Carburetor float needle and seat trick

Carburetor flooding? Carburetor not allowing gas to enter float chamber? Try this easy fix next time you clean your carburetors. This will polish both the carburetor float needle and seat and allow smooth operation. Sometimes flooding can also be caused by junk getting trapped in between the needle and seat, good idea to always run a good fuel filter between your fuel pump and carburetor. Make sure your carburetor float level is set correctly. These carburetors are mikuni vm34 roundslide carburetors which run a 1986 arctic cat cougar 500 fan cooled engine.

[@LifeBloodMarketing]

And this is why youtube was invented.

[@ATVicon]

Buddy u just saved me a cpl weeks order time and $50. I been spinnin wrenches 30 years and didnt know this one! U rock!

[@egantw]

That Q-tip, drill, and metal polish trick was one of the best tips I have ever seen and used; and I've worked on carburetors for over 40 years. I have used carburetor spray and toothpicks for years to clean the jet seat area with mixed results. It usually still leaked and needed to be re-done, or I would have to replace the entire jet. At first I thought the polish would take too much metal off, thus ruining the tight tolerance with the needle valve, however I've used your tip twice now and have had perfect results both times. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the tip and video.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Theodore Egan thank you im glad it helped

[@carlosvalencia2480]

S 4 M

[@den7291]

thanks men.... been to the best mechanics in town to fix the carb of my honda xr250 but no one fixed it.. with this DIY video made me fixed my year long problem.. thnx bro...

[@caseyburnett6530]

Ca-barata

[@4g63tpowered]

I've cleaned my 4 mikuni carbs 5 times with no results. this may be exactly what I need. thanks for taking the time to share this valuable tip!

[@bill2342]

Had the same issue and did this, however I used toothpaste. 1973 Kawasaki 250 motorcycle. Thanks for this video, bud!

[@JY-vr8ok]

That's amazing that harbor freight drill actually still works after you got out of the box!

[@pogosenior]

Wow! Thanks Mike this was a great (Q) tip!! Worked like a charm on my JD lawn tractor carb.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

glad to hear it

[@henrywe8200]

Great suggestion,had a honda foreman 450s that would not stop runnin fuel out the overflow tube and removed the carb 3 times and was ready to order a new carb/or float needle,but after seeing this video,took the wifes jewelry cleaning tarn x and used a few wet/dry q tips and cleaned the seat and pin and ta da,clean and smoothe,back together and perfect....no new parts and money spent...you are a guiness...its guys like you who save the common man money and headache...thank you brother..

[@justunmarks1719]

Wow I've been working on mine gas leaks into exhaust and want start was gonna by a new carb but will try that first got a honda cr dirt bike no clue how to get the seat out on it but ima try it thanks.

[@adamroether2151]

Worked great on my motorcycle.thanks for the tip

[@Mikeandwendy74]

glad it helped

[@MrGjcruz]

great tip! (no pun intended)

[@n5yiz]

I just did this to a carb from a Suzuki DR200 that was leaking slightly. Worked like a charm. I could actually hear the float/needle moving more freely after I put the bowl back on.

[@sssgeneral]

Thanks, I should have watched you video way earlier could easily save me over 200 buck on those freaking needle jet, great job pal.

[@nealiyhik]

Thank- you, thank-you............... You have no idea how much I appreciate you sharing this. I was stuck with no way to get parts and a leaky carb. Great job!

[@InvestmentStew]

Thank you very much for this tip (no pun intended). You helped us solve a seemingly unsolvable intermittent flooding condition. Removing the oxidation inside the cylinder allowed it to slide smoothly and consistently. Brilliant.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

awesome im glad it helped you out i do it every year it takes no time

[@timbrown4825]

Thanks Mike. I had been tormented by a hesitation/backfire coming off idle on my Honda CBR 900 RR for a couple of months after I serviced the carbs installing new float needles and everything looked fine. However #1 was flooding and I couldnt work out why. Then I used your technique and it fired up like a brand new bike. It did backfire and play up again for a little while so I took it for a 20 klm ride and kept opening and closing the throttle. The valves eventually bedded in and now it is firing on all cylinders.

