Eager-1 sputtering


  #1  
Old 11-09-04, 10:03 AM
DIY_Man
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Eager-1 sputtering

I have a Craftsman Eager-1 mower with a 4.5 hp engine. The model number is 917 386040. It is almost nine years old. I had to prime it about 10 times to get it to start on the first pull this year. Before this I only needed to prime it seven times. Now after about 10 minutes it starts to sputter and almost turns off before regaining power. Not sure if sputtering is the right term but I hope you get the idea. It keeps sputtering like this for the next 10 minutes and then seems to settle down a bit.

At first I thought it was stale fuel but adding fresh gas only delayed the sputtering a bit. I then replaced the spark plug which was all fouled up. The new one is already slightly fouled up after only using the mower a few times.

Any ideas on what could be causing the problem?

Thanks!
 
  #2  
Old 11-09-04, 11:12 PM
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What does the plug look like? Does it smoke when it sputters? Sounds to me like the carburetor bowl screw needs to be cleaned out. It has tiny passages in it that are easily clogged.
 
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Old 11-10-04, 12:04 AM
DIY_Man
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The new plug is slightly fouled up after only a few uses. With the new plug the mower seems like it wants to start sputtering but it doesn't quite get there. It doesn't sound as healthy as it did earlier this year.

There isn't any smoke when it sputters.

Thanks for the advice about cleaning the bowl screw. If I unscrew it and remove it will gas come out? If so, can I reuse the gas by pouring it back into the tank or do I have to dispose of it?
 
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Old 11-10-04, 04:20 AM
Azis
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Your best bet will be to unhook the fuel line to the inlet of the carb and plug it with a bolt or like item. Fuel will come out when you remove the bolt but with the line plugged only the amount in the carb not the entire tank. There wont be enuff gas this way to really worry about putting back in the tank, you should be prepared to catch it tho as it drains and discard after inspecting for debris which you will likely find in the bottom of the bowl as well. As you remove the bolt, hold the bowl firm until you can grasp it and remove it easy, as you do the float will want to fall, it hinges on a pin so it wont fall out however if allowed to fall to far the needle may come out. Hold the float and look at how it works and the needle in case it does come out. You should then be able to allow the float to hang and rest while you clean the bowl and screw.
 
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Old 11-10-04, 07:41 AM
DIY_Man
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Azis,
Thanks for the advice on how to remove the bowl. I don't know much about small engines. Can I access the fuel line to the inlet of the carb from the outside like I can access the carb bowl? Or do I have to remove the top panels to access the fuel line?
 
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Old 11-10-04, 04:05 PM
Azis
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The end you want to remove attatches directly to the carb. Should be a rubber hose with a sqeeze clamp over the fitting. If you can have a 5/16" bolt handy, it will fit right in the end of the hose for a plug then put the clamp over it while you finish the repair.
 
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Old 11-11-04, 12:35 AM
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Or just leave the line attatched and use a pair of vise-grips to pinch the fuel line shut while you work on the carb.
 
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Old 11-11-04, 09:23 AM
Azis
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LOL rite on Cheese..."Gitrdun!!!"

 
 

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