I have read some stories about poorly rebuilt carbs and just saw it first hand. I was rebuilding my carb, had it disassembled, cleaned and all parts from the rebuild kit laid out when I noticed a large crack on the base of the carb. I thought my local NAPA store would have better quality stuff than Pep Boys, Advanced Auto, etc so I ordered a reman Motorcraft 2150. Before installing the new carb I was curious about what the jet size is (old carb has 53) so I took the top off. The first thing I noticed was one of the screws holding the top on was crossthreaded and not tightened down. After I got the top off I noticed that the small clip that holds the fuel inlet needle to the float arm was missing. I don't know if this would cause problems but it didn't look right. I was going to return the carb and order one from somewhere else but Pep Boys and Advanced said they couldn't get one. I tried another place but they get their carbs from the same rebuilder as NAPA. The carb was rebuilt by Universal Carburetor in Chicago. I just went ahead and installed a new clip, installed the screw correctly and had to swap the choke spring since the reman unit did not have one with the electric connector. The reman unit has size 55 jets, I guess I'll just put it in and see what happens.

 

I guess in mass production, with poor quality control, this is what you get. It's a shame though.
Jimmy

 

Hi jdon88,
I've also been confronted w/ this same delema many times + also know of others too!
It pays to be observant as you are + be your own mechanic!
I've also disassembled new products to inspect the work that went into them + sometimes find things ended up haphazardly in the process!
I never second-guess returning any product that is new + presents a problem to me!
Chances are, it never should have come off the assembly line in the first place!
This new, non-caring way of doing things now-a-days sure-as-hell ain't my style of the way it should be!
And don't blame the distributors, it's the manufacturers screw-up!
_______________________________________________
‘90 Ranger XLT: 2.3L, EEC-IV, EFI, DIS, 2wd, Mazda 5sp

 

I wanted to return the carb and have NAPA get me another one but probably would have ended up with another shoddy rebuild and I didn't want to wait another day or two. After replacing the missing parts I put it on the truck and it started right up. It idles good after I adjusted the mixture screws. I'm not sure if the choke settings are correct, I guess I need some cold mornings to see how it does.

Its a shame that way things get done today, whether its working on your vehicle or your house it pays to do it yourself because it will be done with care. Nowadays you don't even get what you pay for.