Toss The Chinese Made Carb?

[hotajax]

So my lazy neighbor tossed a pretty good Echo SRM-225 in the trash because the fuel lines leaked. I took it home, and found it to be in good shape and it actually started. So I goes onto EBay bot one of those repower kits that have all the bells and whistles to make your equipment run better. They even tossed in a new carb free inside the box of parts. Cost of parts? $11 including shipping. Good deal, right?

Put the new fuel line in along with the carb. (No leaks, now) Here's the problem. When you warm up the machine, and adjust the carb it all sounds real nice on the top end. However, turn off the machine, wait til it cools, and you have to readjust the carb AGAIN on the top end the next time you use it. It does idle real sweet, just won't rev up smoothly. I have gone through this malarkey 5 or 6 times now, and I don't see any reason why the next 63 adjustments will be any different.

Do you gents think it would be worth the $40 to buy a NEW OEM carb and toss the Chinese made after market carb? I've only got about $15 in it. Thanks.

 

[ammoaddict]

So my lazy neighbor tossed a pretty good Echo SRM-225 in the trash because the fuel lines leaked. I took it home, and found it to be in good shape and it actually started. So I goes onto EBay bot one of those repower kits that have all the bells and whistles to make your equipment run better. They even tossed in a new carb free inside the box of parts. Cost of parts? $11 including shipping. Good deal, right?

Put the new fuel line in along with the carb. (No leaks, now) Here's the problem. When you warm up the machine, and adjust the carb it all sounds real nice on the top end. However, turn off the machine, wait til it cools, and you have to readjust the carb AGAIN on the top end the next time you use it. It does idle real sweet, just won't rev up smoothly. I have gone through this malarkey 5 or 6 times now, and I don't see any reason why the next 63 adjustments will be any different.

Do you gents think it would be worth the $40 to buy a NEW OEM carb and toss the Chinese made after market carb? I've only got about $15 in it. Thanks.

If it a nice trimmer, it would be worth an oem carb and echo fuel lines. Those Chinese carbs are hit and miss. I have a couple that have been flawless, couple others not so much.

 

[hotajax]

If it a nice trimmer, it would be worth an oem carb and echo fuel lines. Those Chinese carbs are hit and miss. I have a couple that have been flawless, couple others not so much.

That has been my experience as well. Some carbs are good, I have one on another Echo, and it has been perfect for 4 years. Others are not worth a damn

 

[ammoaddict]

That has been my experience as well. Some carbs are good, I have one on another Echo, and it has been perfect for 4 years. Others are not worth a damn

The HIPA branded ones have worked for me. I got an ebay one that was wrong and they refunded it. I got a Amazon one that wouldn't run right and they gave me an Amazon credit for it.

 

[hotajax]

So, judging by your avatar, your waking hours have a few 1911's? I know the feeling.

 

[hotajax]

I also have to go through this crap with an Echo hedge clipper.

 

[Shane¹]

Does the other echo you have have the same carb on it? You could swap it make sure it fixes it before ordering another carb

 

[hotajax]

Thanks, but different carb.

 

[Sloughfoot]

The two AM carbs I have aren't adjustable. One's on a Honda 4 stroke brush cutter and the other is on a little Stihl 180C. Been on each a few years and work fine with a different tune from factory. The brush cutter doesn't rev as high and the chainsaw idles high. If I had a new AM carb that wouldn't tune it'd go in the recycling bin.

 

[hacskaroly]

Do you gents think it would be worth the $40 to buy a NEW OEM carb and toss the Chinese made after market carb? I've only got about $15 in it. Thanks.

$40 is not bad for an OEM carb if your Chinese one isn't working or working well. Heck two Chinese carbs and you almost have same amount in as an OEM. I have had mixed luck with Amazon carbs, so far all the ones I have gotten from Duke's Saw Shop have been winners!

 

[Shane¹]

I have also had so so luck with eBay and Amazon carbs but lately the ones that have been bad if you request a new one because it was bad they send you a new one right out and don't even usually ask for the old ones back

 

[hotajax]

FYI: Bot an imported carb (most likely Chinese) for my Wheel Horse tractor with a Kohler engine. Was 1/3 price of of OEM, and it works great. I got it from
Rugged Outdoor Products, or Ropshop.com, or something like that. It's been going strong for like 5 years and will go longer if it doesn't drink any ethanol. Fit on perfectly.

 

[hotajax]

The two AM carbs I have aren't adjustable. One's on a Honda 4 stroke brush cutter and the other is on a little Stihl 180C. Been on each a few years and work fine with a different tune from factory. The brush cutter doesn't rev as high and the chainsaw idles high. If I had a new AM carb that wouldn't tune it'd go in the recycling bin.

