Kohler SV600 carb problem. . .

[Robster]

I'm at wits end!. . .carb started leaking at the end of last mowing season. Have been trying to stop the leaking for the last few weeks. This is what I've done so far:

--Removed carb, cleaned everything with carb cleaner and blew compressed air through it. Reinstalled, carb still leaked.

--Ordered carb repair kit and replaced idle jet needle, cleaned everything again, replaced all gaskets. Float looks good with no leaks evident. Reinstalled, and it seems to leak worse than before.

When the carb is installed and looking into the throat (mounted horizontally), the gas seems to be coming from an orifice on the left side and dribbles down into the bottom of the carb throat, then dribbles out into the air breather. The one thing I didn't do was to remove the welch plug and clean behind it--the repair kit has the welch plug replacement. Would that make any difference in this case?

The mower runs great despite the leak. I know I could just install a fuel shut-off valve, but I'd like to find a proper fix for this issue, short of buying a new ($125) carb.

Any advice is appreciated! --Rob

 

[Trav]

It could be a loose needle seat or a bad washer under it. You should be able to tighten it.

 

[CT8]

Some times it is better to spent the money and get over with the problem. A fuel shut off would be a good place to start even with a new carb. Double check all you have done

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Trav
It could be a loose needle seat or a bad washer under it. You should be able to tighten it.


+1 - loose or damaged or corroded needle seat.

 

[Brybo86]

Look at the rubber tip on the float needle. It shouldn't look worn or deformed. The sides should be straight.
Also is the float metal or plastic? If the float is full of gas it wouldn't "float" and would let in fuel nonstop.

 

[Robster]

Float is plastic, not cracked, no gas inside it. The needle is (now) new and identical to the one it replaced. The seat is brass and is pressed into the aluminum carb housing--no adjustments to tighten it. Needle seat looks clean when looking into the hole with a light.

 

[Robster]

I took it apart again and this time I took a Q-Tip with carb cleaner on it and stuck it in the seat hole and swirled it around on the seat--there was no obvious dirt on the Q-Tip when I finished.

I then blew everything out with compressed air and reassembled / reinstalled the carb onto the mower. After starting it and running it a few times around the yard, it doesn't seem to be leaking, although I've thought that before and it eventually leaked. I'm not calling it "fixed" yet, but it might be. Stay tuned. BTW, thanks for all the replies! --Rob

 

[Warstud]

One way of checking the needle/seat to see if it is leaking is to remove the carb bowl and raising the float up.

 

[Robster]

UPDATE: I thought I had the leak stopped, but after letting it sit for a few hours it started dripping again. I installed a fuel shut-off valve in the fuel line and I'm not gonna mess with it anymore--I'll just shut the valve off when I'm done using it. I can't imagine what's causing the leak, as I've checked / cleaned everything humanly possible with that carb. Case closed!

 

[Brybo86]

Does the float have a metal arm portion? This can usually be bent to allow a lower or higher level of fuel in the bowl.

 

[Robster]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
Does the float have a metal arm portion? This can usually be bent to allow a lower or higher level of fuel in the bowl.


Sadly, it doesn't--it's totally made of plastic and can't be adjusted.