ebay carbs?

[Jim mac]

anyone have issues with these 24 dollar carbs? my beater 185 didn't have a carb so I bought a China carb. it starts fine with the choke on but doesn't want to idle with the choke off. tried adjusting the mixture screw and tried moving the needle up. I dont have a air filter on it yet, (ordered) tried a new plug, moved the timing. it seems to be the carb. My other 185 has the same carb and runs great. Since 185 number 2 runs great, I dont want to mess with pulling the carb.
For 24 bucks, im thinking of just ordering a new one and see if it changes anything. jim

[Jim mac]

should have also mentioned adjusting the idle speed its either rev real high or die. jim

[DAM shop]

Jim Mac,
We have flipped a lot of trikes over the years and we can say for certain that those carbs you speak of are very inconsistent in there Performnce just like you spoke of. I’m no quite sure why that is but my guess would be the internal passages has something to do with it. Stick to a OEM carb and save yourself the aggravation if not today tomorrow. There’s a reason those sell for 24 bucks.

[oldskool83]

I had 2 with a warrior i bought. They don't work right. Some parts you can rob off them but much more then a few parts the casting are junk. Stay open and ultrasonic clean your old one. Cant get it to run right ask a shop to dial it in.

[Jim mac]

I found a original carb, went ahead and ordered a kit for it, new plug and a petcock for the tank. It's a good thing I like working on these things. when I swapped the 200m axle to a 185 axle I found 2 rusty bearings, which I ordered but haven't installed yet. I keep jumping between the 2 projects and really should concentrate on making 1 nice then working going to trike no.2 then to trike 3. jim

[350for350]

I have to side with DAM and oldskool here. The only Ebay carbs that I run are used OEM carbs. I bought an Ebay carb once when I though that my 200X was having carb issues. I found out that while the OEM carb is a Kehien, I had bought a Mikuni so I had no idea where to even begin to try jetting. I put the Mikuni back into the box and it's still there many years later. I ened up turning the 200X into an AutoX and used the OEM 200X Kehien. Then I swapped it to an OEM XR200 carb that I bought used off of Ebay. It runs great.

[TrikeKid]

I took a chance on one of the knock off VM24's when I was putting my YT175 together since used carbs were within 10-20 bucks of brand new Mikuni. It started, and I did get it to run enough to ride it around the yard with the choke on but that was the only way it'd run because it was so lean. Needed to rejet which I assumed was no biggy, I've got plenty of Mikuni jets in stock. Turns out, they fumbled on the easiest part of a carb to copy... the JETS. Main jet is the same size but a different thread pitch, pilot jet is proprietary or maybe lawnmower parts. I couldn't find anything remotely like it in any bike carb catalog. Ended up spending 80-90 bucks on a used OEM carb anyway but the thing starts/runs like it should.

[ATC King]

Depends on how much a person understands about carbs, but even then, you're still paying your money and taking your chances.

On the issue of it idling high or not at all, I'd check for air leaks. Especially since it'll only idle with the choke, which causes fuel to be drawn through other circuit than just the idle. Once enough air is added, the idle will just shoot up with the extra fuel.

The Chinese carbs I've dealt with have accepted OE jets, and the majority of the time, they need the ones they come with, swapped out to the OE sizes. Many times, that's not going to be right either and they'll need something close to OE sizes, but one or two below and above.

For a Chinese carb that won't accept OE jets, drilling and/soldering is the option. That is typically intimidating or beyond most people who don't have years of experience with tuning various types of carburetors, but learning new things is a positive. Jet drill kits are readily available. They are just tiny drill bits with a hobby knife (Xacto) handle. For soldering, practicing on some junk jets is a good idea. I have used these methods on many lawn care small engines, like mowers and tillers, because various jet sizes aren't typically available and many of the newer machines are jetted so lean for emissions, that they surge, run poorly and hot.


Price is the big motivator. Paying near new prices for a used carb motivates me to seek an alternative, even if it takes a little more effort to sort out. I don't think the Chinese carbs are a bad option for many of the ATC applications and you may just flat out get a bad one because quality control isn't like it would be on branded products.


