Dear Breakerbroke, My Wife watched this video after I found it, fixed our riding lawn mower the next day! She had to do all the things you did, and this problem had been stressing us, (fixed income social security folks), for nearly two weeks. I love fixing things and so does Shirley. You have really helped us! Thank you!
My lawn mower kept starting and cutting off. I followed the videos above and it's running smooth now. I haven't tried to cut grass yet, but so far, so good. Thanks a lot for the advice.
thanks for helping me ! im not mr fix it . ive been having throttle related riding mower starting problems. got that dealt with . got WAY back in the hollow , moved around on the seat wrong and it auto stopped. then OF COURSE its not gonna run . it would start and then stall and the the battery is running down. so there i am marooned in the amazon, i dont know whats wrong with it but i DO KNOW i couldnt fix it if i did. what a horrible feeling. so i dragged myself all the way back to the house and pulled up youtube and there you were ! i couldnt do the whole procedure back there but WITH YOUR HELP i surely WAS able to get the lines off and clean them out for the emergency fix ! put everything back together and ZOOM ! fired right up. it was such a relief to pull that mower safely into the garage. so if you ever get frustrated with posting your stuff please know that your kindness really helped me when i needed it the most and that your efforts are appreciated. thank you sir. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I work on mowers chain saws blowers weed eaters all the time..most of all of them is fuel realated..it's amazing what ethanol can do to small engines ..it gets the gas cap too.the rubber seal detonates and clogs the fuel inlet..you have to check everything..i recommend ethanol free fuel to everyone..thanks for showing this..Cheers 🍻🍻🍻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks for an outstanding problem solved. Last season took it to a repatr shop cost me two hundrrd bucks and took a month and a half plus I paid someone to cut my property. Thanks for the tip
I see 6 thumbs down why im good at what I do but still like to watch, what did he do wrong??? a lot of people don't know how to do this1! he helped a lot of people ,
Yeah don’t know why people thumb down on a video helps. But their are easier ways to do it. But yeah a lot of people hate. I was called critical by someone for mentioning an easier way smh
This was so great! I agree, if it's a LT1000 Craftsman they're oldies but goodies and I love mine so much, same green color, and want to save her. But the last couple months two people tried to solve why she runs 20 mins then chokes and dies. Put in a new carburetor and everything so now my auto mechanic recommended this fuel filter change saying sometimes a new carb can clog it even though you can't see the dirt in it. Wish me luck! I'm probably a little older than you, single female and feel like I can try this by myself now.
I had a similar problem with my Husqvarna riding mower, briggs and stratton Intek V twin 24.0. Anyways it would run sometimes for 10 minutes, then would seem like it was starving for fuel, cut off , restart sometimes etc. I took the carburetor off, thinking some trash was in the bowl, inspected the float, needle and seat, everything looked really clean. Rebuilt the carb since I had it off, new o rings gaskets cleaned the jets etc. Installed it and fired right up, mowed yard for maybe five minutes, then the stalling , cutting out again. mind you my front yard has a slope to it. After pushing my riding mower back into the garage I was like this thing is starving for fuel. I checked my fuel filter, it was clean but noticed no fuel in it. Turns out my fuel filter was just a degree or two off to get the fuel from the tank, so I rearranged the fuel filter with the flow side pointed more downward, all of a sudden I see gas accumulating into the filter ! I zip tied it to another hose or cable so it will remain in that position. Ran great after that, was able to finish my yard and problem solved. Sorry for the long rant, but I just wanted to say sometimes it's the simple things that get over looked, like I did ! maybe this will save someone some time if they have a similar problem. Thanks for your videos and I do appreciate them !
I'm a big fan of installing one of those very low cost black & red fuel shutoff valves between the tank and the filter. Makes working on things downstream a whole lot simpler. Virtually ALL available gas in my area for 20 years is 10% ethanol.
I bought a used Sears lawn tractor with this same 16 HP engine over 20 years ago and it's still running today. I however put a fuel shut off between the filter and tank. Normal maintenance when needed and no ethonol fuel. The mower deck went out however and I use the tractor to tow my yard cart. My kids bought me a new 20 HP tractor when I retired and it's still going also. Thanks for the video. I'm in the NW also.
Thanks god you weren't smoking around, gas was flowing everywhere !!! just clip the end of the tube... but this video is going to help someone with the same problem.....
I think I have watched so many youtube videos but yours is just perfect and great video, bless you with health and wealth with long and healthy life. I hope I have the same issue, I will try in the morning to fix it. If any further question I will take your directions. Thanks again.
I trusted you the moment you said don't put motor oil on rubber-- yes it will erode it. Many people don't seem to know that. I enjoyed your video very much. Retired Class A auto mechanic here but not so good with small engines.... : )
I have the same problem. Craftsman mower is 20 years old and never have changed the fuel line. Filter is new but only has about 1/4 of the fuel filter with gas. Changing fuel line tomorrow! Thanks for the great video!!
