggie]

I heard from arboristsite moderator who said I should see a specific error message about "image size" regarding pic uploads.....No such luck. Still prohibited from uploading pics. To update, I rebuilt the original carb that came out of the 42 cc machine. The two carbs look absolutely identical. I have installed the original rebuilt carb and have a new problem.....The cord won't pull. There is too much compression! I can get the flywheel to turn a few notches by pulling cord, but it is very resistant. The cord does not want to retract when I force it like this. When I put the new needle in this, the original carb, I did not fasten down the float tight....I left it up a bit. Before putting new carb parts in, I cleaned the carb out thoroughly with carb cleaner. W/O any more advice on what could be wrong, I guess the next step is to try and buy a new carb. I don't understand the compression change!

I understand wanting to fix what you have. Remember, you can get a new carb. Partner 350 works and costs $6-10.[/

 

[Chris-PA]

The carb would not cause a compression increase, and these engines do not usually have that much compression. Remove the spark plug and see if it is still difficult to turn over. If it is, look to see if something (small screw, etc.) has stuck to the flywheel magnet and jammed. Or something may have been ingested and is jamming it internally.

 

[cedarshark]

Compression change has nothing to do with the carb problems. I think your problem may be in the recoil. Remove it, and see how it operates not on the saw. It should pull out and retract easily with no resistance. If it operates normally, I would pull the muffler and check to see if the piston is scored. While you have the recoil off. turn the saw over with a socket on the flywheel nut and see if the saw will turn over freely. If the piston is scored, trash the saw.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Excess fuel in the crankcase will make them very difficult to pull over, a form of hydro lock. Take out the plug and turn the saw sparkplug side down, pull the recoil rapidly to expel a lot of the excess fuel.

 

[Reggie]

Pioneer Guy, I think you are correct about the hydro lock. Even when I had the other carb in there, too much gas was getting into the crankcase. Why would this be happening. Before I started messing with the carbs, this saw would run....after I replaced fuel lines and primer bulb. It just kept bogging down deep into the cut and carb adjustments wouldn't help. I thought that if the primer bulb and fuel lines were rotted out (which they were, ) then there must be some varnish inside the carb. I'm pretty sure I have the fuel lines routed correctly because when I push the primer bulb I can see excess fuel flowing through the bigger diameter line which runs back into the tank. Having said this, the primer bulb seems to take more than 10 or 12 pushes before it starts to draw fuel into the bulb.

 

[pioneerguy600]

A carb flows too much fuel/floods if the ,
1, metering needle valve is not sealing properly
2, if the metering lever is not set at the correct height
3, the gasket is not under the metering diaphragm, affects the metering lever height
4, the wrong gasket has been used from the kit
5 if by chance there is a hole in the diaphragm
6, if there is dirt or foreign debris keeping the metering needle valve off its seat or causing it to stick in its bore
7, the fuel adjusting screws/needles are set incorrectly
8, the metering diaphragm is gone stiff and is holding the metering lever to hold the needle valve off its seat

 

[HarleyT]

Reggie, why don't you put up the Craftsman model numbers so we know what you have?

 

[cedarshark]

A carb flows too much fuel/floods if the ,
1, metering needle valve is not sealing properly
2, if the metering lever is not set at the correct height
3, the gasket is not under the metering diaphragm, affects the metering lever height
4, the wrong gasket has been used from the kit
5 if by chance there is a hole in the diaphragm
6, if there is dirt or foreign debris keeping the metering needle valve off its seat or causing it to stick in its bore
7, the fuel adjusting screws/needles are set incorrectly
8, the metering diaphragm is gone stiff and is holding the metering lever to hold the needle valve off its seat

This is the most comprehensive list for a carb flooding that I have ever seen. I cannot imagine the number of carb rebuilds it took to accumulate this knowlege, but I printed this list and taped it to the jar that contains all my carb kits. Nice job pioneerguy600 !

 

[Reggie]

Pioneer Guy, I am humbled by your generosity in supplying that exhaustive list on what can go wrong with a carb bebuild. HarleyT...the model number for this saw is Craftsman/Poulan 358-351580. Pioneer....I turned it upside down with the plug out and "expelled" the gas....there was lots of it in there. I checked the ignition module and I am getting a clean white spark. Before I try to do a "scientific" elimination using your list Pioneer, I need to ask.....shouldn't I get some kind of pop out of it....given that I have a good spark and there's gas in the crankcase? My next question would be about the needle. It seems like when I had the float screwed all the way down when I used the other "rebuilt" carb, the crankcase was still way flooded. I'm getting discouraged....but I'm impressed with this forum and how everyone has shared their time and expertise!

