Engine Starting Problem


  #1  
Old 09-23-03, 02:05 PM
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I messed up. LOL

Hi Cheese. This is about that lawn tractor I have. Remember the murray rear mower I have? Anyway, it was running fine before I touched it. What I did was I wanted to try fittling with the carberator Bowl screw to try to improve exaust emmisions, well, after I did that unnespectitdly after the engine was sputtering and backfirng becuase of the readjustment and finnaly completely stoped and I can not get it to start again. I returned the bowl screw to where I rememberd it being before. 1 1/2 turn. Now all the engine does is when I crank it, it makes poping sounds. As if it is trying to start. What do you think is the problem here?

The engine seems to start up a bit if I put gas in the spark plug and reattach then it dies. Its been a while since I have done this so I forgot what that means.
 

Last edited by Terminator20; 09-23-03 at 03:22 PM.
  #2  
Old 09-24-03, 12:47 AM
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Hello Terminator20!

Sounds like it is not getting enough fuel. There are two things that could have easily happened: 1: The adjustment of the screw may have broken loose some old trash that was stuck in the carb, and now it is blocking the jets, or 2: The carb is too far out of adjustment. I would tend to go with #1 since you tried setting it back to where it was originally set. Try removing the bowl and clean it out. Let us know what happens then.
 
  #3  
Old 09-24-03, 11:01 AM
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Well, I took the bowl off clean with gas then blew it out, then I also shot air at the float regulator and I am sure anything else that was there also got cleaned in the vacinity. And it still did not work.

Its tighten screw all the way and back it off 1 1/2 turn right?

I just got some spray gumeout today and spraid it in the air intake. That did not do any good. When this engine was running it was running very well to the extent that you did not even need to choke the engine to get it to start. Well, even choking does not start this engine. I hope that I don't have to take the carberator completely off the engine to clean, otherwise that will become a prodject for me. And as far as I can tell for the parts of the carb that I can see with my eyes while attached to engine, looks pretty clean to me.
 

Last edited by Terminator20; 09-24-03 at 02:14 PM.
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Old 09-24-03, 11:34 PM
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Is the plug firing? Is gas getting to the carb? The screw under the carb probably won't be set at 1 1/2 turns when you get it right. It is usually different on each mower.
 
  #5  
Old 09-25-03, 10:59 AM
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Yes, gas has always been able to get into the carb. I can even get the gas to drain through the carb if I took off the bowl screw off. And as far as spark is concerned. When I crank the engine, it makes little poping backfires. So it must be ignighting fuel. Its hard to really check for spark because its a rear engine rider. Which means the starter button is up front and the spark plug is located on the very back side of the engine. That means I can not really get my face back there to see the plug because my hands are stretched out just to reach the plug on one end and the starter on the other. I looked at the plug and it is no longer wet. A spark plug is supposed wet. It used to be wet, but not anymore. I think I might that to take the carb completely off of the engine to get a better look, what do you think? Mabie there is another way to spray that gumout stuff in there. How would you guggest I use the gumout?

From the time of my last message which is yesterday, I spraid gum out on the bowl screw and that looked pretty clean. Then I spraid gumeout at the float and the the hole that the bolt goes into to keep the bowl in place. I also spraid gumout on the thing I believe to be the main jet. It located next to the choke, and is quite long and to remove it you have to unscrew it. Well spraid that aswell and it looked clean too. I also spraid gumout into the intake aswell where the choke is.

I am editing this because I just wanted to let you know that even the info you tell me when you reply to this again will not help untill monday. Reason, I got careless when I was walking around holding the bowl screw, and I lost the o-ring, it swung off. I will recieve the part on Monday because the shop had to order it. OOPS. LOL I gota be more careful next time! Question? Have you ever lost tiny parts like that before because you were careless? Or have you allways been careful?
 

Last edited by Terminator20; 09-25-03 at 07:57 PM.
  #6  
Old 09-25-03, 09:30 PM
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Sounds like you might have an ignition problem. Have you tried a new spark plug? Even if it is sparking, it could still be bad. It should not be wet, and if it got too wet, it is probably gassed and not firing properly.

I lose stuff all the time, lol.
 
  #7  
Old 09-26-03, 12:14 AM
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I am soaking the spark plug in the orange colored Gumout stuff. So what you are saying it is possible that because of the adjustment of the bowl screw it sent to much gas to the plug which caused it to be gassed. And obviously what you mean buy gassed is once the plug gets submerced in gas, it fails?
 
  #8  
Old 09-26-03, 08:53 AM
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Gas soaks into the ceramic insulator in the plug and causes it to fail. Soaking in gumout will probably make it worse. Try a new plug.
 
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Old 10-05-03, 09:02 AM
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I am sorry cheese, I forgot to let you know its running again. Thanks for your advice. I think it needed a new plug anyways cause it was already a year old.
 
  #10  
Old 10-05-03, 11:01 PM
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Good job! The plug was the problem? Thanks for letting us know how it went!
 
 

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