BoCephas 9 Posted August 18, 2020 I have noticed there are many different Carbs on the market that claim to be replacement for an Oem carb. I have read in many places that most don’t actually fit without various modifications. Does anyone know of a particular carb that will replace a keihin on my 86 250 FourTrax with the least amount modification, that will be reliable? thanks in advance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBRider 1,411 Posted August 18, 2020 Clean the carb and put a rebuild kit in your oem Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derf40 140 Posted August 18, 2020 Bo,no carb can beat an OEM...For what its worth lol 😁 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted August 18, 2020 Oh I have, but the carb was previously mutilated in the area of the main jet needle, and the lower guide or jet was punched in (I guess) and then centerpunched to “lock” in place (I assume) and then some grinding was done, probably with a dremel, to supposedly clean up the mess,I suppose. The bore is not rough but very rough- looking as you can imagine. I put a shindy kit in because it was running, just not well. Whoever did this mutilation probably puts cam bearings in with hammer and punch. I just want to trash this and get another carb if that’s feasible Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted August 18, 2020 I think this oem is beyond help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oh400ex 629 Posted August 18, 2020 (edited) My $0.02... Buy a cheap eBay carb and get it riding while you clean/rebuild the OEM carb and have it ready when this $40 one fails 😁 A lot of folks choose to get cheap carbs and have good luck with them, some certainly don't but if you prepare yourself for either you will be happy! A rebuild kit and a bath in ultrasonic can fix pretty much any OEM oh400ex (Edit: Did not see that the OEM had a die grinder taken to it) Edited August 18, 2020 by oh400ex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted August 18, 2020 I will try to post a picture of this mess when I get it apart again. Maybe it’s not the cause of it not running. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 6,036 Posted August 18, 2020 you are better off buying a used oem carb from ebay or power sports nation, or a salvage yard ?, china after market carbs are a hit or miss..most times a miss !..lol. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oh400ex 629 Posted August 18, 2020 1 hour ago, shadetree said: you are better off buying a used oem carb from ebay or power sports nation, or a salvage yard ?, china after market carbs are a hit or miss..most times a miss !..lol. I don't disagree that OEM rebuilds are the way to go don't get me wrong. China carbs do have at lease some value Shade 😆 The key for me is if you go to eBay and look for products that have a high number of "sold" under the listing for this particular product and doesn't have any recent terrible reviews it will be better than the listings maybe directly above or below it. I am a big fan of people being able to ride their machines and as I'm sure you know the OEM carb replacement option is cost prohibitive for a lot of folks around here so eBay becomes the next best option. Everything is a cost/benefit right? If you go on a single ride with the china carb while rebuilding the OEM and did not have to miss the opportunity to spend time with friends and family that day it was worth the $50 and half day of wrenching you spent on it. I would pay $50 in a heartbeat to rent a bike for the day if I didn't own one. Out of all the stuff I order carbs for from eBay (Mowers, Chainsaws, Weed Eaters, DR Trimmers, Generators, Dirtbikes, ATV's and even cars) I maybe have a 5% failure rate. If you order from a decent seller and use eBay's tools you can ALWAYS get your money back or a replacement. Goes back to the cost/benefit of how much is your time worth dealing with replacements and such but at 5% I'm willing to try. I always recommend OEM replacement as the first and best option. As the person who is ultimately going to fix it OEM parts are a dream to work with compare to aftermarket in general so I prefer them. It always comes back to cash. oh400ex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 6,036 Posted August 18, 2020 13 minutes ago, oh400ex said: I don't disagree that OEM rebuilds are the way to go don't get me wrong. China carbs do have at lease some value Shade 😆 The key for me is if you go to eBay and look for products that have a high number of "sold" under the listing for this particular product and doesn't have any recent terrible reviews it will be better than the listings maybe directly above or below it. I am a big fan of people being able to ride their machines and as I'm sure you know the OEM carb replacement option is cost prohibitive for a lot of folks around here so eBay becomes the next best option. Everything is a cost/benefit right? If you go on a single ride with the china carb while rebuilding the OEM and did not have to miss the opportunity to spend time with friends and family that day it was worth the $50 and half day of wrenching you