Yes, this Kohler engine is made in China. However, with the greatest respect to my fellow "experts", you are all missing the problem. The float and fuel needle have nothing to do with delivering fuel into the engine. They exist simply to ensure that the supply of gas from the tank into the float chamber is kept at the correct level. Floats and needles don't go wrong very often. Despite what everyone says, the needles don't stick unless they have been left sitting for 2 years with old gas and get gummed up. For normal mowers used normally, needle sticking rarely happens. The biggest problem relates to the float bowl gasket. Many of my fellow experts don't understand that carbs work on the principle of atmospheric pressure and vacuum. The pressure of the air rushing into the venturi to fill the vacuum caused by the descending piston, is different from the normal air pressure because it is being squeezed into a smaller opening and, therefore, runs faster. If the atmospheric pressure in the float chamber remained the same as normal, the rushing air in the venturi would push out through the float chamber via the gas feed line. Obviously, this aint going to make anything work. So, there's a small airway (called an "air bleed") from the venturi into the float chamber which ensures that the same atmospheric pressure that exists at the venturi, also exists within the float chamber. The forces of nature take over and a small amount of gas is drawn into the venturi where it meets the incoming stream of fast-running air and, whoop-di-do, mixture and vaporization commence. If, and this is the important issue, the float bowl gasket is not working properly, air is getting into the float chamber through the gasket and negating the atmospheric pressure coming in from the air bleed. In other words, the gas won't be pushed in to the venturi and the engine won't start. Even on carbs where there is a manual primer (and the old Tecumseh engines are the best example), pumping gas into the venturi will start the engine but it will stop straight away if the float bowl gasket is faulty. This same faulty gasket will also cause the gas to leak. Now, having said all this, the problem is not necessarily going to be fixed by replacing the gasket. In my opinion, these gaskets on this engine are too thin and don't get properly compressed when the bowl nut is tightened. So, a new gasket may work but it may not. Just make sure that the gasket seat is clean, as is the inside rim around the bowl. Use solvent and a soft brush to clean. Don't use a wire brush. So, for those that have taken the bowls off, fiddled around with the pin, cleaned the float and put it all back together to find the machine starts. All you have done is to reposition the gasket and fixed the air leak. The needle and pin had nothing to do with it. The only air getting into the float chamber must come through the air intake side of the venturi, not through the gasket.
