Questionrecently acquired an older rider with a blown engine, a 12hp briggs model: 289707 1179 e1. I plan to put on a 9hp briggs model: 28b707 0145 01. A lot of parts are identical according to the schematics. But the carb rebuild kits for both engines are all over the place. 2 different makers for the 12hp with close to a dozen different kits and nearly as bad for the 9hp. The 9hp has been sitting out and the elements have gotten in the carb, so I would rather rebuild the 12hp. How do identify what carb is on the engine and can I put the 12hp carb on the 9hp engine?
AnswerUsually there are only 3 primary carb manufactures for Briggs; 1) Walbro 2) Minkuni 3) Nikki.
The Minkuni and Niki carbs will have the manufacture's name stamped on the carb. You should be able to interchange the carbs as long as they bolt on and the linkage(s) locations are the same.
For the 28B I only see a Walbro carb listed.
For the 289 I see Walbro and Nikki listed.
The different kit numbers you are seeing may just be different parts within different kit packages. Usually, if you order the overhaul kit you will recieve all the parts but you usually do not use all of the parts depending on you carburetor model.
Honestly, the carbs today are so simple, from a service point of view, that you should not have any trouble switching them out. The biggest potential problem you may have is the carb running too rich or lean depending on the main jet size. You can buy different jets but the part numbers can be difficult, if not impossible, to find. You can also fill the old jet with solder and then redrill, i.e., tune the jet to match the engine, if you have a set of very, very small drill bits.
I would first try swapping the carbs and see how the engine runs before messing with the jet size.
Eric
