Briggs & Stratton 498170 carburetor on sale at Amazon

Many different push lawn mowers use the Briggs & Stratton 498170 carburetor.  If you have the time and the know-how, rebuilding it with a carb rebuild kit isn't hard.  But if you're pressed for time, or if you just want a whole new carb, you can typically find a replacement one online for between $25 and $45.

However, right now on Amazon, the Briggs & Stratton OEM 498170 carburetor is selling for $20.85 -- much lower than its usual price.  That's less than twice the price of the rebuilt kit, and it only takes a couple of minutes to replace the whole carb.  This is the cheapest price I've seen for a brand new, OEM 498170 carburetor.  Even a non-OEM Stens replacement carb at MowTownUSA costs seven bucks more than this OEM model.

If your mower uses this carb, now is the time to get one.  Even if you don't need it yet, you'll eventually need to either rebuild or replace it, and this price probably won't be beat any time soon.

Briggs & Stratton 498260 carb rebuild kit price comparison

Many lawn mower engines (including the engine on a Toro 20332 mower) use the Briggs & Stratton 498260 carburetor rebuild kit.  This kit has the parts for the 498170 carb, among others.  Below are some websites that sell this kit, along with their current prices.

- Amazon:  $9.48
- HomeDepot:  $9.65
- RepairClinic:  $9.85
- CameronSmallEngines:  $10.95
- PartSelect:  $11.05
- eReplacementParts:  $11.23

Some sites also sells Stens rebuild kits, which may be slightly cheaper, but all of the prices above are for genuine OEM kits (according to their descriptions).

Common maintenance parts for Toro 20332 22" Personal Pace lawn mower

It can be hard to keep track of the parts you need for your lawn mower.  Even with just the maintenance parts, since you probably don't use them more than once a year or so, it can be hard to remember what they are.

If you own a Toro 20332 22" Personal Pace Lawn Mower, here are the common maintenance parts you'll need for your mower, along with their current price on Amazon.com:

- Spark Plug: 5095K$4.68, or
                          RJ19LM$2.09
     (Briggs & Stratton recommends replacing it once a year)

- Air Filter: 491588S$7.00
     (Toro recommends replacing it every 25 hours of use -- more often in dusty conditions)
     (Briggs & Stratton recommends replacing it once a year)

- Air Filter Pre-Cleaner: 5064K$6.98
     (Briggs & Stratton recommends replacing it once a year)

- Engine Oil: SAE 30$7.38
     (Toro and Briggs & Stratton both recommend changing it after the first five hours of use, then once a year)

- Mower Blade: 108-9764-03$18.99
     (Toro recommends sharpening it or replacing it once a year)

- Carburetor Rebuild Kit: 498260$9.99

Most, if not all, of these parts will qualify for free shipping if you spend at least $35.

Briggs & Stratton 498170 carburetor price comparison

The 498170 carburetor is a common one used on many lawn mowers with Briggs & Stratton engines.  (This carb has sometimes been replaced with part# 799868.)  You can get rebuild kits for this carb for about $10 (often less) but sometimes it may be wiser to just replace the whole carb -- especially if you don't have the time to rebuild it, or the carb is starting to get old and worn.  Below are some websites that sell the 498170 or 799868 carb and their current prices.

- Amazon: $30.99 (1 in stock at $30.19)
- JacksSmallEngines: $36.77
- RepairClinic: $38.75
- MowTownUSA: $39.99
- eReplacementParts: $42.57
- SearsPartsDirect: $48.29

Price comparison: Briggs & Stratton 498260 carb rebuild kit

Many engines use the 498260 carburetor rebuild kit.  Many websites sell this kit, but the prices vary greatly.  Some current prices are shown below.

- Amazon.com: $7.13
- Sears.com: $7.99
- JacksSmallEngines.com: $8.03
- SearsPartsDirect.com: $9.03
- RepairClinic.com: $9.05
- eReplacementParts.com: $9.96

If you have one of these carbs and you need instructions for rebuilding it, you can download a PDF copy of those instructions from Basco.com.

How to decide whether to rebuild a carburetor or replace it

Any time you take a carburetor apart to clean or examine it, it's a good idea to replace the gaskets, as well as some other individual parts, depending on the type of carburetor.  For most carburetors, you can buy a rebuild kit which comes with all the standard parts that you'll need.

Rebuild kits often cost around $10 or $15.  If you're comfortable tearing apart and rebuilding your mower's carburetor, $10 or $15 is a very reasonable investment, even coupled with the half hour or so it may take you to clean the carburetor and put it back together.

However, if you're just a casual DIY-er, or if you don't have the time to rebuild a carburetor, you might opt to just purchase a new carb instead.  Prices will vary depending on your model, but in general you can get a new carb for about $30 or $40 for a standard push mower.  Just as one example, a Briggs & Stratton carb rebuild kit for a model 122K00 engine costs $7.79 on Amazon, whereas a whole replacement carburetor would be $29.25.

Installing a new carburetor will take significantly less time than cleaning and rebuilding an old one -- but it may still take a while to do.  You'll probably have to remove the engine shroud, springs and linkages, air filter assembly, and possibly some other parts as well to get the old carb out.  Plus, you'll have to clamp off the fuel line to avoid spilling gas when you remove the carburetor.

If you have the time and you feel comfortable rebuilding the carburetor, that's the cheaper way to go.  You'll just need to buy a rebuild kit and some carb cleaner (if you don't already have some) rather than the whole new carburetor.  But if you'd rather just replace it and be done -- especially if it's an older carb that's already been rebuilt several times -- you won't be breaking the bank.  Either way, the tools you'll need will include a hose clamp and a socket wrench set.  A few rags will be helpful, too.