Make Your Own Carburetor Gasket and Save Money

KEY POINTS

Due to supply chain issues, finding a carburetor gasket may be difficult
This how-to article will show you how to make your own gaskets

Introduction

I own a variety of small-engine outdoor power equipment such as portable generator, snow blower, leaf blower, lawn mower, etc. To maintain maximum efficiency, I am constantly cleaning and disassembling engine parts.

One of the most annoying aspect of constant maintenance is that gaskets in small engines are the first thing to rip due to age/moisture/etc.

In addition, these replacement gaskets are rather expensive (that is if you can find a standalone replacement gasket that is not part of a carburetor rebuilt kit).

Problem

While troubleshooting my Briggs and Stratton Storm Responder 5500 portable generator, I needed to remove the air intake shroud to clean the carburetor.

Of course, the gasket was wet and sticky so half was stuck on the carburetor side and the (ripped) half stuck to the air shroud.

A single replacement gasket was priced around $ 4-7 so I decided to splurge on a large sheet of gasket material & set of hole punch-out tool to make my own going forward.

Required Materials and Tools

FEL-PRO Gasket Materials – combo set comes with 4 sheets (click here to check the latest price)
- Cork-rubber sheet A = 10″ x 8″, 1/8″ thickness
- Cork-rubber sheet B = 9″ x 8″, 1/16″ thickness
- Rubber-cellulose sheet = 9″ x 8″, 3/64″ thickness
- Rubber-fiber sheet = 9″ x 8″, 1/32″ thickness <—This is what we will use

Required Tools

Punch Tool – SE 791LP Heavy-Duty 12-Piece Hollow Punch Set with Zipper Pouch (check out the latest price here)
Heavy-duty scissors – like this Fiskars PowerArc shears
Utility knife with a sharp blade – like this Stanley utility knife

Step-by-Step Instructions

STEP # 1 – Print & cutout the template shown below. Depending on your printer, you may have to increase or decrease the print size. I was not able to take an accurate measurement so grab a quarter and match the printed quarter size to ensure that your printout is scaled properly

STEP # 2 – Cut out a 3″ x 2″ square piece from the gasket material sheet (If you want to learn about alternative gasket materials, please read my post, Deciding on a Replacement Gasket Material)