# How interchangeable are Tecumseh carbs?



## jerrydom (Apr 16, 2013)

How interchangeable are Tecumseh carburetors?

I have a bunch of questions to ask, but the most important one is; how interchangeable are Tecumseh carburetors? 

I have a Ariens RM 626 riding lawnmower, about 30 - 35 or so years old, with a Tecumseh 6 hp vertical shaft engine. It is a V60-70359J. I think that's the carburetor number but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's a four stroke 6 hp Tecumseh engine. I'm having trouble with the carburetor.

So I'm wondering? Can I just change out the carburetor was another 6 hp Tecumseh carburetor or is it not that simple?

Sears has an original replacement for around $90. I don't want to pay that much. This lawnmower was my father-in-law's (deceased) and hasn't been used in about 20 years, my lawn is not big enough to use it, plus it's only a 6 hp lawnmower. My walk behind lawnmower has a 6 hp engine so we are not talking about a lot of power here.

So here's what I've done so far.

First thing I checked for was a spark, which it had. Then I sprayed a little gasoline in the carburetor they came to life for a second, so I knew I had spark, compression. I chanhed the oil, but I used 5w-30. Is that too thin for spring/summer?

Then I rebuilt the carburetor. When I put the carburetor back on and it ran smoothly after I adjusted the high and low speed needles. Only problem, it leaked gasoline from the carburetor. So, I took the carburetor apart and replaced the bowl with a spare from a carb I picked up on Ebay, since it had a dent in it and put it back together.

First, it ran for about half an hour and then died. Then, after using the electric start for about 20 minutes, it fired up, ran for about 10 minutes and then died. Each time it rans for less and less time before it died.

So now it'll just spin with the electric starter and almost start.

So, I'm just wondering if I could pick up another carburetor and swap it out. The old one is really in need of replacement, because even though it worked, the throttle shaft and the choke shafts are really worn. The shafts are worn as well as the holes in the carburetor that hold the shafts. Really sloppy fit so I'm sure I need to run it rich to make up for all the extra air being sucked in. So I really need a replacement.

I know I'm rambling on here, please forgive me. 

Now to really add insult to injury, I ran out of starter fluid to get it going, so I used brake cleaner in a spray can instead of starter fluid. That's when I really started having my problems. Did I melt everything inside by using the brake cleaner as a starter fluid?

Anyway, I need to replace the carburetor. All the numbers I have for the lawnmower and the carburetor are:

Mower: 
Ariens RM 626 riding mower.
6 hp 26" wide cut. 
Model # 927002, SN# 003961.

Engine:
Tecumseh 6 hp vertical shaft, V60-7359J, carb # 631444, or the newer #631800A. On the carb body is stamped 263 9C7, and on the casting itself is 132 near the low speed idle screw.

So my situation is, I don't want to spend $100 to fix up a $75 lawnmower. If I have to spend $30/$40 for a carburetor that I could Mickey Mouse to fit, I don't mind. I just don't want to toss out the mower. I'd prefer to get rid of it for just what I put into it, which at this point is about $20.

So back to my original question, how interchangeable are the carburetors for this Tecumseh engine? I see some on Amazon for about $30 but they have a primer bulb and a manual choke. Mine has both throttle and choke controlled by a single cable.

As I said, I'm sorry for rambling on, but I've been looking for a small engine repair forum to ask these questions.

So anyone please, feel free to yell at me for using brake cleaner as starter fluid, feel free to throw any advice my way.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

I apologize for any grammatical errors because I'm using a voice recognition software (Dragon naturally speaking 12) and you really have to keep an eye on what it's typing.

And, if this is not the appropriate forum for these questions, feel free to direct me to the correct one. Thank you.
Jerry


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## Jeff194307 (Dec 28, 2004)

I always use WD40, engine starting spray can lead to severe damage to the piston.


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## Don L (Jul 14, 2012)

I once spent over $100 on a free mower and sold it for $75.
A rancher I worked for when I was a kid gave me an orphaned calf.I bottle fed it,raised it to 500 lbs and almost broke even on my feed bill when I sold it.
I do'nt think I could afford a $75 lawnmower.:wave:


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