gx200 carb secret fix

#1
My engine would run somdays and not run others. Or it would run and then die in ten minutes. After going crazy and not wanting to buy a new carb i found out that the stock gx200 carb has a second bowl on it. It is underneath the fuel on/off valve and simply screws off with pliers or a 10mm socker(i think its 10mm) When i removed this bowl i found it to be filled with metal shavings, dirt and goop. I cleaned it out, put it all back together and now my engine runs like a champ. It is getting way more fuel then ever before, ESPECIALLY at top speed. This was the cause of all my carb problems. NO ONE has ever mentioned this second bowl on this forum(at least i have never been told and i have asked for help many times) If you are having carb issues, i would take a look at this and see if it doesnt solve them.
 
#4
I know its not actually a secret. HOWEVER, whenever anyone asks how to fix carb problem, this is never mentioned(if anyone can find a post about carb problems where this bowl is mentioned, bring it to my attention). People only say, take the float bowl off, clean the inside of that up and blow some carb cleaner or air through the carb. As i said above, i have NEVER seen anyone suggest checking this to see if it could be the cause of the problems. So i should have rephrased it, its not a secret but now when people have problems with their carbs they have one more thing to check. I had problems with my carb daily to the point where the engine did not work and i was going to buy a new carb. Thank god i found this and it fixed the problems right up.

Bucksboysdad, yes fuel does flow through it. It can collect debris an then this debris can slowly work its way to the float causing the problems people often mention. That is what happened to me. I constantly cleaned the floatbowl and it constantly got dirty again, all because i wasnt getting to the root of the problem which was the excess junk in the fuel valve bowl.
 
#5
Best fix for the stock carb is replacing it....

Just going to throw this out again because there are newbies.

Tillotson carbs are easy to tune and the 166B is a good match in size for the stock carb ( will require intake and linkage changes try a chain saw shop for a used one). There are other good carbs on older power equipment worth looking at too with fully adjustable jets.

Why this is important:
These Chinese carbs suck period.
They were designed with one purpose in mind to function like an non adjustable Honda emissions carb. They are not Honda and don't work well....
 
#6
I know its not actually a secret. HOWEVER, whenever anyone asks how to fix carb problem, this is never mentioned(if anyone can find a post about carb problems where this bowl is mentioned, bring it to my attention). People only say, take the float bowl off, clean the inside of that up and blow some carb cleaner or air through the carb. As i said above, i have NEVER seen anyone suggest checking this to see if it could be the cause of the problems. So i should have rephrased it, its not a secret but now when people have problems with their carbs they have one more thing to check. I had problems with my carb daily to the point where the engine did not work and i was going to buy a new carb. Thank god i found this and it fixed the problems right up.

Bucksboysdad, yes fuel does flow through it. It can collect debris an then this debris can slowly work its way to the float causing the problems people often mention. That is what happened to me. I constantly cleaned the floatbowl and it constantly got dirty again, all because i wasnt getting to the root of the problem which was the excess junk in the fuel valve bowl.
That is put there on purpose so the debris fall into that cap before they enter the carb, that design has been around for YEARS, used on many motorcycles and small engines from years past. My Yamaha rd's have that same setup. Thats the first thing anyone should check along with any inline fuel filters. I personally dont feel anybody needs to mention this in a carburetor disassembly or diagnosis post because when you start digging into the carb and getting that far the fuel filter or that debris/well cap is assumed that you checked that first. Its that simple.

Anyway, simple point, check any and all fuel filters before you do anything else period, then start digging into the carb. Secret fix, lol!
 
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#7
That is put there on purpose so the debris fall into that cap before they enter the carb, that design has been around for YEARS, used on many motorcycles and small engines from years past. My Yamaha rd's have that same setup. Thats the first thing anyone should check along with any inline fuel filters. I personally dont feel anybody needs to mention this in a carburetor disassembly or diagnosis post because when you start digging into the carb and getting that far the fuel filter or that debris/well cap is assumed that you checked that first. Its that simple.

Anyway, simple point, check any and all fuel filters before you do anything else period, then start digging into the carb. Secret fix, lol!
You are correct, this should be one of the first things to check. However, noobs dont know about it. I am not a noob to engines, but i am a noob to these clones. I have never seen this mentioned whereas something simple liek the float bowl was mentioned. This thread is aimed at noobs. If you already know about this, good. If you didnt know wel, now you do.
 
#9
That is put there on purpose so the debris fall into that cap before they enter the carb, that design has been around for YEARS, used on many motorcycles and small engines from years past. My Yamaha rd's have that same setup. Thats the first thing anyone should check along with any inline fuel filters. I personally dont feel anybody needs to mention this in a carburetor disassembly or diagnosis post because when you start digging into the carb and getting that far the fuel filter or that debris/well cap is assumed that you checked that first. Its that simple.

Anyway, simple point, check any and all fuel filters before you do anything else period, then start digging into the carb. Secret fix, lol!
I was thinking the same thing. I hate to make the guy feel bad but its like the first thing you notice when u start examining the carb. And always use the right tool dude, or at least dont mention that you took off the bowl screw with pliers. yikes.
Look! engineers actually did something right. All that junk you cleaned out would have gone right into the carb possibly worse. But also the carb really is junk and replacements are cheep and easier to use/tune thn stock. plus very significant power increase for 50 bucks. Dont forget to always use a fuel filter as well. And yes engineers get allot of things right i just like poking fun at em
 

Motra

Active Member
#10
Wow, people are harsh! He's making a good point. Not everybody knows that that's a fuel strainer.
If it has debris in it then there's debris in the fuel tank too. It'd be a good idea to keep it cleaned out regularly and be careful not to let the o-ring fall out and get lost.
 
#11
you really cant automatically assume that the fuel tank is contaminated as well. It is certainly possible. and even probable but check it out before you worry about it. Sorry if i was to harsh. buy a fuel filter and use the right tool especially on these cheep clones. the hardware is for the birds. its like everything is made of brass
 
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