6.5hp Vanguard won’t start unless starter fluid is sprayed into intake

#9
Hello everyone. I just got this 6.5hp vanguard for a good deal on fb marketplace. I cannot get it to run without spraying starter fluid into the intake. Once I do that, it fires right up, and stays running.

The problem appeared to be solved by simply cleaning the Carb out. I was unable to take the entire carb unit off the engine, I could not figure out how. I simply removed the float bowl and sprayed the jets with cleaner, as well as stuck a pin through each one to ensure that there was no blockage. This seems to have solved the issue.
 

Harquebus

Well-Known Member
#12
....I was unable to take the entire carb unit off the engine, I could not figure out how....
These OHV engine/clone engines have a carburetor that is held on by two nuts and two bolts. There's usually two nuts that retain the plastic air cleaner assembly which in turn holds the carburetor onto the engine or intake plenum. There's gaskets between each piece so it's fair to assume your carb was stuck. Paper or rubber gaskets are like glue, especially on old engines. Don't forget to remove the throttle and governor linkages too, if needed.

I could be wrong about all the above though. Vanguards might be a different beast altogether...

Anyway, in these modern times, it's always going to be the carburetor that suffers after long term storage or neglect. The main culprit is corn alcohol in the fuel {ethanol}. I avoid it now altogether--nothing but 100% gasoline, 0% ethanol.
 
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