Very interesting. I never imagined all the years ive dealt with junk that didn't run that it could be the fuel line. I got 2 mowers now im gonna try that on. 👍🏼
Thanks for the informative video Gas companies should be sued & accountable for making garbage fuel & charging so much for it! There should be a law against low grade fuel being made & sold! 🤔😡
Thanks for this video. I'm not much of a handyman but decided to give this a try. After pulling off the fuel line realized the fuel was running fine so all I had to do was replace the fuel filter. Running great again! Thanks for posting.
Hi there. I came to your channel because my Troy Bilt Bronco had the same issue. I replaced the hoses which were in good shape... The filter looked fine and was full of gas... Yet, I decided to replace the hoses and filter just in case... well, it did the trick! It worked right away with no issues... unfortunately, I hit a tree root and the blade got bent so bad that it scratches the floor... I guess I am bad luck. Thanks for your video.
Your bad luck? Ha! If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all... Iam glad you got the fuel issue handled, and bent blade are easier to take off:) Your okay as long as the spindle didn't get hurt. I guess you could look at it this way, now your Mower runs and you have new sharp Blades:) Merry Christmas .....BB23
While a degraded fuel line can be one cause, there can be multiple causes for reduced flow. The mower is a gravity fed system without a fuel pump which depends on the height of the tank above the carb for the pressure. A low rise gravity fed system does not exert enough pressure to effectivly flow through a 70 micron paper element filter. Gravity fed systems are supposed to use a simple screen disc type filter which has a much lower resistance to flow. Was there a prefilter in the tank? In could be clogged with debris from refilling.
I'm not fixing "Boogie Man" issues for YT content. I'm fixing a machine that is broken, I say this because if you actually own one of these or have worked on one of these mowers then you would have not made a comment like "Was there a prefilter in the tank? In could be clogged with debris from refilling." and you would know that the filters used do not matter. In the 40+ years I have been repairing mowers I have seen Briggs use all types of filters on various motors. Filter type is a myth. Minus 50 pts to the keyboard tech. Cheers
My mower is 8 yrs old. First I had a starting problem, changed the solenoid. mower then started but would not run. Luckily I found this video with a mower that was acting just like mine. Followed the instructions- new fuel line, new fuel filter-now it is running like a mad dog. Thanks for posting this video
Good advice I was banging my head around clean the carburetor new fuel filter and what my problem was the debris got stuck in the hole so I had to stick a nail through it pop straight out then had to clean out the gas tank thanks for your video as we get older sometimes we forget
@@breakerbroke23 The solenoid under the carburetor float bowl with the wires going to it shuts the fuel off automatically. If it starts going bad, you get the same symptoms. Runs for a bit then sputters and dies.
This was a great video. I'm going to O'Reilly's now to get my gates fuel line & pick up a fuel pump, just in case.... your video was the truth!!! Thank you again for sharing this knowledge. Have a blessed day.
I have a 1984 Simplicity doing just fine, I have a fuel cut valve on the line and use that to shut down the engine so as not to leave that chit fuel in the carb float bowl
After watching this video I feel very reassured. Very reassured that I will be buying a new electric tractor soon. If they are anything like my EV, they need next to no maintenance and they are very cheap to run. Thank you for helping with the decision.
Same here. After many years of my weedeaters, leaf blowers, push mowers, and riding mowers giving me problems like this and others, electric or battery powered equipment will be worth a try at the least. The amount of time I've spent working on the gas powered machines is ridiculous and time I won't get back!
Hey man not sure if you’re going to see this but I could use a hand maybe you can help... i’m not getting any fuel to the carburetor I have replaced the fuel filter fuel pump and made sure the float in the carburetor isn’t sticking.. so from diagnosing it the only thing I can come up with is that I’m not getting any suction to the fuel pump but I don’t really understand what suction is used looks like the hose goes to the oil stem? When I take that hose off and I blow into it manually with my mouth I can see a little bit of fuel bubbling in the fuel filter any idea what I can do to fix suction issue? Thanks
Are u able to see the two pictures in my reply above? I can’t even get a diagram to show me where the fuel filter is, or if it even has one still. (Bought used). Can u show me where it’s at in my pictures if u can see them?
That style of in-line fuel filter works best with machines which have a fuel pump (vs. gravity fed). Your fuel filter could be contributing to the problem.
The filter I replaced was the OEM filter. In real world use I have ran different types of filters in my machines and found zero problems. (both GF and pump style filters) Over the years I have had more fuel line swell and brittle line issues than filters. Keep the fuel and tank clean and your good to go.
That's an interesting fact that I did not consider. I've got an older JD STX38 that I've replaced everything on, and it still stalls after starting. I'll look for gravity feed fuel filters and swap it out. Running out of ideas before I junk it
Good job I have a shut off valve on mine and I was wondering why ya never cleaned the tank off while you had it out I always clean things as I go that way no dirt can get in anything.
I cleaned out the tank every few years as no matter how hard I tried to keep my fuel clean it was inevitable that dirt would work into the tank. I wanted to make this video as simple as possible, not stray off to far. Thanks for watching.
Fixed a mower this week that would run for just a few minutes then quit. Turned out to be the vent hole in the center of the gas tank cap had become blocked with some sort of crystallized goo. It would run until the tank pressure became a vacuum. Opening the cap would relieve the vacuum allowing the engine to run, the lower the fuel level, the longer it would run before creating a vacuum. Removed blockage from vent hole, instant fix.
I just blew it out, through the filter and back toward the tank. It now runs better than new; no surging, no staling, no fiddling with the throttle or the choke. It now just runs great.
my mower would just shut off and then would restart. turns out the rubber tip came free of the pintal in the electric shut off anti backfire valve and was floating free and every once in a while it would move up into the needle seat and shut off the fuel
We did a test at 4 Stations that had Ethanol free gas. We got a half gallon from four stations. We had them tested and the Ethanol free gas still had 8 to 10% of alcohol in it . Not a joke.
I have an older Craftsman as well, Model 917.255450. I just bought it and did a tuneup and it ran great but then it smoked a lot of white below the mower. Then I can start it but it dies when I engage the blade. Any ideas?
Sounds like a spindle froze up. Pull the deck out from under the mower and inspect. The smoke was probably your belt. Spindles can just wear out, bind up from sitting for years and my favorite…. Hitting big rocks 🪨.
Recommend that a fuel shut off valve be installed if there’s none. Sooner or later your engine will be flooded by gasoline from a bad float in the carb. Activating the shut off/ turn on valve will prevent that problem.
So hopefully none of you guys laugh at me but I just received a Craftsman mower exactly what you're working on it appears not to be getting fuel I did notice that you held in that clutch when you started it since I am new to riding mowers do I have to hold a clutch in in order for it to start
Yes hold the clutch in anytime you start also make sure the blades at off there is usually a switch in there somewhere that won't let it start with the clutch out and also remember ,,,,the only question that is stupid is the one you don't ask could get u killed ,,,,my grandfather told me that when I was young and that's the truest saying you can tell some one ,,,believe me no on is Laughing at you
@@briananderson3801 And you might have to put weight on the seat. There’s a kill switch in the seat as well to make sure you’re sitting on it when you try to start (or turns the motor off if you fall off).
If you plan on reusing your fuel you drained out of the gas tank. I would put like a Scott’s shop towel in your funnel to make sure the fuel is clean and not full of gunk and junk(dirty fuel) in the fuel
Try this...... If you leave these mowers outside during the winter you will accumulate water in your fuel tank, so you need to drain the float bowl on the carb and check for water. You can find out if your getting water by placing a clean plastic cup under the bowl while you drain the float bowl, let the fuel drain from the bowl into the cup, then you will see the gas and water separate. If you get water with your fuel you may have to run or mow until the mower stops again. Repeat the draining process a time or two more. Good luck. And yes, this is a copy and paste answer from a question I answered last week, but holds true in your case. IMHO
breakerbroke23 WRONG...factory filters are garbage...will disintegrate on regular fuel & clog, causing a temporary engine kill. When restarted, will run...TEMPORARILY...until debris once again clogs the line. Replace the filter with a paper media one...every two years.😎
Some thief likely bought the line,opened carefully, cut length needed, then returned package as new ,wrong purchase for refund and you got the 16" left of the 2ft line thief stole 8 " off!
Have kind of the same issue with my craftsman. It will start and run for a little while then it will die. Ive had times that it doesnt even do this and runs fine but then there will be days it does it all the time. Ive checked the fuel line, fuel filter, gas cap.and fuel tank for all the issues but they are all fine. I also put new fuel line and fuel filter just to have new. Ive heard the sensor on the bottom of the carberator could be an issue. Anybody have any advice
farmers don't use gas with ethanol because it messes up the tractors. You can get gas without ethanol just ask a farmer it is usually sold near big farms.