Sloughfoot: Don't despair, my friend. Go on Youtube, and look for videos that tell you how to remove the stupid rubber plugs the EPA requires so you can't adjust your carb. Just search for adjusting carbs on weed whackers, with instructions on how to take out the plugs. Trust me, after you find the right vids, you'll be able to adjust. Basically, you melt the plugs, and them pull them out with a drill bit that sticks into the melted rubber. The melted rubber hardens around the drill bit, and you just pull it out. That will uncover the adjusting screws. Now, watch the FBI show up at my door for telling you this.

 

[Czed]

So my lazy neighbor tossed a pretty good Echo SRM-225 in the trash because the fuel lines leaked. I took it home, and found it to be in good shape and it actually started. So I goes onto EBay bot one of those repower kits that have all the bells and whistles to make your equipment run better. They even tossed in a new carb free inside the box of parts. Cost of parts? $11 including shipping. Good deal, right?

Put the new fuel line in along with the carb. (No leaks, now) Here's the problem. When you warm up the machine, and adjust the carb it all sounds real nice on the top end. However, turn off the machine, wait til it cools, and you have to readjust the carb AGAIN on the top end the next time you use it. It does idle real sweet, just won't rev up smoothly. I have gone through this malarkey 5 or 6 times now, and I don't see any reason why the next 63 adjustments will be any different.

Do you gents think it would be worth the $40 to buy a NEW OEM carb and toss the Chinese made after market carb? I've only got about $15 in it. Thanks.

I've used literally hundreds of am carbs
The Husqvarna 288 am carbs i had one good one out of 4
And for the most part the various chainsaw carbs have been fine
But for some reason I've never gotten a bad trimmer/brush cutter am carb
And I've used at least a few dozen over the year's
Sometimes it's cheaper to buy the am carb just for the kit to rebuild the oem carb.

 

[Sloughfoot]

I have also had so so luck with eBay and Amazon carbs but lately the ones that have been bad if you request a new one because it was bad they send you a new one right out and don't even usually ask for the old ones back

Can't lose there. Lot of times the AM carbs will have metal shavings in them that can be blown out with carb cleaner, air....... or are misassembled. Worth a minute to take them apart and chance it. You can always reassemble it if they do want it back.

 

[Sloughfoot]

Sloughfoot: Don't despair, my friend. Go on Youtube, and look for videos that tell you how to remove the stupid rubber plugs the EPA requires so you can't adjust your carb. Just search for adjusting carbs on weed whackers, with instructions on how to take out the plugs. Trust me, after you find the right vids, you'll be able to adjust. Basically, you melt the plugs, and them pull them out with a drill bit that sticks into the melted rubber. The melted rubber hardens around the drill bit, and you just pull it out. That will uncover the adjusting screws. Now, watch the FBI show up at my door for telling you this.

I'll look into that for the brush cutter. The chainsaw runs stronger, starts easier. I've got an adjustable factory carb for it that I'm reluctant to install because it runs so well.

 

[hacskaroly]

Sometimes it's cheaper to buy the am carb just for the kit to rebuild the oem carb.

That is for sure!!

 

[hotajax]

I'll look into that for the brush cutter. The chainsaw runs stronger, starts easier. I've got an adjustable factory carb for it that I'm reluctant to install because it runs so well.

Don't be like my old lady and go around fixin' stuff that ain't broke. I would leave it alone. She makes me pull my hair out.

 

[Coupe]

As the rest of the guys have said on here if the Echo is working go for a OEM.
Just in the last couple of days I have been playing with a couple of chinese carbs
one a Ruixing which in New Zealand are almost impossible to get kits for.
It was on a Homelite Mighty Lite blower. The fuel metering diaprahm was like a bit of
tin foil so used one out K10-WAT Kit. Had to take the centre pin down to make it work.
Did finally find a kit on Aliexpress and put the right diaprahm and could not get any sense
out of it what so ever couldn't stop flooding so the ouy come was centre pin to high in the factory one.
The other was a Forester blower I fixed for a client main problem rotten fuel lines and primer bulb.
Gave the carb a good clean out and goes and hit full revsbut I have tried every ajustment but is
still a wee bit lumpy when idleing. See it's hitting full revs and not stalling at idle I am leaving it
well alone.
Look some of the Chinese carbys can be a dream to work on and some you just do your best or in the
scrap heap and buy another. That problem you are having is not uncommon with them.
Good luck with it all the same.

 

[hotajax]

The good news is that my trimmer is working. I went back over some YOUTUBES to review. I screwed up. I didn't realize how sensitive those carbs are to adjustments. I went out one more time, turned the screw a TINY amount, barely a bump. But that was what it needed. Starts second pull from a stone-cold condition and screams like my mother-in-law when it gets warmed up. No further work needed. Thanks to the fellas that offered up their advice.