Briggs and Straton blues
#1
07-30-14, 05:13 AM
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Briggs and Straton blues
Help! I have a craftsmen gold series briggs and straton mower that is giving me trouble. It is about 5 years old and hasn't been used that much. She will crank and turn over, but will spudder to a stop (unless I lift up the front end). So far I have cleaned the carb with carb cleaner and I changed air filter. What else shouls I do?
#2
07-30-14, 05:57 AM
Member
When you lift the front end, is that when you are in long grass that you are cutting or on any level surface of ground?
#3
07-30-14, 06:07 AM
Adam: For specific information for your mower we would need engine model number.
However from what you're describing, it sounds like the carb/fuel system is likely gunked up a little with varnish from having sat.
Since you can get it running, try putting about 4 ounces of Sea Foam for every quart of gas you have in the tank. You can get that at most auto parts stores or Walmarts.
Then get the engine running with the additive in the tank and let it run for about five minutes. That will get the doctored up gas throughout the carb. Let that sit for about an hour, then start it back up and mow some grass. If all is well after about fifteen minutes of mowing, stop and level off the tank with straight gasoline
However from what you're describing, it sounds like the carb/fuel system is likely gunked up a little with varnish from having sat.
Since you can get it running, try putting about 4 ounces of Sea Foam for every quart of gas you have in the tank. You can get that at most auto parts stores or Walmarts.
Then get the engine running with the additive in the tank and let it run for about five minutes. That will get the doctored up gas throughout the carb. Let that sit for about an hour, then start it back up and mow some grass. If all is well after about fifteen minutes of mowing, stop and level off the tank with straight gasoline
#4
07-30-14, 06:09 AM
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Front end lift is just on level ground. At first I was able to get it running by holding it in that position for a minute or so. Could cut my grass for a few weeks but now she won't stay purring when level. Seafoam? Hope that works.
#5
07-30-14, 06:22 AM
Yep. Do the Sea Foam. Dismantling the carb and cleaning it would work too. If the Sea Foam does it, it's a lot easier.
That particular additive is the best I've used to clean up varnish in a system. Probably, with it having sat, varnish is your issue. If there's something else, like dried out diaphragms or rust clogging filters and orifices, it doesn't help.
If you get time post back with the model number off the engine.
That particular additive is the best I've used to clean up varnish in a system. Probably, with it having sat, varnish is your issue. If there's something else, like dried out diaphragms or rust clogging filters and orifices, it doesn't help.
If you get time post back with the model number off the engine.
#6
07-30-14, 06:42 AM
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I'm not home at the moment. I did, however, dismantle the carb yesterday and clean it with carb cleaner. Not varnished and it hasn't really been sitting up. But Ill try anything, so I'll get some sea foam on my way home.
#7
07-30-14, 07:05 AM
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Is the spark plug in the front end or back end of the mower. If in the front, maybe the mower is flooding and a little lift is keeping a bit of that liquid fuel away from the spark plug or allows it to drain quicker out the exhaust valve. I am just giving guesses here since I can't really think of too much difference one gets when you lift the mower up, other then varying the load on it as I was alluding to in my previous post.
Flooding would likely come from an inlet needle on the carb not fully closing which if present, might get rectified by marbobj's seafoam treatment idea. Usually flooding has more of a tendency to keep a mower from starting then it does in stalling them out, but it was just a thought I had.
Flooding would likely come from an inlet needle on the carb not fully closing which if present, might get rectified by marbobj's seafoam treatment idea. Usually flooding has more of a tendency to keep a mower from starting then it does in stalling them out, but it was just a thought I had.
#8
07-30-14, 08:04 AM
Usually the varnish that causes the problem isn't obvious. It's in the tiny passages that you may have to do a soak type cleaning to get it all out. The Sea Foam works well for that type of problem since it rides with the fuel throughout the carburetor and cleans as it goes.
There's still other things that could be causing your problem. It may be a mechanical problem in the carburetor or a plugged fuel line or a collapsed fuel line. There's quite a list.
There's still other things that could be causing your problem. It may be a mechanical problem in the carburetor or a plugged fuel line or a collapsed fuel line. There's quite a list.
#9
07-30-14, 09:13 AM
Sounds like you may have gotten some bad gas with water in it. The water sets in the bottom of the bowl which stops the engine but moves out of the way when you tilt the mower. Drain some of the gas into a clear container and let it set for a while to see if water collects at the bottom of the container. Have a good one. Geo
