How To Clean Chainsaw Carburetor Husqvarna

Cook Agnat1973 · Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Topic: Replacing versus cleaning carburetors (Read 5226 times)

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My 18" Husqvarna saw was not running well, so I took it down to the shop. It was obviously a carburetor problem from the way that it ran, so I figured they'd just clean out the carburetor for me. Instead, the fellow called me and said that it would cost $130 to replace the carburetor, and since a new saw of the same model cost only $219, did I really want him to proceed?

Now, I've worked on stuff since I was a kid: motorcycles, VWs, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. I've torn engines right down to the crankshaft and always managed to get them running again. I have never EVER had a carburetor that couldn't be fixed; it's just a matter of cleaning it. I even have that evil super-cleaner stuff in a 1-gallon paint can that's so toxic it's kept underneath a layer of some milder liquid, and that cleans everything.

So why is this guy telling me that I have to replace the carburetor? My guess is that the labor of disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling adds up to at least $130. But that sounds high to me.

What do you guys think? Does this guy just have really high labor rates? Should I just fix it myself?

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Here in Maine we have ethanol in the gas and it will deteriorate the aluminum/magnesium carbs so badly if left too long without being used that they will need replacing. I have had a couple of pieces of equipment I had to replace the carb on and currently have a snowblower that has not been used for 3 or 4 years and I'm positive I will have to put a carb on it.

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I don't know how plentiful carbs for Huskys are on ebay, but there are many choices for Stihl's. Carb kits are 10 or 11 bucks, and replacement carbs can be had for 20 bucks, or so. I haven't bothered to rebuild a carb in years.

If you do decide to rebuild, the best helper you can have is a white dishpan.

I'd never pay over 100 bucks to get someone else to do carb work on small equipment.

I keep a spare carb for a generator that only gets used in some unknown number of years between hurricanes.

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It could be his labor rates are high or maybe he has a boat payment due. Yes fix it yourself. The education and satisfaction of solving the problem is worth the time and effort. A year ago my family gave me an ultrasonic cleaner as a gift- after asking what I wanted. I am still experimenting with the cleaner solution as I want to avoid the toxic ones like you refer to. It works great, twenty minutes in the bath and comes out clean, even the internal passages. Put that $130 in an ultrasonic cleaner instead. I got one with manual controls vs the digital ones.

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The model # of your saw would help immensely. Search ebay "Husqvarna Model # carburetor"

The tiny cube carbs on a saw have 2 diaphragms - metering and fuel pump. They get stiff from ethanol and age. So, just cleaning carb is rarely successful - you need to replace diaphragms. That means a rebuild kit - maybe $4, maybe $12.

If an AM carb is available and $10-$15 = no brainer, get a new carb.

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Husky: 372xt, 272xp, 61, 55 (x3)...Poulan: 315, 4218 (x3), 2375, 2150, 2055, 2000 (x3)...Stihl 011AVT...Homelite XL...Saws come in broken, get fixed or parted, find new homes

Replacing the carb with an amazon clone is certainly an option . Take the carb off the saw and look for the make and #. Could be a walbro or a zama. carefully compare the pictures with your carb so fuel lines are correct, etc. I agree with dougand3 That rebuild kits are very close in price to clone carbs. Comes down to how involved you want to get with it,

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Aha! The guy at the shop told me not to get gasoline with ethanol in it, but I was under the impression that the reason for this was that when it sat for months, the ethanol absorbed water from the air, which in turn attacked the carburetor. I didn't know that the ethanol itself does the damage and starts doing it immediately. I have a list of places that sell ethanol-free gasoline and I'll start using that.

I'll take apart the saw and have a look at the carburetor, and then buy a new one as per your recommendations.

Thanks so much for clearing this up for me! I had done a search on carburetors, and read a lot of interesting stuff from past posts, but none of those posts directly addressed my problem.

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A followup question: why doesn't the ethanol gasoline destroy carburetors in automobiles? What's the difference between carburetors in cars and carburetors in chain saws? Is it the addition of oil to the gasoline that makes it corrosive?

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I'm no expert, but one thing is there aren't too many carburetors anymore. Second, is they don't have much composite material in them. A float, and some Orings is all I recall. There's a fair amount of rubber in a small engine carb.

