The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop I need a carburetor rebuilding kit?

Had this conversation once today, and three times last week:

Ring, ring, ring

Me - "The Carburetor Shop"

Customer - "I need a carburetor rebuilding kit for a (you may fill in this space)"

Me - "Tag number"

Customer - "There is no tag"

Me - "Who made the carburetor, what is cast or stamped on the carburetor?"

Customer - "There is no printing on the carburetor"

Me - "From whom did you buy the carburetor?"

Customer - "I didn't buy it, it came with the vehicle I just purchased; but it isn't running right even though it looks new, and my mechanic said for me to get a kit".

Me - "I am sorry, but if there is no tag, and no identification, we are unable to made a kit. If you will give me some information (year, make, model, CID, transmission, etc.) I can help you figure out what your carburetor should be." You probably have a unit that is being made with the caviat "what do you want it to fit"; and there are no parts. You can try making the parts yourself.

At this point, some are mad at me??? Others give me information, and I look up what they SHOULD have.

Jon.

You should assume that your customers have been exposed to a lot of gasoline fumes and may not be thinking clearly!

Why not ask them to send you pictures of the carb taken from all 6 sides? Maybe that will help you figure out what they have.

What color was the car?

Wheelie -- thanks for my laugh of the day. Perfect!

Jon -- I feel your pain, Brother. On the Christmas Tree Farm (Choose and cut), those were the customers who wanted their money back (and return the tree) because they either couldn't get it through their front door and up 3 flights of stairs to an upper room or it was too tall to fit in their living room ... and yes, even my 8-year old granddaughter (at the time) knew the answer to both questions, it's still the same person who wants the exact rebuild kit for the mystery carburetor ... you know, the one for a *blue* car!

Hang in there, buddy. Just remember all the knowledgeable and friendly customers you deal with who truly appreciate your great service and awesome business ethic.

You rock!

Might want to make a list of information you will need before they call, not that most of them would read it.

It might help tho'.

-Woog

I guess my "irony button" is not as clear as it should be!

There was NO information on any of these carbs! They were all Chinese knock-offs!

I have to help the customer identify their carb about 75 percent of the time, and that is part of the service. And with some carbs, it is not economically possible.

But in these cases, there is no identification possible. Once the carb gives issues, it is a doorstop.

The interesting thing (to me) is that NONE of these customers bought the cheap junk themselves; they bought a vehicle not running well, but with a new "carburetor".

Jon.

Was that carb on a 2 door or 4 door?

Now that's funny. I thought that you were complaining about the customers, but you were actually complaining about the carbs.

I didn't comment yesterday Jon, but when you said there was nothing on the carburetors to identify them, I figured they came from China. It is very interesting (and very fitting) to me the Chinese have taken the time and spent the money to copy the Rochester B and BC carburetors. Probably APTIV Corp (in Dublin...who wound up with Delphi who owned Rochester) finds this all just as silly as I do.

Here's my favorite:

https://tinyurl.com/42y7wxrc

How about that 2 tone casting job? Artisan work, that is! And three choke stove tube connections? I'm shocked they stopped with 3. Nearly as funny as the non-matching washers and screws that aren't tightened down. But hey..."Each of our products has undergone layers of quality testing". And look! Below you can see a special manifold for 2 carburetors (which I'm sure will be coming to a speed shop near you soon). In the back part of the image you'll see leaning against a wall a green folding chair. That right there is a future carburetor just waiting to happen! See how many odd things you can find in that image for fun.

Sorry you have to deal with this, Jon but I heartily salute you for your patience and courtesy.

Some customers are more experienced than others. Trying to help the customer is part of the customer service. I have a "carburetor identification guide" on my website to try to help the customer.

With almost 50 years doing mail-order, and 25 years vending at swap meets, I thought I had heard just about everything; but these knock-off carbs are really beginning to become a problem. It isn't really a new problem. J.C. Whitney and Warshawski were selling "carburetors" in the 1930's to customers for less than a repair kit for the customers original carburetor. We still get an occasional call on one of these (once a doorstop, always a doorstop). But most enthusiasts laughed at these companies and their quality, so not many were sold, thus not much of a problem. Seems like today we have a new genre of customers that have been "educated" to always shop for the lowest price.

Oh well, maybe this new group will get tired of the issues, tell their friends, and the new junk will stay where it rightfully belongs!

(Steps off soapbox )

Jon.

Back in the dark ages when there were local auto parts stores, not internet websites, most of them had a little plaque on the wall that read something like this:

"I work behind the counter in an automotive store
Sometimes I'm called a genius; sometimes I'm called much more
I'm supposed to know the numbers of bolts and nuts and gears
Of stuff for every car and truck for almost 50 years
I claim I'm no mechanic, and yet I'm called a jerk
When something that you bought from me sometimes doesn't work
Now it would be a great day, and I'd grin from ear to ear
If folks would simply tell me the MODEL, MAKE, and YEAR!"


LOL!
Jerry

Reminds me of a guy I was helping in the parking lot outside work a while back. I came out for lunch and he was just standing there staring at his engine.

I asked if he needed help and he told me he wasn't sure. Some lights came on when he was driving, then it got hard to steer, and now it is making funny noises parked. I came over and could hear the coolant in the overflow tank boiling.

I looked at it for a minute and pointed out that his serpentine belt was missing and offered him a ride to the parts store for a new one.

When we got there, he couldn't tell tell us the year, make, or model of his car. I remembered that it was a ford and a V6, but that was all the detail I had noticed. We had to make another round trip back to the car to show him how to figure out what belt he needed.

Turns out his tensioner was also gone, with about half the bolt. He had recently gotten a tune-up from a sketchy mechanic that snapped the tension bolt off in tje block, called it good enough, and sent him on his way.

I never did see that car in the parking lot again...