B+S 318cc 8hp motor carb question.

Hello all,
Have a very old John Deere rear engine mount R70 tractor/mower. It fires up so has spark....it has fresh fuel...gas lines and in-line filter are clean. Here's the problem.....it fires right up, runs for 10-15 secs and then dies. There is a pilot screw at the bottom of the float bowl.......it is fully home.....just wondering if this is the problem, and if so, how many turns should it be adjusted?
I have looked extensively on line for an owners manual but no luck....Unless I pay more than the mower's worth!! :confused2:
Any other problems I should troubleshoot?
Thanks

The same answer as the first post :thumbsup:

Trooper, I have not seen your first post. Just a thought about what you are seeing. The fact that the engine starts then stops may be related to heat. If you are choking the engine and then push the choke off it may be that the carb is not providing fue to the inrush air stream...perhaps plugged carb passage ways. The fact that you have fresh gas now does not tell us what you had last start up or if you have used preventive measures such as gas dope , total drain at storage, etc. I have no idea what your setup is , but heat can also move stuff around and even if you have the old school coil which has only wiring these things fail and may act differently as they warm up. Now that I have chimed in it may pick up the curiosity of members on this site who dearly love solving problems and are good at it. Come on, guys.

Edit, By now you have probably fiddled with the adjustment screw you mentioned. What happened when you turned it?

motoman said:

Trooper, I have not seen your first post.

Click to expand...

The first post is here: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/small-engine-mower-repair/36447-b-s-318cc-8hp-motor-carb-question.html

trooper, ok , read your 1st post. I really have nothing to add as the guys have said it all. But...if the carb circuit is plugged all bets are off. Good luck