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Quickly I am learning these carbs are V same and interchangeable
Also brands ( Zama /Walbro) have common bits
This helps the man with a tub full of old ones because the chance of having the piece he is needing multiply's

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We need a petroleum chemist to tell us what goes on with the fuel these days. My saw manufacture specifies premium grade but says nothing about non ethanol, which is available here and what I use. I also use stabil additive. I am the small engine repair for a few friends and neighbors. There is a wide spectrum of how well people take care of there things. From contaminated gas containers to motors that sit long periods and no stabil. Dried residue from ethanol gas is tough to remove. It also affects the condition of the diaphragms.

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but one thing is there aren't too many carburetors anymore.

Oops! My holey memory strikes again! And by the way, who's the President these days? 🤪

This leads me to yet another question: should I start fueling my 1953 Ferguson tractor with non-ethanol gasoline? What about my brand-new generator, which DOES have a carburetor?

And why don't the manufacturers TELL US this stuff? I've never seen anything about this in the user manuals.

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The way I see it, there's no advantage to corn gas aside from price. It doesn't have as much energy, it attracts water, and it breaks down plastics. It also has dubious environmental/energy sufficiency benefits. If corn free fuel was easily available, I'd use it in my 05 dakota. As it is, I have to drive 30 miles to get it(glad I have that option!). and I get 15G at a time for my small engines.

If money/acquisition isn't a problem, I wouldn't consider corn gas. If either are a problem on some level, it isn't the end of the world, but you won't be getting the best fuel you can get, and you may have have a higher maintenance load caring for your equipment.

edit:
For a reference of what I'm willing to spend on corn free gas, the last batch I got was $3.50/G midgrade. The fuel I typically use is low grade, and at that time, I think it was $2.70/G. I have to go to PA, and their fuel is ~30� higher anyway, then add the boost in octane and the corn free penalty it's a good bit more expensive than typical fuel. Worth it imo.

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My 18" Husqvarna saw was not running well, so I took it down to the shop. It was obviously a carburetor problem from the way that it ran, so I figured they'd just clean out the carburetor for me. Instead, the fellow called me and said that it would cost $130 to replace the carburetor, and since a new saw of the same model cost only $219, did I really want him to proceed?
Now, I've worked on stuff since I was a kid: motorcycles, VWs, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. I've torn engines right down to the crankshaft and always managed to get them running again. I have never EVER had a carburetor that couldn't be fixed; it's just a matter of cleaning it. I even have that evil super-cleaner stuff in a 1-gallon paint can that's so toxic it's kept underneath a layer of some milder liquid, and that cleans everything.

So why is this guy telling me that I have to replace the carburetor? My guess is that the labor of disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling adds up to at least $130. But that sounds high to me.

What do you guys think? Does this guy just have really high labor rates? Should I just fix it myself?

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I was in the same predicament with my 240 husky. Sitting over winter it wouldn't run worth a hoot. Took the carb off a couple times and cleaned it. The last time I took it completely apart and made sure everything was good. Put it together and it ran real good for the next couple of uses and then it reverted back to running like heck. I bought a new zama(that's what's on it) and it runs like new again. Must have been diaphragm issue. I agree 100% with non ethanol gas in any small engine, they hate the stuff. Lots of manufacturers recommend not using it if possible.

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I may be skinny but I'm a Husky guy

Woodmizer LT40HDG24. John Deere 5300 4WD with Loader/Forks. Husky 262xp. Jonsered 2065, Husky 65, Husky 44, Husky 181XP, Husky 2100CD, Husky 185CD

but one thing is there aren't too many carburetors anymore.

Oops! My holey memory strikes again! And by the way, who's the President these days? 🤪

This leads me to yet another question: should I start fueling my 1953 Ferguson tractor with non-ethanol gasoline? What about my brand-new generator, which DOES have a carburetor?

And why don't the manufacturers TELL US this stuff? I've never seen anything about this in the user manuals.

I run ethanol gas with stabil in all my old stuff and don't look back. My generator is lp gas but for your generator which sits unused a lot I would recommend the non ethanol. The one other thing I will say is to buy your gas from the busiest station in your area.