spent on it. I would pay $50 in a heartbeat to rent a bike for the day if I didn't own one. Out of all the stuff I order carbs for from eBay (Mowers, Chainsaws, Weed Eaters, DR Trimmers, Generators, Dirtbikes, ATV's and even cars) I maybe have a 5% failure rate. If you order from a decent seller and use eBay's tools you can ALWAYS get your money back or a replacement. Goes back to the cost/benefit of how much is your time worth dealing with replacements and such but at 5% I'm willing to try. I always recommend OEM replacement as the first and best option. As the person who is ultimately going to fix it OEM parts are a dream to work with compare to aftermarket in general so I prefer them. It always comes back to cash. oh400ex and i'll ask you this...would you rather spend 50 bucks more than once, time, to send that china back, trip to post office, all wasted ?, or..would you rather buy a new/used oem carb, rebuild it, and not worry anymore ?..I KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO !..LOL. said it once, will always say it..ITS A HIT OR MISS WITH CHINA CARBS !. just because that seller on ebay does not have a ton of bad reviews on that china product ?, does not mean its a good carb !. most buyers on there wont even report back on the purchase !. being cheap is no reason to skimp on a product to fix it...AND FIX IT THE RIGHT WAY !. ever heard the old saying '' you get what ya pay for '' ?.well..there is a reason this is said !. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oh400ex 629 Posted August 18, 2020 17 minutes ago, shadetree said: and i'll ask you this...would you rather spend 50 bucks more than once, time, to send that china back, trip to post office, all wasted ?, or..would you rather buy a new/used oem carb, rebuild it, and not worry anymore ?..I KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO !..LOL. said it once, will always say it..ITS A HIT OR MISS WITH CHINA CARBS !. just because that seller on ebay does not have a ton of bad reviews on that china product ?, does not mean its a good carb !. most buyers on there wont even report back on the purchase !. being cheap is no reason to skimp on a product to fix it...AND FIX IT THE RIGHT WAY !. ever heard the old saying '' you get what ya pay for '' ?.well..there is a reason this is said !. You are right 😄 I would much rather not have to send something back and waste all the time/money rather than just cleaning and rebuilding the OEM Let's just say your position is you should 100% never get a carb from eBay mine is you should 70% never get a carb from eBay. It is always better to go OEM, no argument from me on that one. My own success rate is +90% with good parts from eBay and only having to deal with the headache side on at most 10% of it so it becomes worth it in certain citations. If the bike will not be fixed anytime soon because the OEM carb was mutilated by some idiot with a die-grinder (like the OP described) and a replacement OEM is either not available or not feasible due to cost, then yea go for the cheap one. I would much rather someone make the decision to buy a cheap replacement carb than let the bike rot because the OEM is too expensive. In summary we don't disagree but may have different perspectives on when and where it is appropriate. Thank you for sharing your opinion either way! oh400ex 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadetree 6,036 Posted August 18, 2020 3 minutes ago, oh400ex said: You are right 😄 I would much rather not have to send something back and waste all the time/money rather than just cleaning and rebuilding the OEM Let's just say your position is you should 100% never get a carb from eBay mine is you should 70% never get a carb from eBay. It is always better to go OEM, no argument from me on that one. My own success rate is +90% with good parts from eBay and only having to deal with the headache side on at most 10% of it so it becomes worth it in certain citations. If the bike will not be fixed anytime soon because the OEM carb was mutilated by some idiot with a die-grinder (like the OP described) and a replacement OEM is either not available or not feasible due to cost, then yea go for the cheap one. I would much rather someone make the decision to buy a cheap replacement carb than let the bike rot because the OEM is too expensive. In summary we don't disagree but may have different perspectives on when and where it is appropriate. Thank you for sharing your opinion either way! oh400ex i will agree on one thing..if you can not get a oem replacement ?, as in..none to be found ?, then yes..its after market or nothing. i was at a friends place just yesterday, he used to work at my local honda dealership as the head mechanic, he retired , anyway..he was working on a trx350es rancher, i walked in his shop, and noticed he was messing with the carb, as i could clearly see it was all new and shinny ?, yep..you guessed it !...china !..i said..haha.china carb...right ?, lets just say..he filled the dirty word book up on all chapters !..lol. when this man speaks avts, motorcycles ?..i listen !. he has taught me more than i ever could pass onto members here. