I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

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pete c

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• Sep 28, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #1

17.5 hp B&S.

My new to me LT1000 starts immediately and settles into a perfectly smooth idle. It does this stone cold with the throttle set to idle, no choke.

The previous owner says its always started like that.

Seems kind of odd to me. My experience with small aircooled engines is that they need choke for cold start. This damn thing starts like it has fuel injection.

Is this normal?

In my reading on this forum, I have read at least one case where people have blown motors because they ran rich which diluted the oil until eventual engine failure.

My guess is this thing may be running rich which would explain why it starts perfectly without choke. I am not getting any discolored smoke.

 

7394

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• Sep 28, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #2

FWIW: Look at the spark plug(s) & air filter.

& does the oil smell like gas ?

 

Russ2251

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• Sep 28, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #3

My Craftsman LT2000 acts the same way and has been for ~20 years.
Cross-hatching is still visible.

 

4getgto

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• Sep 29, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #4

I guess you can take a screwdriver and readjust to make it start harder :laughing:
If it's working good cold/hot, choke no choke , I'd break someone's fingers if they tried to " tune it up"

 

Cusser

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• Sep 29, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #5

pete c said:

17.5 hp B&S.

My new to me LT1000 starts immediately and settles into a perfectly smooth idle. It does this stone cold with the throttle set to idle, no choke.
The previous owner says its always started like that.
Seems kind of odd to me. My experience with small aircooled engines is that they need choke for cold start.

Click to expand...

After a few years with my own LT1000, I noticed that the choke was stuck in the "start" or "rich" position. I added a spring from the hardware store to fix it.

 

primerbulb120

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• Sep 29, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #6

Most of the newer OHV single cylinder Briggs engines will do that. Rarely have I had to use the choke on one.

Kohlers and Kawasakis are a completely different story.

 

TonyPrin

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• Sep 30, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #7

I've heard of dilution issues is vehicles but not mowers. Options to counteract possible dilution could be by using a heavier oil or changing the oil a little more often.

 

primerbulb120

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• Sep 30, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #8

Oil dilution is a very real thing on mowers, especially if the air intake is higher than the cylinder head. If the needle valve malfunctions, gas will leak into the carburetor throat and the only place for it to go from there is into the engine.

Adding a fuel cutoff and making use of it will prevent this from happening should your needle valve fail.

 

cpurvis

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• Sep 30, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #9

I have a 24 hp Kawasaki that's the same way--will usually start with no choke.

 

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• Sep 30, 2019 / I think my "new" mower starts a little too easy.

• #10

pete c said:

17.5 hp B&S.
It does this stone cold with the throttle set to idle, no choke.

Click to expand...

With the throttle set to idle the carb butterfly is wide open at cranking rpm.

As mentioned keep an eye on oil level, gas smell and black exhaust, then consider yourself fortunate. I had a J D LA 135 twin cyl that would never, i mean never start cold without priming with a dribble of gasoline into the carb throat. Yep, choke adjusted to the best of my ability several times.