I have an Ariens 46" Garden Tractor #936085 with a Briggs & Stratton 20hp #40R877 engine for about 4 years now and been very happy with it until yesterday. My problem is with the engine. It was taking 10-20 seconds of cranking to start the engine and the mower belt had stretched. So I did my annual maintenance a little early by replacing all filters (gas,air & oil), changed the oil, new plugs and replaced the belt. It fired up in 1-2 seconds and I did a tour of my 3 acres. It surged once or twice which I attributed to perhaps a drop or two of condensation since it had been sitting for a month or so. Parked it and did a couple of hours of work, then came back to put it up. There was a heavy smell of raw gas and I found a major drip at the front of the machine. After removing the hood I located the drip at what may be the intake manifold. I looked for a leak from the hoses, gas filter, gas tank, gas pump & carb but I could not find any other external source. The "intake manifold" had what appeared to be a vent at the bottom where the gas was dripping from.
I had an epiphany last night that since we had some freezing nights that perhaps something may have cracked. But is that were so could I have drove it around for 20 minutes running well?
Any suggestions what it might be and where I should start would be greatly appreciated. I've included some pictures that might give a clearer idea of what I've described.
Cheers,
Miles
I had an epiphany last night that since we had some freezing nights that perhaps something may have cracked. But is that were so could I have drove it around for 20 minutes running well?
Any suggestions what it might be and where I should start would be greatly appreciated. I've included some pictures that might give a clearer idea of what I've described.
Cheers,
Miles
