STEINER Help Please

[MEstey]

Hey Guys
Im new here so allow me to introduce myself.. Im Mitch, I run a small engine repair shop in a small town in Ontario Canada. I work a full time job fixing automated feeding systems for farms and run the small engine shop in my off hours.. Keeps me busy to say the least.

I have a Steiner 410 with an LX 790 Linamar engine with a Nikki carb. The carb is running far to rich (literally you can see the mist of fuel shooting out the breather) I have been through the carb and installed a rebulid kit. everything looks okay but yet i cannot get the mixture to lean out.. There does not seem to be any fuel or air adjustment on this carb and i am not very familiar with these units.. if anyone has any tips or starting points that would be great as I have been through it a few times now and cannot seem to come across the source of this wrong fuel/air mixture!

Thanks for the help guys and i look forward to being an active member of this forum!

Mitch

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN!

You might want to also post a question in the Ventrac forum, as the machines are similar, as are the owners!
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/ventrac/

 

[MEstey]

alright thanks.. i posted it there aswell.. hopefully someone can help end my headache

 

[ch1ch2]

I see no one has responded.
I know nothing about this equipment. But, I have had some experience with carburetors. I have heard many people say they rebuilt a carb and still had the problem when they did not do a full rebuild. Every screw, jet, part needs to be taken out.
I am guessing this is the case for you.
If there is no jet adjustments then it has fixed jets and a different size jet maybe needed.
I have seen factory defects in jets. And depending on where you bought it and where is was designed to be sold it could have different jets.
I have seen factor defects in carburetors. Check for recalls on your equipment.

 

[Quebecguy]

Hello Mitch,
I don't even know what a Steiner is but have you tried running it with the air filter removed?

 

[MEstey]

ch1ch2 i pulled each jet abd everything seemed ok.. i have also seen factory defects in the past but this is an older machine.. when i pulled ther carb apart there was a spring a plunger sitting in the bowl so initially i thought this was the problem but they are back in there correct position now! Carbs are no new thing to me.. but this ones giving me a headache haha.
Quebecguy yes i tried that to lean it out a bit and see if it would run better but it literally creates a cloud of gas vapors out of the barrel!

 

[ch1ch2]

ch1ch2 i pulled each jet abd everything seemed ok.. i have also seen factory defects in the past but this is an older machine.. when i pulled ther carb apart there was a spring a plunger sitting in the bowl so initially i thought this was the problem but they are back in there correct position now! Carbs are no new thing to me.. but this ones giving me a headache haha.
Quebecguy yes i tried that to lean it out a bit and see if it would run better but it literally creates a cloud of gas vapors out of the barrel!

I am not there but, now I am wondering if it is the carb.You said " (literally you can see the mist of fuel shooting out the breather) and it literally creates a cloud of gas vapors out of the barrel!
It sounds like your timing is off or you have an intake valve stuck open. Your intake valve is open when your piston is going up.

 

[JRobyn]

I think that spring and plunger is your smoking gun.

I had a single cylinder Briggs that did this one time - the carb gummed up from sitting with ethanol fuel in it. Insides of fuel lines were like gummy mucus. Pulled the carb (I think it was a Nikki), carefully disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and then it acted like yours. VERY rich. So much excess fuel that it barely ran.

Took the carb to a "Certified DIAMOND Briggs Service Center" for help diagnosing. Their "diamond" mechanic told me "Nikki carbs are junk - we throw them away and replace with ____" (about $150). Took it to another local shop. Even the lady at the counter was VERY familiar with my problem; there is a tiny main jet insert that is held in the carb body ONLY by the clamping force between the bowl and body. When you disassemble the carb for cleaning, unless you are VERY careful, it will fall out and be lost on the shop floor. They had done it over and over despite their best efforts to not lose them. In my case, I most likely blew it out with carb cleaner.

So first thing, find an on-line parts diagram for your carb, disassemble it again, and make SURE that there isn't some tiny part missing!

 

[MEstey]

Yeah i cant say that i am all the impressed by the Nikki design. i was pretty carefull splitting the carb but maybe theres a jet that sits under that spring that closes with the plunger that i am missing.. i sure hope not lol