[John1960]

So this question gets asked a lot on this Forum. And browsing through today’s threads I came upon another carb related question. And the most frequent carburetor question we come across is this: “I bought a replacement carburetor but I still can’t get my bike to run right”. Well the answer here lies with the type of carburetor it’s been replaced with. Most people think that simply swapping carburetors with any aftermarket or cheap Chinese knock off will work just as well as the OEM carburetor. In fact, this can’t be further from the truth.

OEM/aftermarket/cheap Chinese carbs have been a hot topic of discussion throughout the years on this forum. It has been a proven fact that OEM carbs especially on Suzuki atvs is the way to go. That’s because aftermarket /cheap Chinese carbs are extremely hard to dial in correctly, and therefore end up causing more issues than they are really worth. But can a aftermarket or cheap Chinese carb actually work..? Well yes, but their success rate is slim to none. But very few people actually get them tuned just right. Actually, mostly everyone that I’ve come across can’t get them dialled in at all, or only just partially.

That’s because Suzuki atvs are notoriously known for being finicky when it comes to carburetors. They often won’t run right on anything other than OEM. Why that’s the case who knows. But Minuni carbs are also specific to each model Suzuki. They are designed from the factory to run with these factory carbs. And unfortunately not all carbs are made the same. The passageways within a aftermarket or cheap Chinese carb might vary slightly, even though it looks visually the same to the naked eye. Plus there can be a various small discrepancies between OEM and the aftermarket/Chinese carbs.

In the end it’s always best to reuse your original OEM carb whenever possible. This save you the headache on fighting for hours trying to get it dialled in correctly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen countless people struggle with aftermarket/cheap Chinese carbs. It’s honestly not worth the hassle nor the aggravation. Can aftermarket or cheap Chinese carbs work at all..? Absolutely, but maybe on other makes and models of atvs that aren’t Suzuki’s.

So whenever possible, use your OEM carburetor. Don’t throw it in a box because it’s being finicky, or it’s simply easier to just replace it then it is to just clean it and rebuild it. Trust me, you’re just wasting money and inviting a huge headache trying to get it tuned perfectly. Best bet here is to always get the OEM carb thoroughly cleaned then rebuilt whenever possible over replacing it.

And the best cleaning method for a carburetor is an ultrasonic cleaning. So go with this technique whenever possible as it cleans the best. But for those of you who want to tackle your own carb cleaning but don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner or have no money to get it ultrasonically cleaned abroad. Well there’s an alternative method using lemon juice. Yup, you read that correct, I wrote lemon juice. I’ll post up a link at the end of this post for those of you that want to try this homemade carb brew.

Now lastly, a carb rebuild. In this step having a good quality carb rebuild kit makes all the difference. So don’t cheap out in this area. Buying cheap kits will often not cause problems over time and either leave you high and dry, or finding yourself frequently pulling the carb to find the culprit. And nobody wants that. So for kits I highly recommend “Shindy” carb kits. That or OEM rebuild kits would also be a good choice as well. You end up paying a bit more but it’s well worth it. The good ‘ol phrase of “you get what your pay for” really applies here.

So that’s what to expect when using aftermarket vs cheap Chinese vs OEM. The right carb can make all the difference. And for those of you who have been fortunate enough to get a aftermarket or cheap Chinese carb to work for you. Well kudos, I applaud you. You’re one of minority that was able to make it work. ✌🏼

AJL speaks the truth. He and I have fielded DOZENS , perhaps hundreds of questions dealing with knock off , replacement carbs. Lots of members are looking for an easy out. For many reason they feel forced to buy an aftermarket carb. Either they purchased an ATV without a carb and can’t find the OE unit , the OE is “too expensive” , or the OE is unavailable. The same holds true for someone with a carb in need of a complete cleaning and rebuild. People just think it’s easier to start with a new carb instead of doing a proper rebuild.

Remember this….. NOTHING cheap is going to work as well as your factory carb. Some people argue with this and are occasionally correct when they replace an already failing OE carb with a knock off. They are comparing the knock off with the OE that was running poorly due to issues. It’s a matter of degree. OE units work better.

If you want to understand the mechanics of why a factory / OE unit works better, read on.

Carburetors are precision devices. They are designed and built to high standards and have tight tolerances. The passageways are small and require those standards. This need becomes very apparent when you consider the environment of an ATV.

