Craftsman Help - Carb side mounted Solenoid

Easydoesit said:

I think I have a simple repair, that has become complicated!

I have a 2014 Craftsman t1200 - runs afor about 8 to 10 minutes mowing, gets hot and shuts down - Believe its the fuel solenoid shut off on the carb.

Somewhat simple repair, pinch off the fuel supply, disconnect the ground / positive lug and unthread the darn thing from the side of the carburator.

Look up part and replace.... Well, this is where it gets interesting. If I go the expensive route through Sears Parts Direct - if I put in my model #

Look up the Carb Assembly - it shows a Carburetor with a solenoid that is attached from the bottom (has two screws that holds it in place)

On my tractor, original part - I have a Carburetor where it threads in from the side ?!?!? ..... This was purchased at one of there small town satellite stores and I wonder, if they were selling refurbished items at these locations by chance ? Our local store has since closed as well.

So Sears Parts direct is out of the picture trying to order a part because I can't get anyone that is a problem solver...

I started looking for MTD or Briggs and Stratton parts and I just don't know who makes the carbs for them.... and it's probably another company that makes the solenoid.

I also know you can eliminate that solenoid by installing a shut off valve, wanted to go the route of replacing the part for simplicity.

Thanks for any help or suggestions - I've looked on ebay, different parts suppliers even for generic....

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shiftsuper175607 said:

Mowers get hot...they are air cooled and sometimes even the air is hot.
If it stops after 10 minutes it has either lost fuel or spark.
You are changing an expensive part when it could be spark.
Or it could be a plugged vent on the gas cap.
Does the mower restart immediately? after 30 minutes?
Inline spark testers are inexpensive and can be used while mowing to see if spark is being maintained.
If you are going to replace the carb solenoid you could file off the end of the pin that blocks fuel and disable it...it would ruin that safety feature but you would know for sure if mower kept running.

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Easydoesit said:

Thanks for your response - out of curiosity I did file down the pin of the solenoid, to try to rule out that being the issue - It ran for about 8 minutes with blade engaged and shut down once again. Got it to start back up and as s oon as I would engage the blade - it would shut down - I whould quickly disengage the blade and it would continue to run... almost like to much of a load on the engine / and a heat issue.

Talked to a local repair guy, he's telling me all Crafstman mowers had carbs with the solenoid coming out the bottom - so apparently, we had picked up a refurbished /scratch and dent model and they put an aftermarket carb on this mower.

Thanks for any other troubleshooting thoughts

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shiftsuper175607 said:

I would make sure the battery is good and the mower is charging.
The PTO pulls a good bit of current to hold itself closed.. after 10 minutes it may be pulling the battery voltage down to where circuitry shuts off the mower.
Check the voltage of the battery, then watch the voltage when someone starts the mower...to see if the voltage drops a lot...then see if the voltage goes up to 14 volts showing the charging system is working.

Battery could have a bad cell...is simplest possibility

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Easydoesit said:

How does that PTO operate, I haven't dug into that portion. I think I have multiple issues

I had installed a manual fuel shut off, grinded off the pin of the fuel solenoid and it ran long enough to make a lap or two mowing about 7 / 8 minutes and it shut down (which I mentioned yesterday) .... let it cool for a few minutes, started it back up and it ran smooth but the engaging the blades bogged it down and stalled it....and wouldn't fire back up

let it sit for a few hours and came back and its starved of fuel.. shoot a little starting fluid into the intake and it will fire up but shuts right back off... so I imagine I probably have a clogged jet or another issue in the carb. (Turns out the carb isn't the original) purchased this at a satellite sears home store and I guess they sold refurbished / scratch and dent models... So to start with a clean slate I ordered a new carburetor.... That way I can eliminate that issue...

I'll get it running again and check the voltage and make sure the regulator is putting a good charge to the battery. Thanks again for the help!

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shiftsuper175607 said:

Sometimes when it dies while you are mowing you forget to turn the PTO button off. Then it will not restart.


When you say it won't fire back up...what does that mean?

1)It does nothing

2)the engine turns over but will not fire off and run

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Easydoesit said:

So, initially, it would start run fine... engage blade to mow - 5 to 8 minutes out something was heating up and shutting down - I read a common issue was the fuel solenoid heating up and cutting the fuel (and the solenoid body was very hot to the touch - even when key power was on after the engine had cooled) so I figured it was the solenoid...

So while looking for a replacement - I filed the pin down - Engine would start no issues, once again engage blade to mow - 5 to 8 minutes out roughly it shuts down.... after it shut down, I would instantly restart - engage the blade with brake on - it would bogg the motor down and engine stalls out. Tried to restart it after that - it would not start back up - almost as it is starved for fuel (even after filing the solenoid pin down) squirt a little starter fluid in it would run and burn that starter fluid off but would stall out again -

I figured a jet must be clogged into the carb... so I ordered the original carb for this model (or so sears said it was) and I haven't got much farther, as the solenoid catches on the frame of the tractor (the carb that came with this tractor from a Sears Outlet store, had a side mounted solenoi - I talked to a local repair guy and he said all of Craftsmans Carbs had bottom mounted solenoids - I don't know if he is right or not..... a somewhat simple repair turning into a headache!


Thanks for any pointers!

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