Roto Tiller carborator repair or replacement

[mar10]

I recently posted a question regarding a troy bilt Pony roto tiller that tipped on it's side.

Well it looks like the carburetor may have become cracked. Wondering what kind of cost I'm going to be looking at to repair/replace? Anyone had to have this job done before?

Obviously will be calling repair shops tomorrow morning to check on this, but wondered if it's going to be work it or if I'll need to replace the unit. It was a bit price - $900 or so so hoping a repair is in store.

Thanks

[dps]

Carburetors are easy to replace. The carburetor itself might cost a bit, but certainly not $900. There are about 4 bolts and a couple of tubes to remove and a wire link to disconnect. Then substitute the new unit and put all the stuff back on. You can probably do it yourself.

Find a dealer for Troy-built stuff and get a carburetor. If it's a fairly recent engine they would probably have one in stock. When you buy the carburetor, get the dealer to print out a diagram of how the parts go together. This will help you keep all the stuff straight so you don't put something in the wrong place. It also will have a parts list so if you lose some small frammis in the grass the diagram will tell you what you need to get. When you get the carburetor, get a can of waterless hand cleaner (you can get it at any hardware store, auto parts store, Wal-mart, etc.) because your hands are going to get covered with grunge and this stuff works better than soap. They make a citrus oil type that smells good also (if you like citrus).

I'm sure the dealer will be willing to do the work if you want, but they generally charge $40/hour and it would probably be a few days before they can get it onto their schedule. It shouldn't take them more than an hour or two. Two if they do some testing of the engine at the same time.

I bought a Troy-built horse tiller about 20 years ago. One time I ran it through a tight space and the carburetor got hung up and cracked off. They're castings, and not overly strong structurally. I replaced it and was very careful about protecting the carburetor until I did it again. When I replaced the carburetor for the second time I finally wised up and bought the guard that bolts onto the tiller and protects the carburetor. That carburetor has lasted about 18 years now.

Don't know if the guard is available for the Pony model, but it sure was a good investment for the Horse.

mar10 wrote:

[Stubby]

Or look for a used one that you can cannibalize.

[Bill B]

Thanks for the update. If you know where the crack is and if all the parts are there you could try to epoxy the crack with JB Weld.

[Pavel314]

I bought a used wood chipper last year; it turned out that the carb had to be replaced. It only cost $75 and the job is simple; a couple of bolts and connecting the fuel line.

Paul

[dps]

I've tried to repair cracked carburetor castings with various materials. None of them worked in the long term. Heat is the problem with most of the epoxy repairs.

Bill B wrote:

[Bill B]

Although I haven't tried it on really hot items, J-B Weld advertises that their product withstands 600 degree temps and their testimonials indicate that it hs been used to repair engine blocks. I have been able to drill and tap the stuff---I think it would be worth a try.

[dps]

I'll have to look into that one. Don't have any cracked engine blocks at the moment, but you never know...

Bill B wrote:

[dps]

Looked at the J-B website

From the specs on the page, I would guess that repairing a cracked carburetor would work, but the result would be weaker than the original. Probably strong enough if it is protected from being hit or as long as the tiller doesn't fall on it.

If it were my tiller, I would try it. As I recall, the OP had borrowed the tiller. In that case I would go for a replacement carburetor to be able to return the tiller in the original condition. (The carburetor would be chalked up to educational expenses).