I thought the cop’s were coming for ME….🤣 I just picked up a T110 today from Lowe’s… It was covered in debris.. but I figured it was stored in a crate in the rack.. It started stalling on my first turn… Right turn… pooped out… and Continued to do so… Brand New From Lowe’s … I think they gave me a refurbished…. I’m pissed…
Weird. I've had my riding mower for ten years and have never had that sort of problem and I use gas from whatever gas station I happen to be at so I'm sure it has ethanol in it. In the fall I put in some fuel stabilizer and in the spring it's always fired right up with no problems. Same with my little push mower and I've had it for 20 years. I do regular maintenance to them both. I do need a new push mower but not because of anything with the engine, but because after 20 years the deck has just about rusted out (there are several holes in it and I had to bolt on a bracket 2 years ago to hold one of the wheels on it because the wheel fell off where the bolt hole had rusted out) Both have Briggs engines. The push mower has a 3.5hp briggs classic and the rider has a 20hp briggs Intek engine.
People need to understand ethenal is moonshine and the problem is water and gas don’t mix you need to use a stabilizer there is a product in Canada called phase 4 fuel and ethenal treatment that prevents separation and keeps the fuel fresh for 2 years
I've seen other videos that claim the type of filter you have should be used on engines with fuel pumps only. The correct kind for gravity feed engines is the little plastic disk type with just a screen. What do you think?
Great comment, I have seen both types of filters in various applications. I will post a video on this subject. Give me a little time and check my channel every once and a while. Thanks for watching.... BB23
I had a similar problem but the engine died on me after around like a hour. I thought it ran out of gas and I went to my room to play some games until it cooled down before I filled her up. I did and started her up and the mowing belt decided right then and there it wanted to be shot.
Poland Pro 17.5 / 42" cut. Runs 4 to 5 minutes then acts like it's running out of gas. I cleaned the lines, & tank, blew through the fuel filter and the lines are clear. Gas flow is not the problem for this one. I have the good gas in it and it still does the same thing. Any path you could direct me to on this sure would help before I strangled the thing with my bare hands??
Take off the float bowl you may see a bit of water and gunk. I always put a clean plastic container under the carb before I pull the bowl off, the plastic cup will catch the crud in the float bowl when you pull it off. Then you can see what was in there. Also check for sticky float. Good luck. Oh yea... Put in a new spark plug wile your at it.
thank u for a great video... i did a simular repair and also changedv the carb. ran fine until the next use wouldnt start... i only changed 1 fuel line, think that may be a prob. i seen another video that same type of start prob, fuse was the issue... thanks again for the info
I've replaced the carb, sprak plug, fuel lines, gas filter and cleaned out the gas tank with a new battery. My tractor starts, runs for two seconds then dies. I don't know what else to do. It's driving me nuts!
Get a can of starter fluid, take off the air cleaner and start the mower, as soon as the engine starts to die off spray the starter fluid into the carb. If the engine keeps going you still have a fuel issue (fuel pump?) If the engine still dies off then you may have a ignition issue, coil, condenser.....etc. Try this. Good luck.
Do most gas stations sell ethanol free gas? I see on the pumps where there's a 10% ethanol added to the gas that we buy. Is there an additive that one can add to neutralize the ethanol? I don't remember seeing ethanol free fuel at any of these gas stations here in San Diego county.
The Big brand stations usually do not carry ethanol free, look at some of the off brand or Ma & Pa stations, I just bought some for my generator at Sinclair in Salt Lake City. I paid 2.39 gal for premium, in WA state I was paying 4.79 gal. So prices do vary but the non ethanol is very much worth the price.
Fortunately I can buy "ethanol free" gas here in Harrison Michigan at Shell and Marathon stations. Although it is possible to make ethanol free gas, it's quite a process. If you can avoid it, never use the standard pump gas that contains ethanol for ANY small engine like on lawn mowers and such, regardless of the octain rating, as it indeed does deteriorate fuel lines and carburators! You may also want to consider using fuel stabilizers such as Sta-Bil (Marine grade is best) and/or Seafoam.
All fine and dandy but.... First step should have been...check the gas cap ventilation...2nd, blow out gas line to filter...3rd, replace fuel filter.(plastic media within it WILL, disintegrate )with Ethanol fuel and plug up fuel outlet. From personal experience with John Deere L120 B&S. 2016
My LT1000 fires up, then dies immediately. I replaced a new fuel line and still no results. I noticed the little sensor doesn't click on the bottom of the carburetor
Pull the float bowl off and check for contamination. replace the solenoid at the bottom of the bowl with a bolt and see if the motor will run, if it does then take out the bolt and replace the solenoid and your good to go.
One last thing, don't be surprised when you take off the float bowl water comes out as this also will make your mower act that way. Storing the mower outdoors in winter can cause problems because moisture will get into the fuel tank via the little vent hole in your gas cap.
I got the lawnmower to run. It starts right up. And I even cut the grass but when I lowered the throttle to park it, the throttle surged really high and I turned the key off. When I restarted, it still surged high so I stopped it right away.
@@breakerbroke23 I need a video for the above process, please. I have a craftsman T1000' Starts, but once I take it out of the choke position, it bogs and dies.
