OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Honda Engines Chonda carbies

Ok so a slight digression from this is something that happened today. A couple of blokes brought over a Chonda for me to look at, it had oil spots all over the front of it. It obviously had not done much work. I checked the oil several times and it sort of showed half way up the dipstick but it was a bit hard to tell. I decided I had to drain it and put the correct amount of oil in it. Draining the oil it was obvious it was mostly petrol. Asking about it the mower had been borrowed by a couple of friends. Question is did one of the friends put petrol in the oil or did the float needle fail and dump the petrol in the sump?. If the float needle did fail it is the 3rd Chonda/Honda float needle that has failed recently on me in the last couple of weeks

Repairs like this does comes in batches at times or at least they do for me. Since I am working ATVs, last year I had three come in one week all with bad starters. At least I had stocked the starters a few weeks earlier due to a sell at my vendor. When I first started doing repairs for others I ordered starters for Briggs and it was nearly 5 yrs before I replaced one then last year I replaced 6 in one month. I been at this current business venture for 10 yrs now but I have been doing equipment repairs for 40 yrs so I know things comes in batches, go away for years, then one day it starts again. I had one very difficult repair that I made notes for and it was a good thing I did as another one show up 10 yrs later with the exact same problem.

As carburetor problems I might several with a month with the same problem. I just repair them as they come in and don't worry about it.

Norm the more you work on equipment the more you will see things like this as these things are mass produce so a borderline part maybe installed in several machines during production. For example the Lincoln welder/generator that I repaired last week. The customer had a starter solenoid (relay to me) to fail. He buys one locally and install it. He still had the same problem of no start so he called me in. I checked the new part and it was bad so he had to exchange it. Guess what the exchanged one was bad too. I ended up installing one I had.

Norm, i'd almost bet my last dollar that they filled the sump with fuel.

Really depends on how the engine was sitting. If level most times they out the air box but in but if tilted just can fill the crankcase. I know Honda's engines are bad to seep during storage which is why they a fuel shut off valve most times. So BigTed I would be carefully betting my last dollar.

Most times I would pressure test the carb to be sure as that definitely rule out seepage and point to an operator problem.

BT, that was the first thing I put to them and they didn't seem surprised at my suggestion.
AVB I also had one the other day when I too the top off the air cleaner the throat of it had 1/2 inch of fuel sitting in it. It had hydrolocked the motor so when I removed the plug and pulled it over the fuel sprayed out 2 feet. I have been doing this sort of stuff for nearly 60 years and you never know what trick is going to catch you out on the next thing you work on
The crazy thing with these it is cheaper to buy a complete new carby than to buy a replacement float needle

yes we are finding carbs cheaper than repair kits too for several engines. it seems everybody is buying Chinese clones or oem carburetors out china. Honda engine does have pricey needle valves as does the Kawasaki. we just got adjust to changes. it like at one here we could rebuild most car parts and now you can only get a rebuilt part or new. they are not allowing us parts to rebuild; they to send it to some factory now.

yes the seepage can hydro lock the engine of fill oil; just depends where the ring end gaps are position and how fast the seepage is.