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Hi, I cant get my mower running and Ive tried everything I can think of. Its like 25 years old but has been pretty reliable in the past. If you need the exact model of the kawasaki engine, I can go check it.

History:
-Ran last year fine
-Tried starting it up this summer and it ran for 10 min then stalled
-From that point it would stall after every 5 secs
-replaced the gas. Now the mower wont start at all for any length of time
-after replacing the gas a second time, the mower started right up and ran until I cut it off (5 min)
-then I tried starting it again and it went back to not starting for any length of time
-it smokes so I know its getting *some* gas and spark
-tried using the choke throughout the entire troubleshooting process, no change
-tried tipping the mower at different angles, no change
-tried starting without the air filter, no change
-removed and cleaned the carb, no change
-replaced the spark plug for the hell of it, no change
-checked oil level, good
-checked compression at the spark plug hole, seems to be good
-tried squirting some gas into the carb and starting, no change
-tried squirting and holding the carb flap at different positions, no change
-disabled the kill switch, no change
-checked fuel filter - looks clean
-regapped the starter coil, no change


There is no change no matter what I do. I suspect its still a fuel issue with the carb but I dont know what else to do with the carb. Maybe its a timing issue but I dont know what to do about that.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Please post the engine numbers so we can see what you are dealing with.

Sure, its a
KAW FJ180

I’m think that it is time to clean and rebuild the carb. This manual will help you out if you decide to do it yourself.

Rivets said:

I’m think that it is time to clean and rebuild the carb. This manual will help you out if you decide to do it yourself.

https://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Kawasaki-Service-and-Repair-Manuals/FJ180V--KAWASAKI-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL.pdf

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"-removed and cleaned the carb, no change"

When you cleaned the carb, did you remove the main jet and main nozzle? There is no way to make sure that all orifices are clear unless you remove and check each one.

Rivets said:

When you cleaned the carb, did you remove the main jet and main nozzle? There is no way to make sure that all orifices are clear unless you remove and check each one.

Click to expand...

Yes, I took everything off that would come off. Ran carb clean through all the holes. The little reservoir is filling with gas because every time I take it off, it has to drain out. Spark plug is getting soaked with gas also.

I did notice when I took the spark plug out and tipped the mover forward that a gassy and oily mixture came out of the hole. I'm not sure if thats supposed to happen.

Heres a specific diagram. Everything in red I removed, inspected and cleaned. All the holes on the carb itself I cleaned. The other items on the list dont seem to affect the fuel feed or I dont know how to remove them.

Spark plug soaked with gas, carb needle and seat time. Does the oil smell like fuel? If so time for some carb love.

slomo

Here's another super list of checked things and STILL a no run condition. We will have to get all CSI on these.

slomo

It might need a new coil

And a carb rebuild. Needle and seat time. Fuel in the oil = disaster.

slomo

Check the oil level and see if it smells like gas. If it does change the oil.
Remove spark plug and hold the end of plug wire approx 1/4" from ground and spin engine. Do you get a blue spark? If so you have good ignition system. Install new spark plug.
Remove carb from engine. Spray about 1 second worth of starting fluid into the intake. Try to start engine. Should fire and run for a few seconds. If it does you have a carb problem.

^ my back is doing fine.