Carburetor Rebuild or Replace? – How to Choose
Posted September 9, 2014 by T A 12 CommentsDirt, bad gas, varnish, and corrosion are popular evils that can clog and wear down the carburetor on your lawn mowers, chainsaws, and other small engine equipment.
If you’ve diagnosed your equipment and found carburetor problems to be the root of your engine troubles, you have two choices – Repair or Rebuild.
Your choice whether to rebuild or replace the carburetor depends on your technical skills, budget, time, and the extent of damage to the carburetor.
Always check the price of a new carburetor. Sometimes, just a few more bucks spent on a new carb assembly can save you the workload of overhauling and cleaning your current carburetor.
Rebuilding the Carb
A carburetor rebuild/overhaul kit contains replacement gaskets and other necessary componenets to rejuvenate your carburetor.
| Cost | $10 – $60 (Do-It-Yourself) $70/hr plus $10-$60 in parts (Shop Repair Bill) |
| Time | 1.5 – 2 or more Hours |
| Difficulty | Mechanically Skilled |
| Task Summary | Remove, Disassemble, Clean, Replace Components, Rebuild, Reinstall |
Replacing the Carb
Replace the carburetor if there is extensive corrosion or significant damage that simple cleaning or rebuilding would not fix.
| Cost | $20 – $200 (Do-It-Yourself) $70/hr plus $20-$200 in parts (Shop Repair Bill) |
| Time | 30 – 45 minutes |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Task Summary | Remove Old, Install New Carburetor Assembly |
*Tip: Locate your equipment’s model number and serial number, plus the carburetor model number (typically stamped onto the carburetor body). You will need this information to find a correct replacement carburetor or rebuild kit for your engine. Locate Your Model Number »
12 Comments
Affzaal .m.khan
on September 18, 2014 at 11:27 amFor the past many years I have been getting all my B&S parts from Jacks and find it an excellent parts source and service,my order gets shipped locally and best my overseas visa card always works!
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Mike Cordry
on September 18, 2014 at 11:40 amI am just starting in the business, and I have found everything I need at Jacks. Makes me a little more comfortable know I can rely on them. Mike
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Dave Miller
on September 18, 2014 at 12:05 pmI have been buying all of my small engine parts from Jack’s for quite a while. I always get quick and accurate service.
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jeff hall
on September 18, 2014 at 5:39 pmI have been a small engine mech. for 34 years. full time. I have used many of the vendors on the east coast, and still do,but the experience that I have here is the easiest and quickest way for parts lookup and ordering. thanks to all. great job. jeff
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Donald Wilson
on September 18, 2014 at 5:58 pmJack’s has been great for parts replacement. I’ve never had to return an item. I’m very pleased with the quick delivery time and the quality of the parts.
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Tony Trapp
on September 18, 2014 at 6:29 pmIs it the gas with the “big E” in it that is causing all of the problems?
What about using one of the carburetor cleaners?
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ALRUI
on September 20, 2014 at 8:48 amEthanol is the culprit in most of the small engine fuel related headaches these days but of course dirt/wear/etc. still play the same part they always have. I buy premium fuel marked 0 ethanol and use only that in anything I run with a small engine. If you look around you should be able to find it available.
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JerryB
on September 18, 2014 at 8:07 pmMy first time ordering from Jacks and found them to have the exact carb and gasket I needed for my string trimmer. I got the items cheaper from them than locally and locally they didn’t have the gasket. Put the parts on and started up the trimmer within 5 minutes. I will share their site with all my do-it-yourself friends.
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Franco Marchioli
on September 19, 2014 at 3:49 amI have had difficulty to find carburator replacement parts in my country. With JSM I get exellent service in terms of quality, price, speedy conveyance. Compliments for professionality.
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JOHN PIERPONT SR
on November 21, 2016 at 1:56 pmBOUGHT MANY PARTS FROM JACKS FOR SNOWBLOWER, LAWNMOWER & CHANSAWS AND ALWAYS GOT THE RIGHT PARTS WITH FAST DELIVERY. VERY HANDY WEBSITE FOR ADVICE AND REPAIRING MY EQUIPMENT. FIND PARTS PRICED FAIRLY AND OF GOOD QUALITY.
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James Moore
on November 20, 2017 at 1:51 pmI used to rebuild my carbs but with the use of ebay and amazon I can usually get a new carb for approx the same as rebuild kit have to look in the description see if original part or Chinese knock off.Happy rebuilding if that is your choice.
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Neil Golditch
on November 26, 2018 at 9:02 pmRebuilding a customer’s carb is really not feasible due to the fact that I work in a small shop and need to get mowers, snowblowers, etc. in and out as quickly as I can. There are decent aftermarket carbs (made in China) available everywhere. Sad to say that most oem carbs are made in China nowadays, if not the entire engine. You need to buy a premium machine to get a Walbro or similar quality.
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