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Several things .For one the ethanol did in fact cause some problems on automobiles .It caused the Buna-N O-rings on the fuel injectors to leak .It was a simple fix of just changing the formulation of those rings .
The seals and also carb rebuilt kits on OEM Stihl repair parts have also been changed .More times than not a generic rebuild carb kit will not have the newer formulation with the exception of new kits from companies like Tillotson,Walbro etc .These are usually slightly higher in price than just a made in China generic example .These will still work too you just have to change the carb innards more often .
To me rebuilding a carb is as simple as falling off a log but I suppose it could be a chore to some .That's not for me to say .I've only ever replaced one carb and that being on an inexpensive Poulan pole saw .The carb and a bunch of assorted gadgetry were only about a buck more than the rebuilt kit on that miniature carb .It was a no brainer .

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Let me back up a tad .I did replace a carb on a Stihl MS 200T .I had sent a carb to a gent who worked for Stihl in Virginia beach .They annalized it because I thought I had discovered a manufacturing flaw which was causing problems world wide .They sent me a brand new carb with the upgrades and I never even retuned it because the factory sitting was right on perfect .

As for the example I sent in ,I was close but it turned out to be not exactly what I thought it was .I will say this for Stihl .Depending on the situation they are interested in problems that turn up in the field . How else could they fix a problem if they don't know about ?

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The ethanol is toxic to small engines on a few levels

1) as stated: any rubber, Buna, Vinyl or certain plastics are deplasticized by ethanol leading to swelling or shrinking depending on the type of plastic

2) the corrosion is caused by water being absorbed by the ethanol in the gas, its not inherently corrosive, but it will dissolve water which will separate back out and cause some really gnarly corrosion.
- modern fuel systems in cars and anything that is pollution controlled have vapor control systems that keep the air (and moisture) out- the charcoal can/evap system in your car. Even cars made back into the 70's have some protection in this regard, but the rubbers wont hold up.

3) its minor, but the slightly lower energy content means all else being equal you need to re-tune for ethanol. combined with the fact that to make emissions, these engines are on the bleeding edge of too lean already, means that its very possible to cause damage if you don't re-tune. to make matters worse the 10% ethanol is actually 'up to 10%' so some times of the year its more or less, or even what station you buy from.

You read around the internet and you hear all kinds of crazy opinions ranging from 'its fine just run it' to 'its satan in liquid form and will destroy your life'

the truth is somewhere in the middle, but 2t power equipment definitely is the most damaged because it sits around a lot, there are a lot of really small passages in the carb and various plastic/rubber parts like diaphragms and primer bulbs all getting stressed constantly. A four stroke lawnmower carb that experiences seal failure might run just fine or leak a little gas, wheras when the diaphragm gets hard in a walbro style carb it won't run at all

As far as the rebuild/replace thing goes- there is a diaphragm check valve somewhere in these carbs that is not serviceable. I believe i have had 2 of them now where that valve has failed and the only course of action was replacement. I cleaned and even rebuilt them and they still didn't work. The aftermarket carbs vary in quality but a company like HL supply you will pay a little more and they will stand behind their product.

The dealer has to consider their labor rates, they also don't want to risk you coming back, so it makes sense that they will only install an OEM part and its cheaper to install the new carb than clean the old one, reassemble, and risk it not working and have to either do it all again or still end up buying the OEM part after all.

I'd be careful putting one of these carbs in the nuclear dunk bucket, dunks don't really work great on them, blowing out the passages with B12 chemtooler and compressed air seems to be the ticket.

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Al, in light of your last post, have you ever experienced the check valve failure? Is there a fix?

I've had both carbs in question apart 2 or more times, fully torn down, thouroughly clean and one of them even got a factory rebuild kit (18$) from the husky dealer, both of them would not quit spitting fuel into the engine, would run barely at full throttle with tons of excess fuel out the exhaust. Finally replaced the carbs and no problems.

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Depends on what "check valves" you refer to .The checks in chainsaw carbs yes,they get so stiff they don't work .As I said though the newer rebuild kits have checks made of a mylar type of material .Regarding the ethanol everybody might as well bite the bullet,it's not going to go away .
I hear those in Europe going on about some formulation they have but we in North America not have it,simple as that .If I won't drive to a marina on Lake Erie to find non ethanol gasoline ,85 miles away I'm certainly not going to import it from across the Atlantic ocean .On the other hand I'm real good at rebuilding carbs and installing crankcase seals .I've had plenty of practice .

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