Yardman Lawn Tractor won't start


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Old 09-26-08, 12:28 AM
J
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Yardman Lawn Tractor won't start

I just got a new Yardman lawn tractor today (Briggs and Stratton 22hp). I bought it from a guy who said that he hasn't used it in a little over a year because he got a new one. I brought it home, checked the oil, put a battery charger on it, threw a little gas and a little seafoam (fuel stabilizer) in it, and fired it up. Ran just fine, but since I only had little bit of gas, it only ran for a few minutes (I turned it off, it didn't 'just quit').

2 hours later, poured more gas in it. Now it won't start. Cranks just fine, lights come on. Oil level is fine. Pulled the plugs and they looked fine. Spark is good. Took off the air filter and tried some starting fluid, nothing.

Pulled the fuel line feeding right into the carb. Fuel spits out when I crank it, but can't confirm that it is actually getting to the cyliners though. Thought that no matter what a little starting fluid would get it going (should I use the choke w/starting fluid?).

Any suggestions?

Also, what does moving the throttle do on these? To me it appears as if moving the throttle cable moves a bracket below the carb, but nothing in the carb moves.

Also, when checking different things, I pulled the wires off that sit directly below the carb. They aren't idiot proof and can go back on either way. Does anyone know if the black wire is supposed to be towards the front of the mower or the back?
 
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Old 09-26-08, 06:30 AM
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The Seafoam along with vibration may have broke loose particles in the carburetor causing your problem. I suggest you clean the carburetor. Without the engine model number and code, I have no idea what carburetor is on your engine.

Remove the carburetor bowl or top of carburetor, depending on model. Remove jet, float and inlet needle and any thing else that can be removed.

If you have an Auto Zone parts store in your town, purchase a can “Valucraft Carb Cleaner” Part Number: AZ-4, 13 ounces in a yellow and black aerosol can with a red plastic cap. If this product is not available in your area, purchase whatever CHEAP brand of aerosol carburetor cleaner you can find.

Valucraft Carb Cleaner will melt and wash away varnish. Spray as much cleaner as possible into the fuel passages. Follow up by blowing out with compressed air. Be sure to blow passages and everything else out after cleaning.

After cleaning the carburetor, polish the inlet needle. Float inlet needles will often drag or stick in a needle cavity that is dirty or corroded. A sticking needle will not allow fuel to flow past the needle. With the plastic inlet seat removed, if installed, polish the needle cavity. I make a polishing tool using a wooden meat skewer with one end wrapped with NEVR-DULL metal polish. The wrapped tip should fit tightly in the needle cavity. Chuck the skewer in a drill and insert the end wrapped with the NEVR-DULL in the needle cavity. Operate the drill slowly several seconds and the needle cavity is usually clean and polished. If you do not have NEVR-DULL or a wooden skewer, wrap the tip of any small wood rod with cotton then saturate the cotton with the metal polish of your choice.

Good luck and post back with your outcome.

Airman
 
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Old 09-26-08, 11:16 AM
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The engine model is 407777 the ID is 0128 E1

Would it really just be a dirty carb if I never got it to fire even once with the starting fluid?

I'll pick it up today and clean it out, let you know on Monday how things went.
 
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Old 09-26-08, 12:50 PM
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Sorry, I missed the fact that you used starting fluid. If cylinders were flooded it may not start, are plugs wet?

Do you have spark? If you do not, disconnect the wire from the coil and see if you have spark. If you do with the wire disconnected there is a problem in the ignition switch or safety switch circuit.

Do you have compression?

It does not matter how the wires the bottom of the carburetor are connected. The thing they connect to is a fuel shut-off solenoid.
 
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Old 09-26-08, 12:56 PM
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The plugs were wet. I took them out and turned the motor over once or twice to clear the old fuel out. Let the plugs dry out and put them back in. Their is a good spark, and the plugs look fine to me (no deposits or burn spots on them).

Either way I hook up the wire, i hear something inside move as soon as I turn the key to 'on,' but have tried putting it on both ways and still no start.

Have not hooked up a compression tester, but putting my hand over the air box, it definitely is pulling in plenty of air. After running the starter fluid through, there is some that drips out of the exhaust. I don't think that since the first it started i have gotten a single combustion out of it.

I'm stumpped?
 
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Old 09-26-08, 01:50 PM
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haven't taken the carb off yet, because I don't have any carb cleaner here at the house with me, but just ran a compression test, and it's registering between 40-60.

So i know that I have compression, spark and I am putting fuel down with starting fluid, what gives? With coil packs, the timing couldn't be so far off that it wouldn't even fire could it? Is there some kind of safety or kill switch that would retard the timing that might have gone haywire? Do you know what actually is controlled by the throttle. There is one pin near the bottom of the motor that turns when I move the throttle, but it isn't connected to the carb at all. Nothing on the carb moves when I move the throttle. Did a bracket maybe break off that is supposed to be there and I have been trying to start it with the throttle at its lowest setting? I don't see anything that would have broken but I am at my wits end here with trying to fiugre this thing out.
 
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Old 09-27-08, 12:59 AM
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It's flooded. If fuel is dripping from the exhaust, there is waaay more than the engine can handle. The carb needs repairing, and I suggest following the previous advice about cleaning it.

The throttle position won't change anything on the carb with the engine off. It only changes the amount of tension on the governor spring.
 
 

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