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Lawn mower starts and will run, but stops shortly afterwards

7 years ago

I have a Craftsman Platinum model # 917.374366, that will not stay running. I just put a new B&S 799866 carburetor on it, new fuel, new spark plug and it will crank up and run for about 15 seconds and die, sometimes u have to use starting fluid and it may run 10 minutes and die.

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Comments (5)

bluemower
7 years ago
there is not much information to figure this our. Here are a couple of ideas
1. Did you remove the fuel tank to drain all the old fuel and water? Was the inside of the tank cleaned and dried prior to installing? Pouring fresh fuel on top of contaminated fuel is no longer fresh.
2. Was a new fuel line installed? Check to see if a flap of rubber on the inside of the fuel line may have pulled loose and is blocking fuel flow. Also, if a speck of dirt made it past the needle & seat, it made have lodged in the main fuel jet.
3. Check the strength of the ignition with a briggs spark tester. The light bulb testers will not perform this test properly. The magnetron ignition is usually reliable, however, if the mounting area has corroded, continuity may be lost and the ignition will be weakened.
4. The handle bar bale operates an engine brake and also anelectrical contact that grounds out the engine ignition. Frequently, the bale cable wears and the electrical contact is right on the edge - possibility killing the ignition.
klem1
7 years ago
An engine dying as result of a fuel problem,beit flooding or straving usually sputters while dying. Ignition trouble usually causes engine to instantly stop same as when you kill it. Fuel starvation is confirmed by spraying starting fluid in carb and seeing engine continue to run on bursts of fluid.
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Sorry. I am experiencing the same as what is mentioned above and then I added my model number to the discussion. My lawn mower ran out of gas and I filled it back up. After I filled it back up, its starts right back up but quickly shuts down. I changed the air filter, the spark plug, and emptied the liquid (gas remnants) from the cup under the carburetor. After all of this, I tried starting it and had the same experience. By chance, when I tipped it on its side, it started and actually stayed started for about 15-20 seconds and then would shut off again. It is a Craftsman with a Briggs Stratton Engine. I am not sure what else to do at this point. Clean the carburetor? Replace? Does this have something to do with the float/floating pin?
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tomplum
7 years ago
Good advise above sans the whole starting fluid thing. If you know that the fuel tank was clean, fuel fresh etc., clean the bowl nut of the original carb and install it on the new carb. Another issue that can happen is that the intake tube is broken or loose on either end.
klem1
7 years ago
"Good advise above sans the whole starting fluid thing. "

It's in the interest of safety I belabor the point involving starting fluid here. Using a container of gasoline to prime an engine is ten fold more likly to start a fire than starting fluid. Ask a fire fighter which is most dangerous. If explaination is necessary,just say so.
tomplum
7 years ago
I agree on just the squirt some gas in there , or a teaspoon of gas because it can go everywhere. Starting fluid is too volatile for these engines. Plus some ether cans really blast it out of the nozzle. Carburetor cleaner spray is much safer, gets the job done. Think of it like a mild starting fluid. Plus, use the straw for accurate placement. Just don't shoot the straw into the intake...

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