Zenith Carburetor Tag Examples
Zenith carburetors before 1984 used an aluminum or brass tag about the size of a dime that was riveted to the top of the carburetor. There are two concentric numbers in a circle. The outer number is the Manufacturer's Part Number (the OEM number) and the inner number is the Zenith Assembly Number (carb number).
This model 161 updraft carburetor shows a brass tag on the top part of the float bowl cover. Early units and most marine carburetors had a brass tag like this one. Later on, aluminum tags were used.
These tags were riveted on and are very hard to remove without a chisel, which is why practically all pre-1984 carbs still have them. They are often painted over or covered in dirt, so thorough cleaning may be needed in order to read them. Since there are well over 5000 Zenith numbers in our catalog and more than 200 different kits, it's important to get the correct carb number if possible.
The outer number is the OEM number assigned by the manufacturer. In this case, the number is L48AD which is a typical Wisconsin number. The inner number is the Zenith carb number, 11595. Only the Zenith number definitely identifies the carburetor. Sometimes manufacturer numbers correspond to more than one Zenith carb number. This carburetor is from a Wisconsin model AED engine.
Starting in 1984, Zenith carburetor numbers were on triangular or rectangular tags attached by a screw to the top of the carburetor. In a few cases, the 5-digit carb number was stamped on the side of the carburetor instead. Many of these tags have gone missing, making these carburetors harder to identify than the older ones with riveted tags.
Typically, late Zenith carburetor tags have 2 or 3 lines: In this case, the carburetor was built in January, 1996. The carburetor number is 14258. The OEM number is a Ford number indicating that it was a Ford industrial application from 1996.
Identifying Carbs Without a Tag or Stamped Number
This is tricky. With Zenith carburetors, we can often identify the model well enough for a basic kit from the overall design and the shape of the bowl gasket. Contact us for help with this.
Numerical Indexes
Once you have the carburetor number from the tag or stamped number, you can look up the basic parts in the numerical index, which also links to a page with a comprehensive parts listing for each Carter carburetor number: