Troy-Bilt TB230 won't start - PLEASE HELP

Tincup19

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Joined
Jun 18, 2019
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Hi,

I recently was given a Troy Bilt TB230 that appears to be in very good condition, however, it won't start. I put fresh gas in, changed the oil, and put a new spark plug in it. After doing those things I tried again with no luck. I tried spraying some starting fluid and it started up for a couple seconds and then died. I wasn't familiar with these newer plastic carbs so I gave it a quick non-thorough cleaning and tried again but same result.

After doing a little more research online I found a detailed video on taking the carb apart and cleaning all the jets, disassembling the bowl and cleaning everything in there as well. I put everything back together and refilled the gas once again and almost immediately I noticed there was gas coming through and leaking out through the air filter box/housing. I drained virtually all the gas once again and took the air box off completely and gave it a couple pulls with whatever gas was probably still sitting in the carburetor and it actually started and ran fine. I let it run for a few minutes and then turned it off. Put the box back on and refilled the gas and sure enough the gas was leaking through just like before. Any ideas what I'm missing here? Did I reassemble something improperly? There was never gas coming through the air box prior to finding the more detailed version of cleaning the carb.

Thanks for any help you can provide.
 

testfly

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Jun 18, 2019
Threads
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My thought is that your issue is carb related due to a lack of fuel control.

If it runs with a shot of spray in the intake then you know you have one of the four things a engine needs to run. (fire (aka spark), fuel, air and compression. (many people forget about the compression so they say you need only 3 things)
So spark you have.
Compression is a given if the engine sounds tight then free then tight then free as you pull on the rope or when you turn the key.
Then air you trust you have unless something has built a nest in the air intake somewhere. (it can happen)
This brings us to the fuel.
Fuel is metered and is what is used to control the speed of a engine.
Too much fuel is as bad as no fuel.
Carb type systems are supplied with more fuel then they need so a fuel control is used to limit the fuel and even stop the fuel when the engine is not running.
Fuel coming out of the breather is a sign of the fuel control system failing. The float could be sticking open or the needle/seat are failing. If the needle has a rubber tip
that will likely be your issue. Many carb kits include a new needle in the kit so your fix could be as simple at replacing the needle and since you are that far into it you might as
well rebuild the carb with all new parts in the kit and make sure you set the float (aka adjust the needle seat). If the engine has a float be sure it is dry. You can remove and shake it
to be sure it does not have fuel inside of it. If there is fuel in it you will need to replace it for the float system to work as designed.

Do keep in mind that sometimes it is just cheaper to buy a new carb and bolt it on than it is to buy a kit and spend the time to rebuild the one you have.

Hope this is helpful.
 
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