Stihl 026 Carb Won't Come Off

[Mek-a-nik]

Hi Folks,
I took the two 8mm nuts off, and it won't budge. I pried and pulled (w/ channellocks) as much as I dare. I don't want to break anything.
Anyone ever run into this?
It's not mine. I don't do these repairs much anymore, just for friends and neighbors. If there's not a "known issue" kind of thing, I'll just tell him to take it to a Stihl dealer.
It won't run, except on a shot of mix in the throat. Fuel lines and filter are clear and leak free. I figure it's an internal carb issue, as he told me it hasn't run in a while.

[KE4AVB]

Is it loose or is it just plain stuck? I know there a control cross rod that must come out along the throttle linkage to remove the carburetor but still it is loose otherwise. I have yet to see one stuck than a simple pry with a screwdriver didn't loosen.

[38racing]

been worked on before? any chance someone put rtv on a gasket?

[Mek-a-nik]

been worked on before? any chance someone put rtv on a gasket?

I was thinking that same thing. Can't see any that oozed out. I'll have to ask the owner tomorrow. I SURE hope not!

Is it loose or is it just plain stuck? I know there a control cross rod that must come out along the throttle linkage to remove the carburetor but still it is loose otherwise. I have yet to see one stuck than a simple pry with a screwdriver didn't loosen.

No, it's just plain stuck! I'll get the throttle linkage when (if) I get it loose. I agree with you, should only need a light pry with a screwdriver. That's why I stopped when I did.
As I mentioned, as carefully as I could, I grabbed it with Channellocks, and it didn't budge.
I'll see if I can get a little history tomorrow. This guy's stuff is usually pretty straightforward.

[bgsengine]

One thing to check for may be to see if the pulse hose is "glued" to the nipple on the carburetor - I have had that happen on a couple stihls that sat for a LONG time without running (and stale fuel in the tank) - One of them actually finally ended up ripping half the impulse hose off and I had to actually carve it away with pocket knife to clean up that nipple on the carburetor.. the rubber kind of melts (as it can do in stale fuel) and then later it dries and hardens into basically a hard plastic that is seemingly glued to the carb nipple - maybe see if that pulse hose is rock hard, if it is, you may have to replace it anyways, so you could try (if you can get to it) cutting it away a bit and see if carb comes loose?

[KE4AVB]

Now I didn't think of that but it maybe because I never had one stuck on. It is a possibility I didn't think of as anything i possible.

[Mek-a-nik]

I tried again this morning. I used the Channellocks, and it started wiggling, but not coming off. I then pried on it, and it started moving. It's off.
I think it was just stuck to the intake seal (no gasket), and the seals that go around the adjustment screws weren't helping any.
Pulse hose and fuel line are in very good shape.
Inside of the carb is very good looking.
I had already put fresh fuel in it and tried to get it to pull the fresh fuel through by spraying mix in the throat to keep it running. No luck. I ordered a kit. Geez, new carbs are dirt cheap. I did use an EBay carb on a blower that had a nasty carb and no "brand name" carb available. As far as I know, it's okay.
Thanks for the ideas. I'll update.

[Mek-a-nik]

It took a while for the kit to show up, but it made it yesterday.

I ran the carb through the ultrasonic cleaner, and it runs great!

The "pipe screen" filter in the carb was very hard to see through, so that could've been the main problem, but it didn't hurt to do the "ultrasonic shuffle".

All is well. Thanks for the ideas and suggestions.