tecumseh carb issues

[larryf]

I have an oh 160 engine in my max had it runnin pretty good well decided to put a very little bit of seafoam in and now it runs like crap again there no proper way to clean these carbs is there heard alot on here say its just better to buy a carb but i dont have that kind of money to just blow on another carb if i know it may not fix it when filter is of with motor running give it gas gas comes out in droplets like it cant suck it in fast enough now the motor doesnt smoke has good compression could valve lash be out or is it a carb its running rich the plug is black and wet from gas even after it has ran i dont have alot of paicients with these motors there such a pain to get running top notch one min u have it shut it off andback to where u started again i need help without spending money please

[amphibious drew]

Larry,
Check your valve ajustment. They should be .010 and .020. Mine loosened up on my oh160 after it was running pretty good. The oil leaks down from the valve and causes the plug to faul. I spent months tinkering before I figured out it wasn't carbon on the plug but a bit of burnt oil.

[larryf]

Is that 10 intake or exhaust

[LarryW]

Hey Larry,
Here is a pdf manual on the tecumseh. In case you will need it for anything. I just stored the link in my bookmarks and comes handy at times. It says the valve clearance should be .005 for intake and .010 for exhaust on page 73. Amphibious Drews specs look like they came from the non ohv models.

[FREQ42]

I have been there before with my OH-160 and OH-180.
Running a little sea-foam is good in my opinion, I use it all the time on mine.
the sea-foam has broken up the varnish deposits in the carb and you just may need a cleaning to get the chunks out.
It's not hard to do and the carb rebuild kit can be ordered from NAPA #WK1WHG $8.00
The valve lash for the OH160 & OH180 is .005" on the intake and .010" on the exhaust, this must be dun with the motor cold.

The firs time I ran sea-foam on my OH160 & 180 motors I had a lot of crap brake loose in the tank, lines & carb. I flushed out the line's and installed a new gas filter then cleaned the carb and used the rebuild kit's gasket and needle. If you spray all the carb openings to flush out all the openings you will not need to pull the plug covers on the carb.
you can continue to run sea-foam every other tank of gas to keep the system clean with no further problems.
If you need further help let me know.

[larryf]

Yep your right i got the pdf downloaded on my phone im also in process of buying a dealer manual to so after i do the valve issue then will do carb again done it once but will do it again if clearance isnt the issue and im sure there will be more questions as to my none patiance with these motors i have never had one that has ran perfect tje hole time i have owned it

[amphibious drew]

Sorry for the confusion larryw was right about the non ohv.

[larryf]

Thanks for the help guys well the valves was out of adjustment the exhaust was about 006 and the intake well it couldnt been but about 002 if that so i hope issues are fixed well atleast for now they are i cant believe it even ran the intake was more than likely open when it warmed up and compression is what kept it shut enough to run i must say that was the easiest valves i have ever adjusted got to guve perks to tecumseh engineers for make it straight forward task at least ut will run now and the back firing has settled down alot from full throttle to it closing on its own the carb may still need messed with but not going to do it unless i have to

[LarryW]

I love the tecumsehs. To bad they dont make engines anymore. I know a lot of people hated them but I always had a lot better luck with them then the briggs engines on gokarts anyway. The briggs just wouldnt last a few hours without a governor and the tecumsehs I had would never blow up. And on the smaller 5hp engines I love the tecumseh carbs vs the briggs pulsa jet carbs with the stupid diaphram, lol. Anyways glad you got it going better!!

[larryf]

Well thought it was fixed but it still does the same thing looks like a carb rebuild is in the works going to napa in morning to get one i dont know what else to do has to be the carb now it still runs rich and back fires only thing left to do

[larryf]

Does anyone know why my tecumseh has a lmh carb on it i really dont think its suppose to be on there all parts for carbs on these engines all have the more common carb whats so special about this version this is a walbro carb