[@Paulxj-]

Thank you for this video. I was having a problem with my Mercury outboard and could not figure out why I was having cold start issues even after going through the carb. It is working perfectly now.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Paul xj9-2000 awesome man im glad it helped you out

[@jsolo7576]

Ayyye....I'm here for my Mercury outboard too

[@SimmeringPotpourri]

You ALSO just saved my butt. Thank you for this info!

[@donwolfjr1]

UPDATE: WORKS GREAT!!! Results are exactly what he's showing us here!!! Thank you again!!! : ) My initial post: I'm currently working on my 2003 Vulcan 1500s carburetor and this is DEFINITELY great info!!! PERFECT results and cant wait to use this "Q-tip" technique!!! Thank you for the video!!! Don W., OH

[@eljaibas16]

I've been very frustrated trying to find the needle and seat for an old carb on my 2 stroke bike, will be definitely trying this technique, but I also saw a video of someone hitting a 2mm ball bearing inside the seat with a small hammer, so I have 2 techniques to try

[@straitnickel]

great method, just did a mower and it worked the first time, a big thank you for sharing this

[@skypilot7103]

Great video and Great idea thank you for your post.

[@rookiezz8854]

i have been working on my yz 250 for 2 days trying to ajust the float only to have it leak in a few minutes. i pulled the carb at least 15 times. i will try this tommorrow. thaNKS SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD WORK. I HAVE REPLACED FLOAT AND NEEDLE so it can only be the seat

[@kevinstearns4198]

mine was leaking i have a 38 mm mikuni. i replaced the needle and seat perfect. the brass bore was to worn out to do what u did.

[@captaindave7945]

Great trick. Thanks!! I just tried this on an 80 year old scheduler D carb where the valve seat is cast into the body. I used Brasso brass polish on a q-tip for about 30 seconds. It fixed the slow leak perfectly!

[@pursuitofhappyiness2759]

I has having problems with mine and i got to messing with it and got it working but then I had to take the carb back off and add another jet put it back and started doing it again but then I found your video haha thanks for sharing worked like a charm.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

PursuitOfHappyiness thanks I'm glad it helped

[@tforsell]

Great details! Thanks! Strengthened my ideas of what to do!

[@Clearanceman2]

Thanks, I changed the needles on my ninja, and ran carb cleaner in the seats. Then it didn't leak gas in the oil for 130 miles then started doing it again. I bought new seats but I might compare them with the old ones, might be able to polish. The new ones are Japanese but not Kawasaki so the old ones might be better if cleaned up. The orings might be shot on the seats too. And I'll check my floats. Reluctantly learning about carbs.

[@sheldonabbey555]

Neat trick..... Would be great, if the freakin needle seat was still in the damn carb 😞.... No clue where it has gone off to either, just glad there's no way for it to get into the motor. No wonder the damn thing pissed an entire tank of fuel into the crankcases. Now I am not sure there was one ever in there. Thanks Stage6 (made by Koso)....

[@fishbmw]

Simple & ingenius, thanks for uploading this great tip Mike.👍

[@randombrandon1940]

Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@mowtoegee7049]

I just did this with valve grinding paste on 3 carburettors

[@murraymachado401]

Thank You Mike, we'll see if it works tomorrow.

[@ishallgolf]

Thanks, good idea.

[@jayryan7473]

Where's the clip that connects the needle to the float tang? That's what's used to pull the needle down when the fuel level drops. So yeah your needle will stick occasionally without this clip.

[@4518691]

That worked awesome. I sprayed carb cleaner in there, but it was so gunked up it did no good at all. Your trick cleaned it up nicely. Put it back together and now the bike runs great. Thanks man !

[@Mikeandwendy74]

awesome glad it helped

[@supercarsofsarasota1942]

Whoa.. very slick indeed. Doing it tomorrow- Thank you Sir

[@Mikeandwendy74]

SupercarsOfSarasota it works great

[@fstarockaburns425]

ive done exactly the same - also my own idea, nice to see some1 else also getting it :) for a damaged seat.. u could try something a little more abrasive- ive used pens with the tips taken out wrapped in 1600 grit wet paper and sanded/resmoothed the seat, anything to reshape that contact area, even if its a thin seal - it shd work well. You can also use some ball bearings and smack em into the seat area to flatten any burrs / nicks.. if u sand one side of the ball bearing flat - u can use it on more than one seat as well as long as u tap on the flat part always - gr8 vid tx!

