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Help with carb kit

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:20 pm
by tmays
I bought carb kit from Steiner. The choke shaft with not slide into place. Hole in carb is too small(just a bit). Or shaft is too big. Anyone encounter this before? Solution?
Carb is IH

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:58 pm
by Bob McCarty
Thomas, There is a felt washer that helps seal the shaft against air and dirt leakage. You should be able to gently twist the end through the felt. The full Steiner kit contains replacement felt seals, but the retainers are much shallower. If you opt to replace the felt, I'd carefully pry out the brass retainer and reuse it.

Bob

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:09 pm
by tst
I have had to "polish" a couple of the shafts to fit, make sure the hole for it is nice and clean, not burred
Tim

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:08 am
by Gary Dotson
I've never had an issue with the choke shaft but I've had throttle shafts that were too tight. Like Tim, I polished them till they fit. If it's a big issue, you can always re-use the old choke shaft. That's the only kit that I know of that includes the choke shaft, there's really nothing to gain by replacing it, other than a pretty, bright new lever on the outside.

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:36 am
by Bus Driver
Choke shafts rarely wear enough to need replacement.

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:48 am
by Rick Prentice
Chris Todd posted a few years ago about his very early '47 carb having a smaller choke shaft. He had the same issue and had to reuse the old shaft and make new felt. I'll try to locate his old post.

Rick

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:52 am
by Rick Prentice

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:58 am
by clodhopper
Bus Driver wrote:Choke shafts rarely wear enough to need replacement.

It is common for them to be stripped at the clamp though. Thats the only reason I changed mine.

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:56 am
by Johnk454
Had the same issue recently - shaft would not fit even before the seals were installed... I measured the shaft and if I remember correctly, it was .250". Ran a .2505" reamer through, still tight. Then ran a .2510" reamer through the carb. Everything fit after that. I can't recall what the original shaft measured, but will check later and update.

It appeared to be a simple tolerance stack up issue between the carb and the new shaft.

EDIT: Measured the old shaft, it ran .2490". Moreover, I remember the reamer telling me the holes on each side of the carb were not aligned axially - as if IH drilled the holes from each side. Sure enough, the choke shaft has an uneven polish pattern indicating the holes were not perfectly aligned. No measurable wear on the shaft, however.

Re: Help with carb kit

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:23 am
by Rick Prentice
as if IH drilled the holes from each side. Sure enough, the choke shaft has an uneven polish pattern indicating the holes were not perfectly aligned


Knowing the properties of the soft potmetal the carbs are made from, and the warpage that occurs over time at other areas, I'd bet the holes were originally aligned from the factory but warped over time due to a possible overtightened clamp from the air breather intake. It's really a soft metal and nothing would surprise me.

Rick