Carburetor on a GX690

Was told by a mechanic that I needed to replace my carburetor because it was bad. Is that possible?

Just order a rebuild kit off amazon if its for sure a carb issue.

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It could be possible. You are normally able to rebuild most carbs but the seats aren’t always replaceable and can be worn. It normally takes awhile for the to happen though. I’m not sure if the seat is replaceable on the 690 though. It might just need rebuilt but often times it’s cheaper to just replace the whole carb due to the time in labor it takes to rebuild it. It doesn’t take much time at all to pull a carb off and put it back on. Whether it’s worth rebuilding depends on his hourly rate.

Ask him what is wrong with it and let us know. Was the engine having issues starting or running? How old is the engine?

True but somethin like a simple carb rebuild on a sunday while eating pizza watching nascar wouldnt feel like work to me haha

I hear you there. I’m the same way. I think Blue Line took it to a mechanic though and is questioning whether the mechanic is being honest. One thing I’ve noticed around here is a lot of guys can make more money in an hour pressure washing than what they would pay a mechanic so it makes more sense to take it in and continue washing houses with another machine. I hope I’m at that point some day!

Yes I took it to a mechanic. I cleaned the carb myself and still had issues. Had the mechanic look at it and he would rather replace the carb to just save time. The machine is only a year old. Ugh

That’s not very old but depends on how many hours you have on it. You would still think it would last longer. The ethanol in the gas really takes a toll on carbs and really gums them up. I always use a torch tip cleaner to clean all of the passageways and follow up with these small brushes used for cleaning hvlp guns. Sometimes just soaking them isn’t enough. The last step I do is shooting carb cleaning through and blowing out with an air gun.

If it’s not dirty there’s a good chance the needle is worn and isn’t seating properly or the float needs adjusted.

If you go with the new carb be sure to get the old one from him. You can get a rebuild kit for it so you have a spare in case you have issues in the future.

Ask him if he’s getting an oem or aftermarket. Not saying he will but don’t let him charge for an oem and install an aftermarket. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with an aftermarket. I’ve used plenty on smaller GX engines and have never had a problem with them. They seem to last just as long as oem. Even oem parts are from China anymore.

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Are you running non-ethanol gas? I try to, but if I can’t, always use premium and started adding a little of this to my fuel tank. 1oz to 10 gal

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+1 @Racer That’s a great recommendation for anyone not already doing so.

I too run ethanol free in all my small engine equipment. The smaller the engine the more it seems to effect it.

Follow the link to find an ethanol free station near you.

https://www.pure-gas.org/extensions/map.html

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Yeah, we’re lucky here. QT every 1/2 mile and they have the ethanol free

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I wish it was like that here. It’s not hard to find but there really aren’t that many. I go to a small town that is about 6 miles away from the small town we live in. I bet there are less than 10 stations in a 75 mile radius and that includes two towns with a population of more than 100K and a few others with 10k-20k.

Amazon has carbs for dirt cheap… I doubt I’ll ever rebuild another small engine carb.

Just a year old though? I’d pull the tank off, take out the filter that screws in the bottom (where the fuel line connects) and clean it, new in line filter if there’s not one I’d add it, make sure you’re not sucking air in the hose somewhere also

I’ll definitely get that used carb. I’ve been trying to learn how to work on these machines myself. A beginner for sure.

I use the ethanol treatment but not that brand. We have an ethanol free station near use. I need to just start using them.

This is so aggravating. I have 5 jobs waiting on me. Praying I don’t lose any while getting this machine fixed.

You’re thinking of the tiny fuel filter that fits inside the end of the gas tank. I don’t believe the GX690 has one of those like the smaller engines. It uses the bigger inline filter.

I too buy aftermarket carbs for the smaller engines. The aftermarket for the GX690 is $100 on Amazon. It’s a bigger two barrel so not as cheap as a 240 or 340. The GX690 is definitely worth rebuilding. Oem carburetor is almost $150-$200.

@BlueLineWash I’d be aggravated too since it’s only a year old. Funny how some machines can run for 20 years without ever touching the carb and some have issues right away. I don’t see you losing any jobs over it being it’s so early in the season. Might be different if someone was getting things cleaned up for their kid’s graduation party or something. There’s always renting one but would stink spending the money on that since you’ll have a mechanic bill too. Have to keep the customers happy though. Maybe explain everything to them and read their reactions. Might help you decide if you need to rent one or not even if just for a couple hours for one house.

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Reason I love having a backup machine. Where the little 4 gpm 4000psi comes in handy. Ever get a chance to pick up a decent used one for $1000, it’s cheap insurance and you can sleep better at nite because it never fails that when you’re busy is when stuff happens.

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Shit I was thinking 390… my bad

Had a carb go bad on my gx 620 with a booked schedule, amazon saved the day. It cost $300. But that expense was worth the income. All because a screw on the fuel shutoff solenoid on the bottom of the bowl was stripped an no pliers or screw extractor would get it out(solenoid/needle was stuck in the off position). Needless to say the new carb has antiseize on those fuel solenoid screws…

I bought a new carb and new gaskets. Installed it and the machine is doing the exact same thing. What can it be. I have a video but the site want let me post it

What are the symptons

Can you upload it to youtube?