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 21, 2020 Hope someone sees this and replies. My carb has gone south after running great since August. Extreme fast idle on start, and too low when warm (it dies) I can not find any leak at the boot when spraying. Only thing different is I filled the gas tank with ethonal-free and it has run great the first quarter tank or so. After pulling installing carb so many times that I can do it with my eyes closed, thought the problem was fixed. Ready to sell... hoping for suggestions...’86 250 FourTrax, replacement identical Orem keinlin carb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 21, 2020 Make that oem carb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,148 Posted September 21, 2020 You did clean the tank and Petcock well and are not recontaminating the carb. I know a guy who has got some 86-87 trx250 Fourtrax carbs off Atv’s that we’re running when stripped of their rearends. What would one be worth to you ? Can see if it gets his attention Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 21, 2020 (edited) Well to give some background, I bought an oem identical carb off eBay. Actually talked on the phone. This guy had over 60,000 positives so I trusted him. Carb came in clean as a whistle, but I blew thru all the ports to be sure. Put in a shindy kit. I then ran a half gallon of gas thru the tank into a clear container. No rust or anything. Pulled petcock and screen Was perfectly clean. Got my nose, mirror and light down on the tank and searched For foreign objects stuck to the sides. Nothing. ran more gas thru it and then filled with ethonal-free gas. just spent 120 bucks on this carb. Probably be worth having a good spare but have my 420 in the shop getting starter replaced so money is short. What I can’t understand is the idle at both extremes. Pulled the top off the carb and made sure the slide was not hanging up. Also when driving it runs smooth, so ...? Edited September 21, 2020 by BoCephas Additional info. The 250 ran like new for several weeks before this idle situation Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,148 Posted September 21, 2020 Might be the float valve , 250 carbs were a nightmare for me with the float valve sticking , try some tooth paste on a Q-Tip squab and polish the inside of the valve seat ---- so if that other guy charged you $120 for a carb , then does $50 plus shipping help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 21, 2020 Ok will try the polish trick. Doesn’t seem to be hanging up but will try. Yes the fifty bucks plus shipping sounds good. Can you put me touch with this guy? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,148 Posted September 22, 2020 1 hour ago, BoCephas said: Yes the fifty bucks plus shipping sounds good. Can you put me touch with this guy? You already are !!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 22, 2020 Oh, ok then. Do you need the model number of my carb? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldmxrider 76 Posted September 22, 2020 2 hours ago, BoCephas said: Well to give some background, I bought an oem identical carb off eBay. Actually talked on the phone. This guy had over 60,000 positives so I trusted him. Carb came in clean as a whistle, but I blew thru all the ports to be sure. Put in a shindy kit. I then ran a half gallon of gas thru the tank into a clear container. No rust or anything. Pulled petcock and screen Was perfectly clean. Got my nose, mirror and light down on the tank and searched For foreign objects stuck to the sides. Nothing. ran more gas thru it and then filled with ethonal-free gas. just spent 120 bucks on this carb. Probably be worth having a good spare but have my 420 in the shop getting starter replaced so money is short. What I can’t understand is the idle at both extremes. Pulled the top off the carb and made sure the slide was not hanging up. Also when driving it runs smooth, so ...? You bought an oem identical carb off eBay ! China carb, correct ? Then put a rebuild kit in it ? Only asking because in My experience if a China carb does not run correct out of the box they are junk and not worth trying too save. The different parts in the carb do not play well with ANY replacement parts ! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 22, 2020 Actually it’s a keihin which I think is Japanese. That’s why I was willing to pay what I did, because everyone, including two Honda dealers, told me to stay away from Chinese products. Accordingly to the dealers, that’s what they came out with in 86 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fishfiles 20,148 Posted September 22, 2020 37 minutes ago, BoCephas said: Oh, ok then. Do you need the model number of my carb? I have been under the weather , getting better , will try and pull out a 250 carb tomorrow , take a pic with the bowl off and a pic of the carb code , we can see it they match , you do still have the original carb ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoCephas 9 Posted September 22, 2020 Yes I do. Appreciate you checking when you feel like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites