You sir have saved me from buying a new mower. Please accept my highest sincere gratitude and salute to your clear as F content. Very much appreciated!
Great video! I have a 15 year old Craftsman that was exhibiting more difficulty each year with first start of the season. Each season I had to clean out the carb and did this for a few years until I found the culprit - Ethanol blended fuel. If left to sit it will over time corrode and also turn into a greenish slime that just clogs the entire carb. Since then I have only been using premium gasoline which in my area was the only fuel with zero ethanol. And for the past many years, first pull starts regardless of how long the mower has been sitting. But the problem in the last year is unfortunately even the premium gas is mandated to be ethanol blend. So what I have resorted to doing is to totally empty the gas tanks, and also remove the bowl at the end of the season and completely dry out the bowl and jets so there is no residual ethanol fuel that will deteriorate. Takes a little extra time but this makes sure I have a smooth running machine next year.
I was working on a Ryobi trimmer today with essentially unknown history. Pulled the plug first to check condition and compression (120PSI!). I could see the fuel lines were old and one fell apart at my touch. Removed the muffler to check condition of piston/cylinder, which were excellent. Replaced the muffler, the bottom end of the trimmer shaft and the air filter housing cover. Sprayed some fuel into the carb, closed the choke and pulled it over about 5 times and it fired off! We have a runner! Did an overall cleaning with Super Clean and a large brush and garden hose sprayer to remove the bulk of the debris, then Super Clean and your toothbrush and garden hose to get all the details. Dried with compressed air and removed the carb. Removed both plates to inspect diaphragms and check for debris. This one had a blue pump diaphragm, something I’ve never seen before. Although this is a pre-EPA tag machine I suspect the carb is a replacement. A tiny bit of dried fuel under the inlet screen and that was it for any debris! Metering diaphragm was somewhat dried but possibly still usable. Soaking it in ATF overnight, will carb clean the carb tomorrow, test the needle seat for integrity, reassemble with new fuel lines, primer bulb and filter and see how it runs with fuel in the tank. I suspect it will need a little adjustment but run just fine. Fingers crossed, as usual. 👍🔧🧰
I would've sprayed the jet with carb cleaner but we get to the same place either way; you gave a cheaply made plastic B&S engine a new life. There're lots of people who put mowers on the curb when they won't start. Well done!
Does carb cleaner harm these plastic carburetors? I'm working on a B&S 500 that doesn't seem to want to prime. If I use ether, it fires up and runs. It vibrates so bad that you'll lose teeth, but it runs.
Hey, Lazy Cheapskate, LOL yep, that sounds like me! Having said that, I always take the carb off. My last name is Murphy and if something can bite you in the ass it will. Shortcuts don’t often pay off for me. Good video and question. I’m sure it will get us all thinking next time this comes up. Cheers
I like this approach to cleaning, and if it was still stumbling, then just continue to the next step. Now, with this engine being on the lower end of displacement, and being an OHV design, I have a feeling that it will do well in the measured fuel consumption test. So we will see those results when you release that video.
Dang, you must have a copy of my video schedule, Yes this one was already tested and that video will be out soon. thank you Tom Lewis, you got it right. Try the quick and easy method and if that doesn't work , go all in.
I take the screws out of the mower top, then the air cleaner apart. Then the carb and tank come off together. This is because there's a screen in the bottom of the tank. At the bench, I separate the two, empty out the tank into a jar or clean bucket. Disassembling the carb then gives access to clean and inspect. The needle and seat sometimes don't hold and I've used a drill bit to correct the seat down in where the needle goes. Pulling the jet out gives better access to inspect and clean. Debris can be inside the jet and removal of the ball may be required to get debris out. You can clear any passages with carb spray and get to know what is a spraythru hole and what isn't. On assembly I can inspect the float and float level. These things take only minutes once you have done a few. I had one when plastic carbs were first out that required a new jet. It intermittently had trouble and was too lean. The new jet was machined to a slightly larger orifice. I don't really believe pin drilling is wise on tiny parts like these. I have never had to replace one of these carbs. A jet was $6.50. Debris in the tank screen is common and more cleaning was necessary than this video shows for all of them I have gotten into. Make sure if you buy a. New magneto ignition, you take time finding out if they guarantee it not to fail again in a month. They're not expensive, but look up and ask questions of your supplier so you don't have to buy and buy the cheapest Chinese garbage without a free replacement guarantee.