[@texastomeh3077]

I realize that this is an OOOLD video, but it is still a D@MN GOOD TIP!!!

[@walterlego4232]

That seems to have worked great on my generator. I couldn't get it to stop leaking gas, even after I cleaned all the carb with carb spray. Since I polished the brass needle tube the leaking stopped. Looking at the Qtip afterwards, it's evident that the aerosol carb cleaner didn't get nearly all the corrosion and varnish. I didn't need a drill to do this, just put polish on the Qtip and spun it until the needle guide tube looked like a new penny.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Walter Lego glad it helped it will always stop the flooding as long as your float height is set right

[@mdboucher2001]

Thank you so much. I did that on my 3 vintage sleds and wow!!! Problems gone!

[@toddchapman1845]

Any particular drill bit (q-tip) recommendations? lol, but seriously great tip, thanks!

[@malibusbc]

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing

[@daveb8598]

Thank you!

[@flipkilby]

this trick solved the problem on riding lawnmower 18.5 hp B&S Nikki Carb....both needle valve and fuel cutoff servo. used alum wheel polish....great tip! saved $100 in new parts.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Steve Kilby awesome glad it helped it just works

[@tonyd3266]

Pulled my generac 4000XL generator out of the shed (not used since hurricane Jeanne 2004) and no gas getting to bowl. Removed carb, Tapped out the float pin and gently removed the float -- need was stuck in there. , sprayed the whole thing with carb cleaner. Took Needle nose pliers and rotated needle, while pulling on it. Took a small drill bit and had to drill through about 1/2" of junk before getting to the needle inlet - drilled until I saw lite alum bits. Took guitar string and stiif wire and poked through the side jet and needle seat. Then I sprayed it through with more carb cleaner. Soaked needle in a cap with 1/2" of carb cleaner. Clean up inside needle bore with a tip and metal polish until smooth and bright. Reinstalled with a huge $3.99 5/16" clear gas filter I put inline. Filled oil to overflow, like the cap says. Started second pull and now frig is getting nice and cold again. Screw you Irma. - Melbourne Beach FL.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Tony TonyTony 1now thats awesome

[@deeznetz]

A+ #1 playa!!! Much thanks for help with two SOB float needles.

[@GmGarlo]

love these kind of tips AWESOME!!! Thanks Man

[@patricktice1793]

great video. helped a ton. but, how do you get the needle out of the carb??? its blocked in by the piece that presses against it from the floats. I see you removed it in the video, but how?

[@Mikeandwendy74]

you have to remove the pin that holds the float in place, its the stainless rod which press fits into the two small aluminum posts, you can tap it out with a small allen wrench or screwdriver then grap the flat head portion with a pair of pliers and pull it the rest of the way out

[@randomxboxgaming]

Thanks dude never thought of that your a life saver

[@aidanzollner5101]

DUDE! Change your oil now (i know it is to late though 2017 ) I had this happen to me and the gas got all in the oil and made the consistency crap! If I had not caught it my engine would have been ruined!

[@mcebz1]

Tried it on my Kr1-s worked spot on thank you :-)

[@naaaja6228]

great idea man! for some reason the float needle seat is not on the oem parts diagram, not even sure how to order one!

[@114wildfire]

Naaa Ja You might have one that is not serviceable/removeable

[@michellelemminger27]

Hi what model artic cat snowmobile were you working on in your carb/needle video and what year? Awesome video really helpful thank you, Mark.

[@violeman]

Beautiful !! Thanks 4 sharing bud !!!

[@kingmatthews5436]

Thanks so much my snowmobile would flood after one pull

[@reggydunlop5770]

I tried with toothpaste but it didn't do a good job like with metal polish.

