Craftsman LT2000 Model 917.288031 or 917.28803 Have two books with different model #s. 500CC 17.5 HP Briggs Stratton Intek For over a year I have been jumping mower off with car. Today engine would barely turn and never started. And when I say barely turned, I mean it did not really make a full round of turning that I could visually see from the top of the engine. Had filled the tank up with gas and it was leaking out the front of the mower thru the exhaust. For the most part, since I found out, have been using 100% gas, no ethanol. I took the little thing loose from under the carb bowl to see if that need was stuck and it appeared to be moving freely. Put it back in and tried again, same thing. Had just changed the oil 2 months ago and does not appear to be any gas in the oil. Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance.

I can start the engine, but it won't accelerate to operating RPM. Trimmer is 4 years old but probably has less than 10 hrs. of use. The fuel filter is not clogged because I can blow back through the fuel line with no problem. I believe there's a small hole somewhere along the fuel line. The fuel bulb only sucks air and will not fill with gas. I plan to order a new line and filter. Now for the questions. Does Stihl's fuel line part no. 4228 358 0800 extend from the carb, into the tank and attach to the filter? Is it a single piece of molded line that seals at the tank with a molded in grommet? In the parts diagram for the trimmer, there's another straight piece of fuel line (the diagram states it is part of a kit) that enters the tank through a grommet; is it the tank vent line? Is this the feed line for the bulb, or does the bulb fill from the line that feeds the carb? I could probably sort most of this out on my own if the parts diagrams were a bit larger/clearer. FYI, the spark arrestor screen in the muffler is clean, as is the air filter, foam and felt. All indications point to a fuel starvation situation. It seems like the bulb will draw in just enough fuel for the engine to start and idle for a brief period, but once you give it the slightest bit of throttle it will die. Thanks for any and all follow-ups