Vanguard 12.5HP/14HP/16HP/18HP carburetor cleaning

[DavidBarkey]

Matt , what kind and brand of fuel are you using ?

[MattA]

Matt , what kind and brand of fuel are you using ?

It's got 87 octane in it right now. I had some 109 octane, ethanol free mixed in with the 87 plus some sta-bil fuel stabilizer over the winter. I've run several gallons through since the winter. I just picked up a fresh tank but have not run any through.

[DavidBarkey]

Matt , what kind and brand of fuel are you using ?

It's got 87 octane in it right now. I had some 109 octane, ethanol free mixed in with the 87 plus some sta-bil fuel stabilizer over the winter. I've run several gallons through since the winter. I just picked up a fresh tank but have not run any through.

Does your carb have the anti-diesel solenoid ?

[MattA]

Matt , what kind and brand of fuel are you using ?

It's got 87 octane in it right now. I had some 109 octane, ethanol free mixed in with the 87 plus some sta-bil fuel stabilizer over the winter. I've run several gallons through since the winter. I just picked up a fresh tank but have not run any through.

Does your carb have the anti-diesel solenoid ?

Yes it does and it moves in and out when the ignition is turned on and off.

[DavidBarkey]

Does it snap back hard when key is turned on ? Is it coming all the way back ? You have cleaned the jets so many times with out a lot of success , I am thinking there is something else going on . It is hard from the other side of the computer screen to tell what is going on. Another thought is that these things are jetted on the lean side to meet emission standards that the slightest thing can become an issue . I am wondering if you have a little ware in the throttle shaft adding a little bit of unmetered air leaning it out further . If you can get a rebuild kit with new jets in it and open them up one size with torch tip cleaners or number drills . Saving the originals in case it doe not fix it . This is something I have done in the past with carbs set so lean .

[MattA]

Does it snap back hard when key is turned on ? Is it coming all the way back ? You have cleaned the jets so many times with out a lot of success , I am thinking there is something else going on . It is hard from the other side of the computer screen to tell what is going on. Another thought is that these things are jetted on the lean side to meet emission standards that the slightest thing can become an issue . I am wondering if you have a little ware in the throttle shaft adding a little bit of unmetered air leaning it out further . If you can get a rebuild kit with new jets in it and open them up one size with torch tip cleaners or number drills . Saving the originals in case it doe not fix it . This is something I have done in the past with carbs set so lean .

David I appreciate your help
The anti-fire solenoid does snap open and closed. It opens enough that I can try to squeeze the red tube on my carb cleaner can into the jet.
I have not removed the idle mixture screw or welch plug for cleaning.
I have also read that the vanguards typically run on the lean side and the slightest bit of crap in the carb can cause issues.

[MattA]

Hour and a half later the carb is out
I borrowed an ultrasonic cleaner with heat from work. Going to try distilled water and simple green. I'll break down the carb tomorrow. I haven't ever taken the idle mixture screw out. It's under a stupid limiter cap. I'll count the number of turns until it seats before removing it. Its damn near impossible to adjust since its facing the hydraulic tank when assembled.

[DavidBarkey]

Matt , because the idle mixture screw is in such a place . If were I , I would back it out an extra 1/8 of a turn from where it was . A little richer is always better than a little lean .

[MattA]

David the idle screw was 5/8 to 3/4 turn out from the seat. Service manual says to start at 1&1/4 turn and adjust from there and if needed richen it up another 1/8 turn. I'll put the limiter cap on in a position where I can richer it up more.

After breaking down the carb, I gave it another cleaning.

Ultrasonic cleaner and simple green went well. I couldn't find the concentrate so I bought the cleaning spray. I used 1/3 bottle or so in two gallons of distilled water. I preheated the distilled water on the stove to 40C or so and ran the ultrasonic cleaner with the heater on for about 10 minutes. After rotating the carb in the ultrasonic cleaner, I ran it again for 10 minutes. I put everything but the float in. Final temp was 60C. Came out nice and clean. I blew the passages out with compressed air.

The small parts are at the very bottom in the ultrasonic cleaner. There is a drain hole at the other end.

[DavidBarkey]

Those things do a great job of cleaning . Hope this is the end of it and you can get on with things.