CountryBoy19
ArboristSite Operative
BLUF: I need to replace or rebuild carb (I think), it's an early carb and I may be better off replacing.
Saw: 034 marked West Germany, TIllotson (Made in USA) HK-43A carb. According to what I found on another forum this means it was one of the first 3 years production for the 034 saw.
Dilemna: This carb has a seperate plastic metering plate that the needle seats into. Supposedly this plate can cause issues over time. Rebuild kits aren't impossible to find, but it took me a while to find that Tillotson RK-33HK is the PN for the kit. Would I be better off to just replace the whole carb with the Zama carbs that came on later 034 models?
Backstory: I inherited this saw from my dad, he bought it in the 80's from an older gentleman that had grown tired of dealing with it's cold-blooded nature. I believe that gentleman was the original owner and rarely used it; my dad rarely used it as well. Anytime the saw has sat for a day or more, it's very temperamental getting started. Dad got tired of it and bought a new Dolmar and gave the 034 to me as a spare. It has sat on the shelf for 3+ years; I didn't plan to run it because it's somewhat sentimental to me.
Fast-forward to a terrible day last week when I discovered a crack in the mag case (not directly in the crankcase thankfully) on my Dolmar and had to dig out the 034 to cut up a big downed tree. The only way I could get it to start and run was to pour gas through the air-filter, it would run for a bit on choke (it was getting some fuel through the carb when choked) but I would eventually "lose it" and it was slowly ramp down and sputter out. A little splash of gas on the filter and it would fire right up if choked. Take the choke off even slightly and it would die. So it's starving for fuel. Needless to say, I cut that tree up with my MS170 and rolled it out of the way for a day when one of my big saws is running.
Things I've checked: intake boot, fuel line, & impulse line all seem good. The impulse line is a little stiffer than the others but they are all still flexible with no cracking or brittleness. Slightly pressurizing them didn't revealed any leaks or pinholes. Fuel filter in the tank is good and flows fuel well. I tore the carb apart and there is no obvious tearing/wear/etc on the diaphragm, reed-valves etc. Gaskets all seemed good. There was some dirt/oil in the vent on the diaphram and the other vent. I see no reason why the carb wouldn't work with a rebuild kit but knowing the back-story maybe there is a deeper issue going on?
Saw: 034 marked West Germany, TIllotson (Made in USA) HK-43A carb. According to what I found on another forum this means it was one of the first 3 years production for the 034 saw.
Dilemna: This carb has a seperate plastic metering plate that the needle seats into. Supposedly this plate can cause issues over time. Rebuild kits aren't impossible to find, but it took me a while to find that Tillotson RK-33HK is the PN for the kit. Would I be better off to just replace the whole carb with the Zama carbs that came on later 034 models?
Backstory: I inherited this saw from my dad, he bought it in the 80's from an older gentleman that had grown tired of dealing with it's cold-blooded nature. I believe that gentleman was the original owner and rarely used it; my dad rarely used it as well. Anytime the saw has sat for a day or more, it's very temperamental getting started. Dad got tired of it and bought a new Dolmar and gave the 034 to me as a spare. It has sat on the shelf for 3+ years; I didn't plan to run it because it's somewhat sentimental to me.
Fast-forward to a terrible day last week when I discovered a crack in the mag case (not directly in the crankcase thankfully) on my Dolmar and had to dig out the 034 to cut up a big downed tree. The only way I could get it to start and run was to pour gas through the air-filter, it would run for a bit on choke (it was getting some fuel through the carb when choked) but I would eventually "lose it" and it was slowly ramp down and sputter out. A little splash of gas on the filter and it would fire right up if choked. Take the choke off even slightly and it would die. So it's starving for fuel. Needless to say, I cut that tree up with my MS170 and rolled it out of the way for a day when one of my big saws is running.
Things I've checked: intake boot, fuel line, & impulse line all seem good. The impulse line is a little stiffer than the others but they are all still flexible with no cracking or brittleness. Slightly pressurizing them didn't revealed any leaks or pinholes. Fuel filter in the tank is good and flows fuel well. I tore the carb apart and there is no obvious tearing/wear/etc on the diaphragm, reed-valves etc. Gaskets all seemed good. There was some dirt/oil in the vent on the diaphram and the other vent. I see no reason why the carb wouldn't work with a rebuild kit but knowing the back-story maybe there is a deeper issue going on?
