# Leaky Float



## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Got a cheap YardMan mower with about 15 hrs on it. It suddenly lost power, running at very low revs. I found the nylon carb-float is half filled with gasoline. I think it's nylon - flexible translucent white plastic, anyway.

What's the best way to fix this? I'm out in the country and don't want to run into town just to be told that I have to buy the whole carb kit, or we can have that part in two weeks.

My first plan is to dunk it in hot water and find the leak from bubbles. Then drill or hot-needle a couple of tiny holes and blow the gas out with air pressure, and finally seal up the leak and the holes by touch-melting the plastic with a soldering iron. 

Is there a better way?

-- D


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## Gocart (Mar 28, 2008)

I have never tried using a soldering iron, but I can just visualize the hole become bigger upon applying heat to it. I have some stuff that comes in a toothpast tube, it is called seal-all, it is gas and oil resistant. I have used this in the past to seal up pin holes in gas tanks, worked great. With the price of gasoline these days I can certainly understand not wanting to make a trip into town. Perhaps you can find it thru one of them online lawnmower shops or eBay. Good luck!


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Take the numbers off of your engine, then go to a site that has parts lookup for your brand of engine. The floats are available as a separate item. Get the number and call around they are usually less then 5.00 and just about anyone that works on these engines should have at least one in stock.


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## newz7151 (Oct 15, 2006)

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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

One problem is that this is apparently MTD's new proprietary engine. I think they call it the Powermore. A couple of comments on the web say it's Chinese - I don't know if that's true. I had an MTD-YardMan before, and thought it was great, so I just went out and bought another, without knowing they'd changed everything up. 

After I posted here, I called the closest shop, and he couldn't figure out what I was needing exactly. He couldn't find my machine or engine model number. He kept saying it had to be a Briggs or Tecumseh engine. After I told him several times that it was not, and it wasn't a Honda either, he kept asking questions that clearly referred to Briggs and Tecumseh engines. He said to bring in the float; he could probably get something that would work - if they had to order it, it would take over a week and cost about eleven bucks.

I called the MTD authorized service center. Just as on the MTD website, their parts listing doesn't have the float, just the whole carb, a major kit, and a minor kit. It doesn't say if either kit contains the float. The service shop owner doesn't think so, but is going to get with MTD tomorrow and find out. If I can find my sales slip from late last year, he can install a new carb under warranty; I don't know how long that will take.

Anyway, a quick fix now is better than any of the above. I've got the time to play with it a bit and I'm no master mechanic, but I've been inside motors a couple of times before. I was hoping someone on this forum would say, "Oh, yeah, the standard way to close a hole in a plastic float is ..." but it looks like the standard way is just to replace it.

-- D


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Update*

I went ahead and dunked the float in very hot tap water. The leak showed up immediately by bubbling. As I suspected, it was on the seam where the floor piece fits inside the main float body.

I turned it over so that the leak was at the bottom, and just let the pressure of the heated air drive the gasoline out. It took several times as the hot water cooled and I'd have to replace it, but worked as slick as you could ask for. No need to create a second hole. There is now only air in the float.

Thinking about Gocart's warning that a soldering iron might be overkill, I put a big curved X-acto whittling blade between two popsicle sticks and taped it all together, so I had an insulated handle that wouldn't suck heat from the blade or burn my fingers. I heated the blade on a stove burner, and used it to melt the surface plastic, and move it around, hoping to plug the hole. I did a hot-water dunk to test. The leak was slower, but it's still there after several tries. It seemed to move a little down the joint also, so I'm guessing the air is running down the joint from the main leak and emerging at the edge of my repair.

I am taking a break to consider the next step - move up to the soldering iron, or fudd around a bit more with the hot knife? Try Gocart's "Seals All" or press a bit of "gastank epoxy" into the joint? I hate to add new material - the little bit of added weight probably won't affect the float's performance, but the patch might well dissolve away or come loose and plug up a jet or worse. A floatbowl is a pretty harsh environment - powerful solvent, vibration, heat. Maybe it won't matter, but the beauty of the melt-the-plastic method is that it adds no weight, just rearranges the existing material, and I know gasoline won't dissolve it.
-- D


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## newz7151 (Oct 15, 2006)

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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*No Bubbles!*



Dslot said:


> ...taking a break to consider the next step - move up to the soldering iron, or fudd around a bit more with the hot knife?
> -- D


Got up this morning and decided to go for broke. Tested to be sure the float was still leaking. It was. Turned my pencil soldering iron to its lowest setting (20 watts), lightly touched the tip across the leak point and retested. No bubbles. Left it in the water a long time. No bubbles. 

Problem solved (I think). And without leaving it at the shop, fiddling with warranty claims, or paying 26 bucks for a major carb kit that may or may not include the float. I'm happy.

Two downsides, of course. 
1. As Newz pointed out, I voided my warranty, at least on the carb.
and
2. Now I have to mow the yard.

But it was fun. Thanks to all for their contributions.

-- D


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## jaybird62 (Sep 28, 2006)

hey newz. you under a rock too. ever hear of the kohler xt line??:wave:


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## newz7151 (Oct 15, 2006)

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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Update - Running Again*

The float repair didn't solve the problem - the mower still ran at low revs. Carb float was still empty so the fix hadn't failed. Couldn't see daylight through the jet tube so I cleared it with compressed air. But still no improvement.

Noticed a spring on the exploded parts-diagram, near a counter-extension of the throttle arm; checking behind the shield, I found only an empty attachment hole. With no spring to oppose it, the governor was taking the throttle down to minimum.

I jury-rigged with a light spring and some music wire, which I kinked to adjust the tension until I had the right speed. Just got through mowing the side yard with the repaired machine.

This fix should let me mow until I get the correct part from the dealer next time I'm in town. However, that's one of *two* parts on this YardMan that failed after less than 15 hrs service (probably less than ten). I have no confidence in this machine. Practically everything about it looks like it was engineered to hold together just long enough to make you feel guilty about returning it to Wal-Mart. Too bad; our previous MTD/YardMan was an amazingly good mower. 

Thanks again to the group. :wave: So long for now. -- D


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Unfortunately the reason the parts have failed is because it's a Chinese clone of a good engine design but has cheaply made components. I doubt any thought was ever given to durability, but rather to cost (built cheap to sell cheap) and I don't mean you did not pay a decent amount of money for it, rather there is a reason Snappers, Honda's Ariens mowers etc. cost what they do. You can expect a premium line mower to last 15 + years. The Toro mower I use is a 1983 model and still works just fine.


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## jaybird62 (Sep 28, 2006)

hey newz, my bad. :wave:


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