New to lawnmowers - my model #247.372370 engine shuts off after 2-3 seconds

thenewguy1 · Feb 24, 2017

I'm new to lawnmowers. Never owned one until recently. I was gifted a Craftsman model #247.372370 roughly a year ago and never had the chance to use it until last weekend. I did all the initial setup (adding oil, gas, etc). The lawnmower worked for a good 30 minutes before shutting off every 2-3 seconds after starting it up. What could be causing this problem? Is it a faulty unit? I have only used the lawnmower for a total of 1/2 half and this problem is happening...

bertsmobile1 · Feb 26, 2017

The 2 most common reasons for this are a blocked fuel vent or a defective ignition module.
Try releasing the gas cap, problem goes away, get a new VENTED cap

Problem stays then pull the spark plug out & check for a spark when hot.

SeniorCitizen · Feb 26, 2017

A quick cheap check to determine if the culprit is fuel or electrical , locate and temporarily disconnect the magneto kill wire on the engine which will disable all electrical safety switches that can cause problems.

I don't do Craftsman so possibly someone has a Craftsman schematic that can point to the wire to disconnect on your mower.

To kill the engine, have the key in off position and touch the wire end back to the terminal it was disconnected from.

bertsmobile1 · Feb 26, 2017

SeniorCitizen said:
A quick cheap check to determine if the culprit is fuel or electrical , locate and temporarily disconnect the magneto kill wire on the engine which will disable all electrical safety switches that can cause problems.

I don't do Craftsman so possibly someone has a Craftsman schematic that can point to the wire to disconnect on your mower.

To kill the engine, have the key in off position and touch the wire end back to the terminal it was disconnected from.

Senior Citizen is getting a bit ahead of the game.
The test he is asking you to do will determine if the WIRING on the mower is the culprit , or the magneto itself.
This is the second test after you decide weather you have a fuel or electrical problem.
If the magneto is duff you will not get a spark regardless of weather the cut out wire is connected or not.

Regwal · Feb 26, 2017

You didn't say whether you tried a restart after sitting for a while and the problem still exists. If it will run for a bit after sitting then you have a fuel problem possible in carb. A good cleaning of carb might pay before rebuilding. Also make sure fuel is getting through the fuel filter. These engines need three things to run, fuel, spark, and compression. Any of the three missing is your problem.

New to lawnmowers - my model #247.372370 engine shuts off after 2-3 seconds

More options

thenewguy1

Forum Newbie

bertsmobile1

Lawn Royalty

SeniorCitizen

Lawn Addict

bertsmobile1

Lawn Royalty

Regwal

Active Member

Footer Links 1

Footer Links 2