Source for valve needle?

[soopad00pa]

This is the needle from my crappy Chinese outboard. I saw a YouTube video that indicated the carb is a Honda design, but that's just the internet so who knows...?

I'm hoping someone recognizes it and says 'sure, that's part xyz123 from needlesrus.com' though I know it's a long shot.

4 flutes, a soft rubber tip, and about 1cm long. Made of total crap. Might be plastic, but it feels like that trash pot metal that dollar store toys used to be made out of way back when.

Every time I clean it I feel like it gets smaller, so I could definitely use some spares! Thanks for any leads...

[Shrew]

Honda doesn't design or manufacture carb's. They purchase and install carb's from 3rd party vendors like Mikuni.

[glenn.225]

Should not be too hard to find something very close. Go to a (smaller) marine or small engine shop and ask if they could match one up, most are very similar.

I used to have quite a number of spare small and used parts kicking about till I moved 5 years ago and had to throw everything out (I took three pickup loads to the dump, still hurts).

[soopad00pa]

I'm not at all surprised to find that youtube led me astray.

That sounds like a plan, thanks. I'll see if one of those pops up in my travels...

[tkeithlu]

I'm assuming that is the float valve from your carb, which meters gasoline into the bowl. They are usually brass and last forever. Making one with a plastic tip is novel, and as you say, crap. A brass substitute about the same length should be either available or easy to take off another old carb. I have several among my carb parts for small Honda motorcycles.

But....Small carbs cost under $30 US. If you took your whole carb to a small engine shop (small engines, not small shop) it is likely that you could replace it with one that uses brass insides. As Shrew suggests, they come off the shelf, there are only a few different ones for small engines, and it may be in common with Honda, not original to Honda.

Why are you having to repeatedly clean this one?

[roberttigar]

I have a 1996 Yamaha outboard...perfect up until about 3 months ago. I had not used in in over a year. Withj the help of a Clymers manual for Yamaha 2 cycles I deduced the problem to the fuel pump. Purchased all the Yahama parts to rebuild it-about $60 worth of gaskets. Didnt help and didnt feel comfortable pulling the carb apart.

A new carb from Yahama was about $150. Searched google by the part # for the whole carb.

An Amazon listing showed the exact same carb complete. Cost with express delivery was $54.00. Runs like new. Only adjustment I had to make was to fiddle with the idle speed.
Bob

[soopad00pa]

I'm waiting around for someone smarter than me to figure out what engine hangkai copied so I can source parts. It's likely to be a one for one dupe of a popular engine, but I don't have the experience or knowledge to know which.

I assume it's fuel - couple jet ports were gummed up and the needle was sticking. I didn't run it dry last time I put it up. Someday I'll learn. Maybe.

[marcjsmith]

if yuo can find a decent lawnmower store or even a motorcycle shop. take it with you and see if anolder mechanic has a small box of spares floatinga round.
ebay is also your friend but its gonna be a crap shoot until you can get dimensions of what you are buying this one from ebay and ali express look just like yours, but with out dimensions its a guessing game


https://www.ebay.com/itm/37389247570...Cclp%3A2047675


ali express


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3285...martRedirect=y


amazon at least gives you a list of application, so you can see that it fits things from a honda 125 motorcycle on up to 1100 CC motorcycles. which tells me that the needle valve is a pretty consistent part, regardless of carburetor size



https://www.amazon.com/0118-111-Carb...06231780&psc=1

[soopad00pa]

Right on! Thanks. It rly does look like the right thing and it covers not only a huge range of sizes but lots of brands too.

Guess that makes sense - why tool up to make your own widget when you can buy em from a widget specialist?

[Lepke]

On ebay, if you search for outboard needle valve, there's several for Japanese made engines. Since China copies everything, some should match.

[mlydon]

Btw - that’s a float valve, not a needle valve. The needle valves are the threaded ones you adjust mixture with......might help in your search.
In addition, most of the one’s I’ve dealt with have a rubber end, to seal off the seat.
Finally, as others have stated, I’ve had them out of chainsaws, outboards, and lawnmowers, and they all look basically the same. Take yours along to a chainsaw store and match it up with one out of a carb rebuild kit. So long as the diameter and length are similar, it should work fine - just make sure your overall length with the little wire that goes on the float is the same total length, and that it moves freely in the bore

Matt

[GordMay]

Hangkai is a product of Taizhou Gongda Motor Parts Co. Ltd., which started making Outboards in 2000.

Contacts:
Global Service Hotline:+86 186 5768 6863
Tel:+86 576 8288 6895
Enterprise Email: boss@hang-kai.com
Customer service Email: 582371384@qq.com
Fax:+86 576 8288 6891

Hangkai Outboards ➥ http://www.hang-kai.com/en/col.jsp?id=102
And ➥ http://www.hang-kai.com/en/nr.jsp
And ➥ http://hang-kai.com/en/pr.jsp

Parts are available through Alibaba:
ie ➥ https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/han...tor-parts.html
Or ➥ https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesa...kai-parts.html

[soopad00pa]

Excellent info, everyone. Thanks so much!

[thinwater]

a. Carb float needle. Always soft tip, although a brass body is better.


b. If you are cleaning the carb even annually, the gas is not clean enough.


* If the outboard does not have an in-line filter (some small outboards do not) cut the line and install a lawn mower filter. It really, really helps, is cheap, and is so easy to do.
* Use an anti-corrosion additive in the gas. This will prevent bowl corrosion, which is probably what is fouling the fine parts of the carb. Stabil 360 Marine or Biobor EB.

[tkeithlu]

Search technique: Do a Google search for small carboretors and switch to "Images." start looking. It's in there somewhere.

https://www.google.com/search?q=smal...&bih=603&dpr=1.