B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start

dmt1230

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  • / B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start
B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start

At the recommendation of a local small engine repairman, i installed a fuel shut off valve b\t the gas tank and fuel filter for the purpose of clearing the carb/motor of ethanol-tainted gas when storing (by shutting off fuel supply to engine causing the engine to die b/f storing). I started the engine (with shut off valve installed) and the engine reved (sp?) up and down, hunted. I assumed the diameter of the valve was starving the mower of gas...so i removed the shut off valve. Now the mower won`t start and acts as if its not getting any gas. The engine turns over fine.

The gas line is clear from tank to carb. I removed air filter and sprayed starter fluid in intake to see if that would "prime" carb to start pulling gas from tank...motor ran as i sprayed fluid in intake...but no luck running on its own. Gas cap hole is clear. Its unlikely foreign objects made it into fuel line during shut off valve install/deinstall as nothing touched ground, etc.

I do a pretty good job at messing easy things up so i wanted to reach out to some knowledgable folks b/f i tried something i`d regret (wasting my time tinkering and still having to take to a repair shop).

Have i caused additional problems by installing and removing the shut off valve?
 

Rivets

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  • / B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start
Re: B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t s

I'll bet that if you remove the carb float bowl bolt and clean it (it is also the main jet) and the float bowl, you will have solved your problem. Installing a fuel shut off should have nothing to do with your problem, unless it loosened some dirt in the fuel line that is now in the carb.
 

dmt1230

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  • / B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start
Re: B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t s

I'll bet that if you remove the carb float bowl bolt and clean it (it is also the main jet) and the float bowl, you will have solved your problem. Installing a fuel shut off should have nothing to do with your problem, unless it loosened some dirt in the fuel line that is now in the carb.

Rivet - thanks for advice. I removed the float bowl. It was clean as a whistle but the jet did have a small amount of fresh junk around it...so i cleaned it. Mower still wouldn't turn over so i worked my way back from carb towards tank inspecting the gas line. When i installed the shut off valve, i forced the valve in the hose which peeled back a small piece of rubber that was enough to block/restrict gas flow through gas line. I figured this out by blowing through the gas line i disconnected...and saw the sliver of rubber in the hose. I worked a small file in the hose to remove the rubber obstruction. Beside the bad taste left behind from traces of gas (ha), i was pleased to correct my problem and the mower ran perfect. I did not reinstall the valve...i`ll be sure to use pure gas (no ethanol) everytime in the future so i won`t worry about needing a shut off valve. Thanks for pointing me in a direction i was not aware of...great forum. Regards.
 

DaveTN

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  • / B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t start
Re: B&S 15.5hp - installed fuel shut off, motor hunted, removed shut off, now won`t s

I've seen things like that happen before. Mower running fine, then clean something, change something, adjust something, and then it's worse or won't run at all! Usually turns out some minor thing that is shutting down the engine. My cousin had a riding mower a few years ago, she thought the transmission had gone out in it. She called me wanting me to come 30 miles to fix it. I asked her a couple of questions. "Did you for some reason remove one of the rear wheels?" She said..."Why yes, David...I did! Why?" I said..."There's a key that goes in the axle that makes the wheel turn. I'd say you've dropped the key next to the mower. Just put the key back in and it'll work!" She called about 20 minutes later happy that her husband was out mowing again! What he did was take the wheel off and go to the gas station to put some air in it. On here, we often have to guess at what words mean what to whom. For example... someone says..."My motor won't turn over!" To me that means it won't spin. If it won't fire off, I call that "My motor won't hit or run." Won't Turn Over just means that. Usually from a bad battery or a faulty wire or worse.... something in a bind like a thrown rod. Engines seized up can sometimes be loosened up with various oils and pecking and letting sit for long periods of time...moving a little back and forth until they finally spin free. Most of the time have to be taken apart to find the problem. I prefer more info than not enough when diagnosing an engine problem. If it's running 90 mph and shooting a flame 3 foot out the exhaust, ask RIVETS, or IL ENGINE! I'll PASS on that one!
 
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