Just curious if anyone has a preferred "brand" of aftermarket carbs for their saws. I need to get one for one of my 036 saws. Since the OEM part is a ZAMA from China, I see no reason to spend $80-$120 on something that came out of China.
Best AM Carbs?
- Thread starter fields_mj
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I put one on a 034/036 I done and works great. Let me go check which it was.
The tilley needed a kit and the zama I rebuilt was wonky so got afm and been perfect for years.
The tilley needed a kit and the zama I rebuilt was wonky so got afm and been perfect for years.
All it said was this and no issues since 2021.
Aftermarket
New Carburetor for Stihl MS340 MS360 034 036 ChainSaw ZAMA C3A-S39B With Gasket
Unit price $13.75
Aftermarket
New Carburetor for Stihl MS340 MS360 034 036 ChainSaw ZAMA C3A-S39B With Gasket
Unit price $13.75
I've had a couple of the AM from ebay and amazon, and I've had mixed results. They were always listed as ZAMA carbs, but none actually were. I figured I'd ask the question and see if there was a specific AM brand that seems to hold up pretty good.
The page won't load
Cause that seller prob dont have anymore, it was 2021.The page won't load
Just use same search words.
I would not assume one Chinese carb is as food or bad as the next. Chinese mtg will make a product as well as one is willing to demand. I doubt Husqvarna supplier quality engineers permit Zama to ruin their brand with defective carbs.
I've used some stuff including an AM carb under the "HIPA" brand with good results.
Some AM carbs work fine on some saws and some do not. It depends on the saw's model and brand. Sorry to say that, but that has been my experience. I am sure that is true for others as well. You win some and you lose some. That's life.
I used the original zama on a 372 that came with a 372- still demanded quality back then so the china cabs are a crap carb that they copied and just as usual they cant seem to get very many things right but why should they improve if we buy crap and oem are totally overpriced
If you need one for a 038, Tillotson has brand new replacements designed for the 038 saws, $45.
A Proline aftermarket carb worked fine for me on an 034, but it was ~$65. My dealer couldn't get the OEM carb at the time, had one on order for me for months with no luck.
If OEM is available I would spend the $$$ and do it. With the exception of the Proline carb I mentioned, every other AM carb I've tried has been a waste of time and money, and I wound up having to pony up for the right part in the end anyway. I'll skip all that now and if available I'll just buy the right one from the beginning, even if it hurts at the time.
If OEM is available I would spend the $$$ and do it. With the exception of the Proline carb I mentioned, every other AM carb I've tried has been a waste of time and money, and I wound up having to pony up for the right part in the end anyway. I'll skip all that now and if available I'll just buy the right one from the beginning, even if it hurts at the time.
In Canada parts are more expensive and getting from the U.S. cost a lot on the $ difference plus shipping
I hit eBay for used OEM and order a rebuild kit had good luck so far .
I just tell people to order 2 aftermarket carbs and hopefully 1 will work. This is what I see in the shop.
Why not rebuild the current carb? People need to get the notion that china = cheap out of their head…
Your $20 Chinese clone is not the same as a $120 Zama china oem replacement part.
They don’t come from the same factory’s, they aren’t made to the same standards, they don’t have the same Q/C.
China made the phone / pc you’re typing on, they produce some of the most technically advanced products on the global market… they also produce cheap crap to satisfy those that only want to pay that who are willing to take a gamble. That’s not knocking that choice, I have used am parts and been incredibly appreciative that 1. I can get that item (if oem is NLA) or 2. At a great price where you are willing to take the risk / gamble.
If you want to guarantee the saw will run optimally for many many years, go oem Zama, if you don’t mind the risk that it won’t work at all, likely will have worse running characteristics and you’ll likely need to modify certain aspects to get it to fit, spend $20 and get a Chinese clone.
I was considering HIPA, but I wasn't sure if their carbs are any good. I'll give them a look.
I hadn't heard of proline, but I'll look them up and give them a shot. I'm not paying $80 for a carb that comes out of china regardless of who makes it. I realize and understand that china DOES have some of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world. I just choose not to give my dollar to ZAMA.
The current carb I have is a tilly that I bought used and can't get it to feed. Already put a rebuild kit in it, cleaned it, can't find anything wrong with it.
China isn't the only country out there making microchips and electronics. They are just the one that does it the cheapest because they don't care about the mess the leave behind. In that regard they are like the US was +50 years ago, but they show now interest in changing their ways. While China does have some very advanced mfg, when it comes to anything metal, they are at the bottom of the barrel. Their castings suck. Other than that, building a carb is a pretty straight forward process. There's no reason anyone with access to the castings and a small CNC (or even a drill press with the right jigs and fixtures) shouldn't be able to make a good carb. Zama certainly doesn't have the market cornered on them. Any company that plans on keeping their doors open for the foreseeable future needs to offer a quality product. Most of the ebay/amazon AM parts are here today and gone tomorrow. It's literally somebody making something on a drill press in their garage. And yet even most of those end up working half way decent, but it is a gamble as to whether or not you're going to be happy with what you get. Actual companies can't afford to put out nearly as many bad products, but that drives the cost up some. I have no expectation that I'm going to get a good carb off of ebay for $15. However, I am willing to try one from a company that's been around for a year or two.
If you can’t get it to feed it should be an easy fix, check the impulse, check the crank case for air leaks, check the fuel line, filter and carb for air tightness.
The rest of the saw(s) are fine. I've moved the carb back and forth between saws, and the problem follows the carb.