[@kevinh4431]

Excellent! this saved me headaches on 1940 Farmall

[@paulhaines5755]

Very nice. I like it! I'm gonna try this on me KE100 motorcycle sticky needle issue. On outboards I like to remove the low speed (rich) knob, pull the needle, put it in a drill and use 600 grit to polish the sharp tip (gently). Does wonders for any idle issues. Just another idea for you...

[@crackedthieves]

Been doing this for years and iv had a 95% success rate every time

[@Ifutbolsoccer]

Awesome tip... thanks. In my case I did not have to take the small copper piece, clean it while it was attach to the carburetor... Thanks again for taking your time filming. Hope you get a couple of bucks out of it. 👍

[@Mikeandwendy74]

E7 thanks i appreciate it

[@prime__outlaw9233]

Got a sled running with your method, thanks for the info!

[@prime__outlaw9233]

Came back to reply, I'm now 4 for 4 with this trick.

[@sweetlou2000]

Will See Ya Next Time on This Old Carb

[@MrPetRooster]

Awesome tip, thanks!

[@georgemccaulley1648]

Thanks again ,how many times I have taken them out and put new ,waste of money.

[@Mikeandwendy74]

especially when you have to order them and play the waiting game in the mail for new seats

[@raymaharaj3555]

Excellent. Thanks

[@PaulCTownsend]

Great info buddy thank you.

[@jsmcguireIII]

Thanks Mike I like this, but the way I see it, with the time I put into pulling the carb, I'm going to go ahead and replace the needles, seats, o-rings and gaskets. A rebuild kit is only going to be what $30-40? and my time is worth more than that. Do you think using a gas stabilizer would reduce that kind of varnish buildup and needle stickiness?

[@Mikeandwendy74]

jsmcguireIII definitely would help, an ethanol stabilizer, ethanol evaporates quicker than straight gas, and leaves residue in its wake. the reason I do the seat trick is mainly when working on my inline 4 carb bike, a carb kit is 40 bucks, X 4

[@wilfymyers8134]

+Mike OD adds up buddy. my bandit6 keeps letting the fuel in the engine oil. going to pull my carbs in the morning and give this a try.

[@fstarockaburns425]

+Will Myers you should also take a close look at the needle tip.. sometimes it gets a small ring where it sits on the seat - scrape it off with ur fingernail.. make sure the needle spring isnt jammed up either.. Also - the little "fins" on the needle can get some gunk on them possibly making them stick.. check the inside of the seating "area" as well - where the needle fins ride up and down.. can clog up with oxidised crud and the needle can get sticky.. 1600 wet grit paper on a little stick works well there, just dont damage the seat of course -

[@wilfymyers8134]

Cheers buddy

[@crabtrap]

this seems like good preventive techique too. if you have a carb off for a jet cleaning/tuning/whatever.... polish that float valveseat/valve it will probably slow down further oxidation.

[@laprepper]

just changed that piece (new piece and new oring) as well as another o ring on the float assembly dealy (dr350 mikuni) and fuel still almost gushing out... Kind of getting annoyed but haven't give up yet... looks like its coming out from two holes that might have been plugged at one point?

[@Davidm1956]

That's great!!

[@henrysmith8012]

Will not fix a worn seat.

[@Davidm1956]

I've got a 2001 Softail Deuce with a poor fuel flow due to very old fuel. Possible gummed up needle. I'll try it tomorrow :) TIP: NEVER EVER EVER STORE A MOTORCYCLE WITH FUEL IN IT. FUEL GOES OFF AND GUMS UP THE WORKS.

[@alexruwhiu7384]

wow wow wow 9yr later - gr8 tip

[@AaronRiegel]

Fantastic trick! I'm using that right now for a valve seat that is not removable on an Honda XR250R carb. Thank you and Cheers!

[@pjmccoy4216]

Hey, thanks for sharing. I tried this on my old articat 250 4 wheeler. Get what? After 3yrs of engine problems. It runs like new. Thank you. Oh yeah, i used head light cleaner. Its all I had as a polish. Still gave a nice mirror finish. Merry Christmas

[@frapsATV]

hey man, I have the exact same motor and carb setup in my snowmachine, and cant for the life of me get it started. it has spark, and the fuel pump is pumping fuel to the carbs(when pulling) but gas will never leave the carb into the cylinder... could this be a needle problem? The plugs are bone dry, even after pulling a bunch of times. but it will run if you pour gas in the head.