I had to clean this exact carb last year and you’re right about the spring assembly and fuel lines being a pain. The only thing I’d mention is that even with it disassembled it was hard to get that bowl yanked off. But, now now that it’s been disassembled before maybe it’ll come apart easier now. The jet was also fairly snug. I’ll likely try out this trick. Thanks for the video!
The problem with the main jet on the briggs plastic carbs is that it is suppose to be 020 inch or 52mm but it isn't when it is manifactured it will cause the engine to either missfire or not start at all due to the fact that the jet is not big enough to get the amount of fuel to get the engine running well, i had this problem with the Husqvarna mower dad bought some drill bits and used the one which was at 020 inch or 52mm and drilled the main jet to the correct size and after starting the mower it ran great afterwards and the problem didn't happen anymore 😄
Hey bro what's up? I like this little mower. It seems perfect for people who don't have a big yard to maintain. For me personally once I have confirmed it was the jet was clogged I don't want to waste too much time, energy and money on it so taking a few shortcuts isn't being lazy but considerate once you think about it.
This is a rather different take on doing a carb clean. I have always taken the carb off on these and then actually taken the plastic jets inserts out as often times they are clogged as well. But if this is what works then no need to change it if it's not broken... lol Good video, Thanks for sharing this!
which one is your particular B&S engine? the next video will have a Briggs 140, a Briggs 150, and a Kohler, don't remember the size, but it's a big one, maybe 160 cc.
I have taken both the tank off and carb to clean them both and flush out the tank from the 8mm or 5/16 bolts on the recoil . But sometimes if it easier to clean it that way is no ploblem either . Me personally I haven't tried that yet .
The recoil/cover on this engine comes off in a minute or so removing three 8mm. Then after removing the air cleaner base you can easily lift off the tank and carb together. Takes maybe 5 minutes then so much better access. Honestly on these crabs the pocket that the main jet sits in is so small, any water absorbed by the fuel settles in there and 90% of the time is the reason it won’t start. I rarely find the main jet clogged but it does happen occasionally.
yes I've done that too but just the idea of having to remove the top cover to get to the tank to slide up, with the carb, is a bit much. It does work though.
Since fuel is the issue, and the fuel is in both components, and the 8mm or 5/16 is out of the toolbox and sitting right there, three more screws won't take but a minute, you need to clear grass and dirt or mouse nest for proper small engine cooling anyway, pull the top cover. Since it goes on last, you can be sure the hose is pushed back on, and the carb 'o' ring met the intake port. I once had to take a second look at the intake connection and found the o ring laying on the mower-deck on the other side. No idea how, but it removed itself and tried to roll away. I would have been pulling that rope and trying to imagine what it could possibly be, having lost the evidence. The light from the sun and the shade in the opening of a building can get to be trouble to the eyes. Good thing a flashlight is cheap and small enough for your pocket. I say, pull the cover and install it last. The mower in the video has very little hours or sitting. It's cleaning up like new still, so, your approach to it does make sense for your familiarity and circumstances.
Depends on the carb, sometimes it's easier to leave in place other times it's so easy, why not take the whole thing off. I have done both in about the same amount of overall time depending on the design. But I do prefer to soak the carb if I can, it definitely runs nicer after a good soaking.
I will leave a carb in place in many cases, I agree with you about the throttle linkage being afraid to break something, why tempt fate. It's all fun and games until a simple carb cleaning becomes a carb replacment becasue the linkage was brittle and it broke. I also like to leave a carb in place for trouble shooting purposes or if I don't want to have to replace a gasket.