We subject our machines to thermal changes, altitude , barometric variances and changes in RPM along with rapid movement, unstable and off angle operation , hard braking, bumps and turns. Don’t forget about environmental considerations like dust, fog, rain and snow. Consider that the same carb , on the same machine may operate at sea level when it was sold for use here where I live in NY and another member might be riding at over 10k feet altitude. Years ago, carbureted cars were sold with consideration to altitude. Now, with the usage of fuel injection , your ECU considers these dynamics and compensates for them. Carburetors became dinosaurs decades ago on cars and trucks. Small engines still utilize them and the replacement philosophy remains. Go OE.

Adding to the aforementioned considerations is the question of how and where a knock off carb is built. The majority of the cheap aftermarket carbs are built by the same people whose merchandise floods the shelves of retailers like the Dollar Stores and Walmart. So, peel back that onion for a second….. The same employee that built your knock off carb was building the flip flops that fell apart when your neighbors kid was running down the street and skinned their knee. As far as geographic locations go, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are the mass manufacturers of knock off units. They are masters of reverse engineering , cheap labor , low quality and high defect ratios. My combined careers for the last several decades has given me a very unique prospective on this subject. I have managed in the automotive industry for decades and currently manage a Quality Department in an ISO 9000 and IPC-A-610 environment. Basically, we are the folks that look under microscopes and operate test equipment all day to inspect the influx of merchandise that arrives from overseas. Trust me, you would cringe.

If you don’t want to believe what AJL719 , or I say, we encourage you to save your old carb when you push the “buy it now” button on the knock off. Just stick it in a box and write “save, don’t throw out” on it. If you are one of the 10% that has limited success with your knock off carb, put your old one on EBay and sell it to someone smarter than you that understands the need for OE quality.

 

[John1960]

Unfortunately, not all OEM carbs are able to be rebuilt. I bought a good looking 1990 suzuki ATV but someone has been in the carb before me and the main jet just spins in the tube. I will have to cut the tube and remove it to get the jet out and that will completely ruin the carb. There's also a tear in the diaphragm and while there are aftermarket diaphragms available, they often don't fit right. Suzuki wants close to $200 for their diaphragm/slide combo which is highway robbery. Buying a used carb off ebay or somewhere similar is a crap shoot and most carbs are going to be north of $150 for a complete take off that may or may not work. When you are only spending $500 on the ATV, that's a lot of cash for a carb that will need rebuilt. I wish there was a higher quality 3rd party solution available. I just bought a cheap chinese knockoff carb and then the correct size mikuni jets to fit it (it was jetted for a 500 cc suzuki), and hope I can get it dialed in correctly. I already drilled out the choke fitting a bit and the throttle boss fitting to allow for the throttle cable to seat correctly.

Good luck with it. Some members report success. Others have underweight doorstops when they can’t get it to run properly.

Let us know how it works for you

 

[John1960]

I'm going to be working on this quad again this weekend. Do you have any tips or advice on how to get the main jet out when it just spins in the tube? I would like to get the emulsion tube out to fully clean, but think I will have to destroy the white plastic tube the main jet and emulsion tube ride in. Is that white tube replaceable? Like you, I'd like to stay working with the original carb and haven't tried the chinese one yet.

What carb is it? Some have key ways , some are held in with friction.

 

[John1960]

This is off a 1990 SUZUKI LT-F250T CARBURETOR MODEL L
1990 Suzuki LT-F250T Carburetor (Model L/M/N/P/R/S/T) | Babbitts Suzuki Parts House

I'd like to get parts 6, 16, and 17 out but can't because the main jet just spins in the plastic tube. I have an erratic idle which is not due to air leakage around the carb, but without being able to physically get those parts out, I wonder if some of the holes in the emulsion tube or jet needle as they call it, part 6, are plugged and not atomizing the fuel/air correctly. Using an ultrasonic cleaner, I've soaked and soaked and cleaned and soaked the carb and ensured the pilot jet is clean and clear, but the idle is still erratic.

Have you tried lemon juice as a cleaner ? Unfortunately, you can’t heat it with the plastic in, but may be able to warm the lemon juice and use it in the ultrasonic.

 

[John1960]

I've tried lemon juice, vinegar, simple green, degreaser, just about everything. It just spins.

Sorry for the confusion. I wasn’t suggesting that lemon juice would free it up. Only that it would clean the carb.

I had a great carb guy years ago. He closed up his internet business and vanished. The guy was amazing with ATV and bike carbs. Shame. FI has made it difficult for good carb shops to exist.