[@joeskis]

Mine has been leaking gas even with engine off. I cleaned it as this video suggested. Before putting it back on I tested it with water. It worked. Put it back on the bike, open the gas and it leaks again. So what? Gas doesn't push the floats up high enough like the water does.?

[@iac4357]

GENIUS ! Without any metal polish on hand, I think toothpaste mixed with a little baking soda might work too !

[@thxmateoli]

I'm having this problem with edelbrock 1406 , put new needles and seats, noticed when floats would drop the needles would be stuck up in the seats going to try your trick, hope it works thanks.

[@therising1]

Used turtle wax "light to medium" polishing compound on the brass floats in a VFR just now. Seems to be sealing nice with newer float needles.

[@ClaytonBigsbee]

You sir are a fucking genius

[@PAballoonists]

Saw your video and decided to try this on my riding mower with a Briggs & Stratton 14 horsepower engine. I was having the same issue with gas flooding out the engine and hydrolocking the Piston over a week of sitting in the shed. My carburetor looked clean on the inside but the needle valve was not sealing enough to hold pressure. Use your metal polish and Q-Tip trick and everything is perfect now! Thanks for this video it helped a lot

[@woofbark4475]

Awesome about to clean one and didn't think of polishing the interior or the needle! Beauty!

[@GBsPitstop]

that is slick. i have clean the varnish from needle valve but never thought to polish the seat. i have cleaned it with solvent and q tip but never thought to polish it. thanks.

[@JamesCouch777]

I've had the carb apart four times because the float valve sticks shut. If this fix works I'll be one happy camper.

[@hank2239]

ATV leaked fuel from the overflow every time I shut the bike off. 3 carb cleanings a needle change and 5 months of aggravation came to an end when I tried this trick. I gotta admit I was skeptical but IT WORKED! From the comments it seems you saved many of us a lot of $$ and headaches. Thank you! Btw for anyone wondering I did not remove the seat from the carb before polishing because the seat was pressed in. Worked great!

[@GpunktHartman]

I like it too, but it works while the seal is the 90° angel tip of Rubber. And in the deep you see the Valveedge is roundet - mostly depend on the Vibritions ... too help the needle slide smoothly ... i will take it in my Brainpool ... (Y)

[@seniorjuanvaldez]

Nice video sure thanks for the quick tip!

[@Mikeandwendy74]

Grease Munkee youre welcome it works great everytime i clean my carbs i give em a little polishing

[@drubin60]

Thank you very much, this was a really good video, took about 20 minutes after about 4 days of fooling around. Works like a charm

[@Superjetjim]

Awesome idea. Will try this on my carb. The needle and seat keeps sticking open and leaking fuel out. Thanks again for taking the time to share your wisdom 👌🏻

[@moeshouse575]

on the old AFB carbs. i would hold the lid at 90 degree and tilt it just a little and the floats should swing out and back . showing the pins are not hanging up.

[@lloydhawkins538]

I tried your trick after trying everything else so I gave polishing a try and No more flooding carburetor thanks so much for the info!!!

[@rachelwilkinson9674]

u r a legend

[@desmondmcguinness4668]

great tip thanks xx

[@mechanicforlife9468]

Good job on polishing, however once done you need to reassemble float valve into carb body and pressure test with a Mighty vac. It should hold around 4 psi of pressure. I have seen new needles fail and only way of knowing is to pressure test. Cheers

[@BallinMafia]

Worked like a charm for an EXMARK Zero turn mower carb. (WALBRO) Thanks dude!!!

[@salemail7304]

great vid thanks for a great tip..and a tip for you any time you use petrol chemical cleaners and solvents, use some protections like some latex gloves.. chemicals soak into your blood stream and can damage your liver and other harmful things.

[@painlesstom]

I'm the "guy" that would have come up with something like this, and never thought of it. You saved me a ton of frustration. Great video, thanks.

[@Jcarlsongaga]

Worked! You are a genius! Thanks for posting this video