Backfiring can cause a fire, separate the carburetor from the engine, set your air filter on fire, damage your induction hosing (scat, carb air door, sceet, and other associated ducting), and separate your induction tubes; this can cause more problems than it solves.
Backfiring can also damage the engine in other ways, including rod damage. This may not be detectable right away, but may show up as a rod failure later on. Violent afterfiring can do the same thing.
If you're in a position where you have no other options, backfiring through the carb is an option, but it's not a good one. Use if if you have no other choice, but be careful. Additionally, if the airflow as choked to the point that you're having engine troubles, then getting the engine to backfire may be a tall order.
As A Squared already correctly noted, backfiring comes though the induction, where an afterfire goes out the exhaust.
Backfiring can also damage the engine in other ways, including rod damage. This may not be detectable right away, but may show up as a rod failure later on. Violent afterfiring can do the same thing.
If you're in a position where you have no other options, backfiring through the carb is an option, but it's not a good one. Use if if you have no other choice, but be careful. Additionally, if the airflow as choked to the point that you're having engine troubles, then getting the engine to backfire may be a tall order.
As A Squared already correctly noted, backfiring comes though the induction, where an afterfire goes out the exhaust.
