# Predator engine carb question



## Waterlooboy2hp (Nov 29, 2011)

I have been reading the threads on re-jetting the Predator 212 engines, for winter running. Have not run my engine yet, because I am working on a different modification , not related to the carb.

As the engine comes with a non adjustable carb, would it be of any advantage, to start out with the available carb, that has the idle mixture needle ?? --- John


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## rhenning (Sep 19, 2013)

Not really. You can buy the carbs on E-Bay cheaply in the $25 to $35 range and I wouldn't mess with a new engines unless I had to. When I was a young lad I had a older mentor mechanic and one of the best things he taught me was "Don't fix it if it ain't broke". Some of the best advice I ever recieved. Run the engine first and see if it really needs to be rejetted. When I say run I mean for a couple of hours. I have a new MTD rubber paddle blower that surged when I first got it. I thought maybe I would need to open the jets up a bit. Now after being worked and run 3 hours it no longer does that. Roger


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

rhenning said:


> Not really. You can buy the carbs on E-Bay cheaply in the $25 to $35 range and I wouldn't mess with a new engines unless I had to. When I was a young lad I had a older mentor mechanic and one of the best things he taught me was "Don't fix it if it ain't broke". Some of the best advice I ever recieved. Run the engine first and see if it really needs to be rejetted. When I say run I mean for a couple of hours. I have a new MTD rubber paddle blower that surged when I first got it. I thought maybe I would need to open the jets up a bit. Now after being worked and run 3 hours it no longer does that. Roger


 

I have 3 of these engines and 2 of them are on a snowblower. The engine has a non adjustable carburetor and runs great at temperatures at or above 40 degrees with stock jetting. However when I ran the engine outside at temperatures below 25 degrees F I noticed that it surged a bit until I slightly put on the choke and then ran smooth again. I took the main jet out and run a piece of super floss with polishing compound on it through it 4 or 5 times and cleaned it out with carburetor cleaner and put it back in. Problem solved and I have ran this engine in temperatures as cold as -6 degree F with out surging. 

Some people say older Honda Carburetors that have adjustable needle would fit, but we are talking just a small increase in jet size so why waste your money on an adjustable Honda carburetor

Too many people have really reamed out the jet or bought the 140 emulsion tube plus a bigger jet and ended up having it run poorly. It is just a slight increase of jet size of maybe 1 size larger at most.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

I am looking forward to running this Predator 212cc engine instead of the ones on the snowblowers.


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## Waterlooboy2hp (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanks GustoGuy, for helping to put some positive thoughts into my head. I have no trouble using the engine carb as is, for now. The youngest of my 6 snow blowers (3 restored) is 1978. It was my back-up machine, for my other ones. First pass down my driveway, I looked behind me and saw a trail of oil drops. Looked down at the Tecumseh engine and it was covered with oil, on the valve cover side. The 212 predator is going on that one.

The machine in the photo, is going to be restored this summer. and is getting a Predator 346 put on it, just for spite. --- John










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GustoGuy said:


> I have 3 of these engines and 2 of them are on a snowblower. The engine has a non adjustable carburetor and runs great at temperatures at or above 40 degrees with stock jetting. However when I ran the engine outside at temperatures below 25 degrees F I noticed that it surged a bit until I slightly put on the choke and then ran smooth again. I took the main jet out and run a piece of super floss with polishing compound on it through it 4 or 5 times and cleaned it out with carburetor cleaner and put it back in. Problem solved and I have ran this engine in temperatures as cold as -6 degree F with out surging.
> 
> Some people say older Honda Carburetors that have adjustable needle would fit, but we are talking just a small increase in jet size so why waste your money on an adjustable Honda carburetor
> 
> Too many people have really reamed out the jet or bought the 140 emulsion tube plus a bigger jet and ended up having it run poorly. It is just a slight increase of jet size of maybe 1 size larger at most.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Waterlooboy2hp said:


> Thanks GustoGuy, for helping to put some positive thoughts into my head. I have no trouble using the engine carb as is, for now. The youngest of my 6 snow blowers (3 restored) is 1978. It was my back-up machine, for my other ones. First pass down my driveway, I looked behind me and saw a trail of oil drops. Looked down at the Tecumseh engine and it was covered with oil, on the valve cover side. The 212 predator is going on that one.
> 
> The machine in the photo, is going to be restored this summer. and is getting a Predator 346 put on it, just for spite. --- John
> 
> ...



Sounds like the oil breather is allowing accumulated oil to be blown out due to worn valve guides. What happens is crankcase oil will get pushed up through the valve guides and the excess oil will end up getting blown out. Does the engine burn a lot of oil? The Predator 212cc engines are just as powerful or even more powerful then a 7 or 8hp flat head engine so it should work well to repower your snowblower. It would need to be fixed by a machine shop in order to press in in new valve guides as well as new valves and then you would need to lap the valves and set the valve clearance. I agree it is much less expensive to buy a Predator 212cc than to fix this old engine and who knows if it is only the valve guides and valves that are worn. Could be that the cylinder bore and the pistons and rings are worn too.

Mark


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## Waterlooboy2hp (Nov 29, 2011)

The funny part is, that the engine does not use oil, and you can`t even get it to put out a trace of smoke. When it happened, it was just too cold outside to check it out. I ran it back to the barn, and decided to wait until Spring, to mess with it. 

Repairs will not be a problem. I retired in 2005, after 44 years as a Machinist.

I bought the 212 Predator, to see if I can develop a bolt-on unit, for turning it into an engine, with the 2 output shafts. I am in the middle of it right now. The only machine of mine, that uses a 2 shaft engine, is the one, that I plan to put the Predator 346 on. Same conversion will apply. Converting a 212 is just to see if I can do it. The space factor is much more limited.--- John


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GustoGuy said:


> Sounds like the oil breather is allowing accumulated oil to be blown out due to worn valve guides. What happens is crankcase oil will get pushed up through the valve guides and the excess oil will end up getting blown out. Does the engine burn a lot of oil? The Predator 212cc engines are just as powerful or even more powerful then a 7 or 8hp flat head engine so it should work well to repower your snowblower. It would need to be fixed by a machine shop in order to press in in new valve guides as well as new valves and then you would need to lap the valves and set the valve clearance. I agree it is much less expensive to buy a Predator 212cc than to fix this old engine and who knows if it is only the valve guides and valves that are worn. Could be that the cylinder bore and the pistons and rings are worn too.
> 
> Mark


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