 

[HarleyT]

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/cra...el-358351580/0247/1503220/P8080153/00003.html

 

[cedarshark]

Ever drop a lit match in a bucket of gasoline ? It will extinguish. A saw flooded that bad wont even "pop" sometimes. So the recoil works fine since dumping the gas ?

 

[pioneerguy600]

This is the most comprehensive list for a carb flooding that I have ever seen. I cannot imagine the number of carb rebuilds it took to accumulate this knowlege, but I printed this list and taped it to the jar that contains all my carb kits. Nice job pioneerguy600 !

Thanks. There are a few others but not very often come across, those are the most common ones I have seen in the 50 odd years I have been rebuilding carbs.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Pioneer Guy, I am humbled by your generosity in supplying that exhaustive list on what can go wrong with a carb bebuild. HarleyT...the model number for this saw is Craftsman/Poulan 358-351580. Pioneer....I turned it upside down with the plug out and "expelled" the gas....there was lots of it in there. I checked the ignition module and I am getting a clean white spark. Before I try to do a "scientific" elimination using your list Pioneer, I need to ask.....shouldn't I get some kind of pop out of it....given that I have a good spark and there's gas in the crankcase? My next question would be about the needle. It seems like when I had the float screwed all the way down when I used the other "rebuilt" carb, the crankcase was still way flooded. I'm getting discouraged....but I'm impressed with this forum and how everyone has shared their time and expertise!

The saw wont even pop if its badly flooded. Try drying it up, dump out all the gas grom the tank and then try starting it, there will still be enough fuel in the carb n lines to get it to fire or pop. If there was dirt/loose stuff in the fuel filter or old fuel line that would go directly to the carb and effectively jamb the needle open, the carb, old lines and fuel filters need to be removed, cleaned or replaced when and if the carb is being rebuilt. You may get by by just removing the fuel filter, back blow the fuel pickup line into the tank, install a new fuel filter, hook the line back to the newly cleaned out carb and that will likely get it going again.carb

 

[Reggie]

ok, First I waited for the crankcase to dry out. Then, I put small bit of gas in there and.....it fired briefly...twice. So, using Pioneer guy's list, I took the carb apart again and checked everything. The metering diaphragm was supple and correct....along with the correct gasket. I used my other carb to check it and also visited Sears Parts Direct and looked at the diagram (thanks for the link Harley T.) The needle seemed like it may have been stuck....until I loosened the adjustment screw all the way up. I lost the spring when I did this, but I had another from the other carb which seemed to "calibrate" the height of the needle a bit more precisely. I put it back together and added a squirt of gas...and hydrolock! Before putting the gas in the crankcase, I had emptied the tank....and when I turned the saw upside down to empty the crankcase, it seemed like a bigger amount of gas came pouring from the cavity where the carb sites. I'm frustrated! I am thinking about buying the "Partner 350 carb" suggested by Dougand3, but I have to hearken back to the repair guy who fixed my other fairly identical saw with his "cosmic knowledge." Before I took it to him, I installed new fuel lines and bought what I think was the correct aftermarket carb, but it was configured differently. Where the two fuel lines connect to the original card fairly parallel near the top of the carb, this aftermarket carb had one line at the top, and the other pointing downward at the bottom. I could not get that carb to work and handed it to the repair guy who charges a flat price $65 to fix any saw. I assumed he used the aftermarket carb and did some adjustment to it, but I'm going to open the back of that saw to make sure. The thing is, I don't know what I did wrong in installing that aftermarket carb. Could it be that I just need to open the carb up and adjust the metering lever? I wish I could upload pictures of both carb types, but the error message I get here is not specific about why it won't work.

 

[dougand3]

Carb connect tubes can be on same side or opposite sides. The key here is: The fuel supply line from the tank pickup will connect to the tube nearest to the fuel pump diaphragm plate (big screw in the center). You could bend the metering lever down = less fuel because metering button hits lever later. There are tools to adjust metering lever height.
I'd just get a new carb....Partner 350 or Walbro WT 89 or 891.