Well done, I personally have started if I have not mentioned it before running and ounce or two of Berryman's B12 with every tankful of gas. I realize the particulates were fairly large here so it would not have helped. Seems as though it may not have had a gas fill screen installed. Briggs should know better (plastic carb) ?!?
i always try to block off the intake with my hand and pull on the rope a few times, sometimes that is eneugh to pull the dirt trough the jet, if it doesnt work i only wasted about 10 seconds
Id still get the whole carb off of the mower and thoroughly clean it, in case sth else happens on mower from not starting, i know the carb is good so i can go from somewhere else, like plug, airfilter or etc, on top of that, its a part of the basic maintenance that doesnt take much time imo
Do you ever try to use starting fluid by spraying it into the spark plug hole or into the carb? I always see you using gasoline to start it which there's nothing wrong with that. I've found that an engine that's been sitting a long time will not start with just straight gasoline, they need something more flammable like starting fluid just to get them to pop and kick over.
oh I used to. then the internet saw me using starting fluid, and would jump On my back about it. So yes I used to, but now it's just gasoline cause, "internet"
well for me i would remove the carburetor all together carefully and properly to get proper access to all the possible areas of the fault of the issue and troubleshoot it first hand etc.
you make a good point, but for someone else, who may not know how to properly clean it, this might be their preferred technique. thank you Patrick Stapleton.
ew,, that's a tough one, most often, when the scratches are there, I would consider at least honing the cylinder and a new ring. If you have the budget and you want it to last for more then 2 years, I would replace the cylinder too.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE I got a new piston for it because I cracked the old one getting it off and I saw there were small scratches under the exhaust and a bout a 2 cm long deep scratch at the very bottom of the cylinder
I'm wondering what the emissions breather hose is as that carburetor is the exact same one I have and I also have the exact breather hose and I've never known what it does
Hey! Mine had the same symptoms and behavior. Ive cleaned everything out, twice. I dont know what else to do. It has air, spark, but not gas... But if i keep spraying gas in the intake it works. What else should I try?
Hello sir, can you tell me if I have a bare trimmer engine, the basics anyway, if I have the coil gap correctly set and no wires attached should I be able to get a spark showing on my spark plug? Not having much luck so far and could be doing this wrong. Just trying to test out my coils. Thanks in advance.
as long as the coil is meant for that particular flywheel, and the gap is correct, with no ground wire attached, then yes there should be spark at the plug, if not then the coil, might be bad
i have a question i have a motorhoe and it has two problems number one the pullrope is very tight so i can´t pull on it and number two is the sprak plug connector is broken so the cable broke out of it what can i do btw its a two-stroke
the information you've given me is not sufficient, so I'm just going to guess. I would take the spark plug out of the engine, and then try pulling on the rope, and see what happens. As for the spark plug cable, I would replace the ignition coil, because the coil and wire, are one piece.
That's the worst thing they made on these mowers is the carburetors they and these things have a tendency to get trash in them and water in them and it's all a sealed system and it still gets water in it I know I've worked on tons of these things due to water issues or the Jets clogging up on the bottom it's the biggest issue they have with these mowers other than that they're not that bad of a mower worth the money
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE make more money off of people that way you selling them plastic cheap stuff and then if it happens to malfunction and nobody knows how to fix it usually they just throw it away and go get a new one another one that'll last maybe 2 years before it messes up again
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE I first saw plastic carbs on 2 stroke lawnmowers here in Australia when I was about 14 years old. That was a very long time ago, as in 3 years, 2 1/2 months, I'll be 60. This lawnmower I first encountered the plastic carb on was a Victa.
One thing I’ve been meaning to mention for a long time is that if you clean a machine meticulously you learn all the details of that machine right from the start. It’s a way to familiarize yourself with it and get it clean at the same time. 👍🔧🧰
