On Sat, 4 Apr 2009 09:49:31 -0600, "SteveB"
wrote:

My BIL took in an 8hp shredder to have it fixed, as it had sat for a couple
of years. The mechanic said that "the carburetor was so gummed up, he had
to replace it." And he did kindly with a USED one, which he charged $125
for including labor. I believe I could have soaked and brushed it into
usability.

Replacing the carburetor is common practice in my experience.
Cleaning an old one is labor intensive and there is some risk that it
may take more than one cleaning/rebuilding to get it right. That's OK
if you are doing the work yourself and have lots of spare time but the
guys making a living at it like to turn the work around quickly and
get it right the first time.