One issue I found in a Chinese carb was easily remidied. It's post #295 in this thread: http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/189119-Who-here-flips-trikes/page13
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/189119-Who-here-flips-trikes?p=1514703#post1514703

[Yamaha Tri-Moto]

I've bought 5 or 6 china carbs off ebay over the years and 2 of them have worked really well. I put one on my YT175 and runs it great, the one I put on my 110 works well too but it runs a bit rich.

I would be better off just cleaning up the OEM ones but for a quick bolt on and go for booting around the yard, I can't complain.

Just depends how picky you are and what kind of riding you do.

[Jim mac]

I tried the starting fluid on the intake and carb mating surface and no change on the idle. jim

[Jim mac]

okay, took the original carb that I had. turns out the clip that holds the needle down was missing, maybe that's why it didn't run right? anyway, installed the clip and bolted it on, added gas and it runs 100% better. even runs with the choke off. probably a little lean without a air filter, which should be here next week. ive got another 185 carb missing the slide, so maybe swap the china slide to the original slide and keep it as a spare. jim

[DSHOT59]

The slide is probably a different size as well. :wondering

[Jim mac]

it might be but it's really close, I was able to swap the slides between either carb. Another issue i have is im using a little plastic bottle to push gas into the carb. im sure im pushing gas past the floats. the petcock should be here in a week, so a steady correct float level should do wonders to make it run properly. air filter element will be here this week too. jim

[oldskool83]

The best NON oem cheap carb ive seen is a company called Zoom Zoom. They are some nuts thats are crazy about warriors. I ended up using some of the insides like plastic peices as they were made nicer then OEM carb but nothing much after that. Jets did swap OEM to non OEM with there carbs atleast.

[keister]

anyone have issues with these 24 dollar carbs? my beater 185 didn't have a carb so I bought a China carb. it starts fine with the choke on but doesn't want to idle with the choke off. tried adjusting the mixture screw and tried moving the needle up......

If you buy ten or twelve of them, there's a good chance that 1-2 of them might work just fine.
It's a real crapshoot, and the odds of getting a junk one are pretty good.

[psujeepguy]

Had one on a Yamaha 225DX - came that way from previous owner but I got the original carb too. Sputtered at mid to high throttle range so I swapped the main jets and it ran much better. Jetting seems to be a common issue.

[ps2fixer]

I remotely helped a friend with a 350x with carb issues and he ended up buying a chinese carb off ebay for it. It ran but didn't right right at all and the engine was freshly rebuilt. Idle circuit was close to being right, but the main jet was way off. Swapped to OEM jets, helped slightly, went up in size on main and helped a little more, had him adjust needle position and none of the settings got a good transaction between the slow jet and main jet, it would either pop and backfire from being too lean, or have a delay and slow to rev from being too rich. Ended up suggesting an OEM carb and he bought one from a carb rebuilder. I think the only thing I had to have him do was adjust the needle location once and it was pretty spot on. Tuning a machine via cell videos is interesting xD. I'm no master at tuning, but I've always tuned by ear and can get things pretty close.

Like everyone else says, the Chinese carbs have major quality control problems. The passages seem to be the main issue in the carb body, the majority of the other parts aren't too bad and fair chances of parts being interchangeable with the OEM carb (float bowl, float, top cover, etc). They are pretty cheap for those kinds of parts, but OEM is by far the best to start with (or something name brand that will stand behind their product).

[ATC King]

Keeping in mind the Chinese carbs will commonly need the jets changed, don't forget to add that to the price.

People who've been messing with these for years already have an assortment of jets, but if someone doesn't, it's going to cost an additional $15 or more for name brand jets. How much more depends on how close it gets the first time. If someone ends up having a few different pilots and four or more mains, the cost will quickly increase.

That budget priced carb can end up costing half or more of a used OE one. With budget parts, there is often hidden costs.

[Hobbes12]

Was thinking about one of these eBay carbs for my 1984 200S...I think Iam going to buy a rebuilt kit...

[Jim mac]

I found that some sellers have carbs with smaller slides than others. last 3 I bought, 1 didn't run quite right, I was messing with a original carb and another china carb. While I had the slide out I noticed the slides were different. I installed the larger china carb and it ran great afterwards. jim

[ATC King]

Since this is back up top I'll say that it seems most people buying these Chinese carbs just slap them on and if it runs half decent (doesn't spit and fart) they don't touch it although it may be far from right.

I wouldn't pay asking price for any trike with one of those, especially if the seller can't even say what size jets are in it. They probably just slapped it on for a quick resell and didn't even bother inspecting it beforehand. It also may not accept OE parts and is trash once anything goes wrong with it. I've seen some online auctions and sales where the trike clearly has a Chinese carb but there's absolutely no mention of it in the ad. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky, stinky pinky.

I think they are just fine with proper inspection and tuning and don't mind using them on something that's difficult to find a OE replacement for but reading enough trike forums it becomes clear of how many people don't have a clue on how to deal with carbs and are buying these thinking they're a direct replacement. That is not an area to be cheap with if someone can't make it work right on their own.

[KaiMaintenance]

I quit cheaping out on carbs when one i had got stuck at WOT.

[ps2fixer]

Yea I agree, ignition, fuel, and spark, 3 super critical things for the engine, and all areas people shouldn't cheap out on. That goes for atvs, cars, boats, etc. It's almost impossible to beat OEM quality, but a product built down to a price can very easily beat OEM prices.

[Jim mac]

problem I run into is I buy basket cases some have carbs, some don't, some have parts of carbs on them. So the cheap carbs gets a project working.
so where are jet assortments available for these China carbs? jim

[ps2fixer]

so where are jet assortments available for these China carbs? jim

There's the problem right there, since it's chinese built, who knows what jets they use if it's not OEM. Their number system won't match up to OEM, so you'd be starting with basically zero base line for tuning and you'll need several jets to start the process to do it correctly. With an OEM carb, it's simply get all the passages cleaned out, and new OEM jets and it's going to run good if there's no other issues with the carb (worn out slide for example).

[DAM shop]

problem I run into is I buy basket cases some have carbs, some don't, some have parts of carbs on them. So the cheap carbs gets a project working.
so where are jet assortments available for these China carbs? jim
I was buying up used carbs and cleaning a d rebuilding but most don’t want to spend the money on that and would rather buy the cheap ones. I’m tired �� of trying to convince folks that these just don’t work, if not today then tomorrow. I have a few unusable 110 carbs I’ve been wanting to somehow cut apart to compare passages to the China ones.

[rettespeedup]

I quit cheaping out on carbs when one i had got stuck at WOT.

I agree it is better to invest in a high-quality product even if it will cost more.

[Jim mac]

for a personal not planning on flipping trike, I have to agree. if your trying to sell a trike, locally your lucky to get 600 bucks for a running hardtail. if you have to buy a couple tires, seat cover, cables and getting a title, the trike better be almost free or your basically giving money away.

[KaiMaintenance]

I agree it is better to invest in a high-quality product even if it will cost more.


I went through like 4 or 5 cheap carbs before the one that got stuck. After that i filled it with used brake fluid (to insure it couldn't be restocked) and sent it back. Bit the bullet and got a mikuni, haven't looked back.

[ATC King]

I went through like 4 or 5 cheap carbs before the one that got stuck. After that i filled it with used brake fluid (to insure it couldn't be restocked) and sent it back. Bit the bullet and got a mikuni, haven't looked back.

Question here is was it a new Mikuni or a OEM one and if new, where did you get it?

It seems like many people forget that new, name brand carbs are still available and depending on what it is, may not be all that expensive. The main issue is probably finding one the fits , but there are intake and air box adapters for some applications. Have to buy them from a reputable seller though, because some knock-offs are being sold as legit through nefarious storefronts.

[shortline10]

https://www.sudco.com/index.html

[3Deep]

I have used a few for replacements and have good luck with them.

[ATC King]

https://www.sudco.com/index.html

I know about SUDCO, just wanted to see if Kaimaintenance sourced a new carb somewhere else.


I also just typed in 'ATC' in the SUDCO catalogue and went through all 390 hits. I remember them being mostly about carbs and intake years ago but now it seems they're like many other parts dealers. I'm guessing they drop ship like other sellers and use the same warehouse/importers for the parts.

I didn't see any carbs or kits in their catalogue for anything besides the popular sport trikes like the 250R.