Does anyone remember how much more reliable cast iron body and aluminum/nickel carburetors were?

[Auto Doc's]

In my area I still see an occasional antique small engine or gas tractor like a Ford 8N with a cast iron carburetor. Those things were simple yet totally reliable. Even if they had to be cleaned due to nasty fuel, they were easy to make gaskets for if needed. After that they just took a good cleaning and that was all it took to get the engine running like new again.

Some of the early aluminum/nickel carburetors were just as reliable up until the 70's when they started the cheaper all aluminum die castings. Straight aluminum and Ethanol blended fuels do not work well. The aluminum surfaces basically turn to powder when exposed to moisture. Note: Ethanol collects moisture out of the air quickly like a sponge.

On a side not: I also have friends that swear by the newer simpler plastic composite carburetors, but I have seen too many with weather exposure damage and they could not be saved.

Yes, I am reflecting on years gone by when equipment was much more reliable, but what it has become is ridiculous with most mowers barely making it out of warranty before suffering catastrophic failures.

 

[vintagerust]

That's why so many newer carburetors are never really 100% once they see some age on them. Plastic shrinks, cracks, and warps. Aluminum corrodes from ethanol and dissimilar metal issues yet carbs from the 60's and 70's are still perfectly fine after a minor cleaning.
What's worse is many carbs are zinc alloy, which becomes sacrificial in the face of corrosion or electricity of any sort.

I'm starting to see issues with the Briggs motors that used a steel fuel tank with the cast alloy top plate, I'm finding quite a few that area corroded through the top plate or around where it meets the steel tank. That never happened years ago, now all of a sudden every other one is rotted away.

I'm also finding newer engine block with bad corrosion around the coil posts, both on B&S and Kohler motors. I had a newer B&S the other day where the coil mounting posts were completely gone, nothing left but a dangling screw on one side and the other too thin to hold the coil off the magnets. None of the steel parts were rusty, only the aluminum corroded.

The metal has changed for the worse all over modern equipment. Cheaper is the name of the game now, not longevity or building a good product.
I don't think I've ever found an older Quantum or older motor with aluminum rotted away.

I had a Kohler CH13 on a parts tractor I bought with 433 hours showing on it that had so much corrosion it had lost most of the fins on the cylinders on the exhaust side and a whole eaten through the cylinder head on the same side. The rest of the machine was fairly clean. No rust on the chassis or deck so I don't think it was exposed to anything chemical that ate up the metal.