OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines What is it with these LM carbys

We all know these carbys are garbage but we are stuck with them. What I don't understand is of the hundreds I have modified and got working fine (this is the couple of hundred viton tipped needles I have bought and about a similar number of primer caps) What I don't understand is why I can put a carby together the same as hundreds of others, some will just not work. I can remove everything from the carby and fit it on another body and it will work. It makes absolutely no sense but it is extremely frustrating, the same as these awful float needles, one I did half an hour ago, new float needle and new primer cap and it just pissed fuel out, put in another new needle and it works fine. They are just typical Chinese garbage but there is no other option. I am getting to the stage where I think I will just give up on these 2 strokes bevause they are just too problematic I have 10 24's here to get sorted and I think the rest of the Victa stuff I have here can go to the scrap they are not worth wasting time on, all because of the float needles and primer caps. It is a shame with all the good motors I have here but at some stage you have to accept that you are flogging a dead horse.

Come on NormK don't be like that. You can't win them all. They are well worth it when you get one going.
If you're getting over them at least get as much of your stockpile going as you can, then sell off/ part out/ scrap what's left.

I know MF, they are fantastic machines but I can't continue to just waste countless hours because I am dealing with very second rate new components. They are just too unreliable and hit and miss. I had a PT yesterday that I wanted to just run over my lawn with, it was working fine a few weeks ago but this would not start without a puff of start ya bastard down the plug hole, then it was fine. This is just unacceptable if you are wanting to sell a mower to joe average, what do I say oh and buy the way get yourself a can of this stuff so you can start your mower if you don't use it for a few weeks. I have worked with float needles for over 60 years and the Victa float needles are the worst I have ever seen by a million miles, they are garbage

Here's one of mine I hadn't started in two years!

Very good MF, and I do get some that start as easily as that but the problem I have is for some reason I have them that won't work like that and this is where the problem is and the problem is the problematic primer caps and float needles

Here's another one of my bubs at work.
It's not as easy to start as the red one but runs nice and sweet once you do. When I filmed this, it wouldn't restart (not shown) at one point, only restarting after giving it a break for 5 to 10 mins.
I personally would stick to collecting used OEM primer caps and needles and use whatever works of those.
It's worked for me.

Hi Norm and Mf,

Yes it's a pity you had all these needles and primer caps failing Norm , I've mostly used the original caps and plastic needles and not
had many problems besides sometimes needing new plastic needles.

I would've thought if you cut the the brass seat and used a new viton tipped needle there shouldn't be an issue with them.

If I had these problems I'd cut the brass seat or remove the new brass seat and install an old brass seat that has a better taper.

Cheers
Max.

Hi Max,
very frustrating but I an just about done constantly fighting this Chinese rubbish, just not worth the constant dramas

Hi Norm and Mf,

There must be a simple fix for these seats and needles that leak , deburr and/ or cut a deeper seat , possibly just change the
seat to a rubber looking seat ,from memory the Tecumseh has a small seat that just pushes in , can't be that difficult to make something
work even if you machine something up on a jewelers lathe , I've had tons of carbs with brass seats and brass needles that worked fine and
no problem with brass seats and a small ball bearing to cut the fuel off.

All the problems you've had ,I would have pushed in an old brass seat from a broken primer cap.

Just a few ideas.

cheers
max.

Hi Max,
Been there done that years ago, I was drilling the seat out and fitting the Briggs seat, but I had to turn the needles down to fit and that was when carbymaster came up with these so called new fangled needles and primer caps. The Briggs seats were still causing a few issues and the needles were a bit of a pain to machine so I stopped doing them

So I was on the right track hurling one off a cliff in 2001.

I wouldn't say that MF and worse still it was a good running one

You are so right on both counts.