I unplugged the fuel shutoff solenoid and it’s running better than its ever run. I know that’s only a temporary fix. The more I think about it , I believe there were no jets in the carbs. Somebody took them out for some reason. Or they fell out. Don’t jets screw into the carb ?
Hi suppraman,
Normally that solenoid has the shutoff pintle retracted when power is applied with the key on. Power turned off, the pintle extends to block fuel flow and prevent run-on backfires.
In that case, the tiny jets have fell out and were not noticed. This likely has the Nikki carburetor on it with the plastic insert in the bottom.
The other possibility is the single O-ring at the bottom of the plastic tube to seal it to the fuel bowl has cracked and come apart due to Ethanol fuel mix.
The easiest thing to do is get a complete (clone) carburetor online through Amazon or Ebay but be careful that it matches the linkage well. Some ads say they will "fit", but they are often different, especially for the choke lever connection.
An exact fit carburetor can usually be found through Parts Tree, Jacks small engine or Pro parts direct.