Zama EL42 ???

[whitesnake]

Are the zama el42’s not a thing anymore? Genuine ones used to be on eBay for 25-30 bucks. Seems everything is Chinese, stens, etc. maybe I’m just blind. I like to use them on 346’s, 357’s, 359’s, etc. I was going to order a few. But I’d rather not go Chinese unless someone on here had good luck with them? Thanks for any insight.

 

[huskihl]

Are the zama el42’s not a thing anymore? Genuine ones used to be on eBay for 25-30 bucks. Seems everything is Chinese, stens, etc. maybe I’m just blind. I like to use them on 346’s, 357’s, 359’s, etc. I was going to order a few. But I’d rather not go Chinese unless someone on here had good luck with them? Thanks for any insight.

I’ve seen some Chinese 357 carbs that were actually to el42/walbro 199 specs, but didn’t get the name. Most of them will say EL42 or 199 replacement, but they actually have the same venturi and butterfly openings as the 346 carbs

 

[whitesnake]

Yeah I was kinda sketched out by them. I’m assuming oem el42 is NLA?

 

[huskihl]

Yeah I was kinda sketched out by them. I’m assuming oem el42 is NLA?

I’m not certain. I was looking for used 42s and 199s but it’s been a while since I’ve looked

 

[North by Northwest]

Alliexpress has them online $20 + $5 shipping direct replacement 346 / 357 & 359 !

 

[whitesnake]

I have no problem finding Chinese ones lol. I was referring to new oem Zamas. I used to buy a few at a time for 25-30 bucks. Now it seems they’re not available anymore.

 

[Ketchup]

Last OEM El Quarenta y Dos I saw on Ebay was nearly $100 with shipping. They may not be gone yet but they’re getting scarce. Try the farm stores, Amazon, etc.

 

[Stump Shot]

You can buy all the ZAMA EL-42's and Walbro 198's/199's you want from your favorite Husqvarna dealer and that's just the way Husqvarna wants it.

 

[whitesnake]

You can buy all the ZAMA EL-42's and Walbro 198's/199's you want from your favorite Husqvarna dealer and that's just the way Husqvarna wants it.

Yes I did notice that. At about 4x what I used to pay lol. Such is life these days right? I may have found a lead on reasonably priced new oem el42’s. I’ll place an order and see if it goes thru.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I have one of those el42s on my 359 and it seems to do okay. It's a chinese one which I imagine they all are..

 

[Ketchup]

I have one of those el42s on my 359 and it seems to do okay. It's a chinese one which I imagine they all are..

Zama is made in China, but with tight quality control. The off brand stuff doesn’t have that oversight. They throw parts together from lots of different carbs, don’t check spec, use rejects from the main production, etc. No surprise they’re junk. The small price we pay for the off brand stuff probably steps down directly back to the assembler. Just guessing, but I bet Zama pays double for a quality branded item vs the leftovers that get churned out on the third shift.

 

[whitesnake]

Yeah I’ve had great luck with oem zama. I tend to prefer the zama’s (oem) over walbro’s on that chassis saw (346, 357, 359). Just my personal preference.

 

[Ketchup]

Yeah I’ve had great luck with oem zama. I tend to prefer the zama’s (oem) over walbro’s on that chassis saw (346, 357, 359). Just my personal preference.

What I have been told is that the Zama is more consistent and easier to tune but the Walbro make’s slightly more power. My limited experience aligns
with that on 346, but the cost of a new HDA 198 is still higher than EL42. If I’m building the saw for somebody else, I like giving them a less fussy carb as well. No swapping diaphragms and the needles have a slower range. They used to be a lot cheaper too…

 

[Duane(Pa)]

If you need moar juice...
https://opeforum.com/threads/how-to-modify-the-zama-el-42.2351/

 

[whitesnake]

What I have been told is that the Zama is more consistent and easier to tune but the Walbro make’s slightly more power. My limited experience aligns
with that on 346, but the cost of a new HDA 198 is still higher than EL42. If I’m building the saw for somebody else, I like giving them a less fussy carb as well. No swapping diaphragms and the needles have a slower range. They used to be a lot cheaper too…

Yeah exactly my experience. But I’m plenty happy with the performance of the zama and seems to be less trouble free. And use to be dirt cheap lol.

 

[Hulpio]

I’ve seen some Chinese 357 carbs that were actually to el42/walbro 199 specs, but didn’t get the name. Most of them will say EL42 or 199 replacement, but they actually have the same venturi and butterfly openings as the 346 carbs

Old topic but got Zama copy el42 which had venturi 15mm. So it is el51.
Seller tries say yeah it was a mistake. *B-S...., they just have read that there is some market for el42 and adjust their product description accordingly. Trusting nobody really measures. Amazon returns work nice which is the nice part here.

 

[huskihl]

Old topic but got Zama copy el42 which had venturi 15mm. So it is el51.
Seller tries say yeah it was a mistake. *B-S...., they just have read that there is some market for el42 and adjust their product description accordingly. Trusting nobody really measures. Amazon returns work nice which is the nice part here.

Yep it’s tough finding one that is actually the size of a 357 carburetor

 

[Hulpio]

Yeah, been thinking what happens if I ask beforehand seller to check if it truly is 17mm AND promise to report Amazon if sellers item description is false.

 

[huskihl]

Yeah, been thinking what happens if I ask beforehand seller to check if it truly is 17mm AND promise to report Amazon if sellers item description is false.

They are all over eBay as well. The thing is, it’s deceiving but technically not incorrect, as the carburetor they supply will fit both the 346 and 357. It’s just not an exact replacement for the 357

 

[Hulpio]

Yeah. The bad mistake they make is writing it is a replacement for el42. That gives ammo for customer.
I was just writing a question to eBay.de seller about venturi diameter of their 357/359 carb. Hopefully finally found real 17mm for my 353 testbed. Was lucky to buy saw for 70$ so can spend some for toys. OEM 353 and 346XP NE PC-kits seem to be hard to find. Is this only US since there seems to be some stock this side of the pond?