I have an old Craftsman 11HP. I noticed fluid leaking from the breather tube on the carb, so I patched it. This morning I tried to start it and it gushed oil/gas from the oil filler tube. I took off the tube and the whole crankcase was full of gas! It ran like a charm yesterday.
I had stopped the engine with the key, but I did not pull the throttle back to the "off" position. Will this cause it to keep gravity feeding gas to the carb? If this is true, then the crack in the breather tube would have leaked out the gas before it got into the crankcase, so by fixing the tube, I discovered a bigger problem.
Does this all sound feasible?
My main question is "Does gas keep flowing with the engine off but the throttle still in 'rabbit' mode?"
#2
sfrasher
By the way, I posted this here because my main question is about standard operation.
I think the float would have to be stuck for it to flood like that; with the larger mowers and their big tanks its important to take into account static pressure, especially when transporting, which is why ther are shut offs on alot of mowers-I think.
Thanks [f.o.r] both replies. I did change the oil. Now it won't turn over at all. The starter kicks in, but the flywheel won't turn. (why does the f**um block that 'f' w**d???)
I guess I should have put this in the maintenance section.
#6
sfrasher
Aha! Any w**d with '**' in it gets changed. S**ry f** m**e mot** p**blems. LOL
Many mowers have a fuel shut-off valve, I know mine do. I never bothered to shut of the fuel until I became concerned about how much gas I was using and whether it was leaking out on the floor of my shed and evaporating. When gas costs more than milk or beer, that's a big deal. Now I shut the gas valve when I shut my mower down.
#8
kermit911
My mower has a shut off valve at the base of the fuel tank. It is very easy to install one if your lawn mower does not have a shut off valve.
Dave
#9
reddragon
pull the spark plug....and crank it.....and see if gas blows out
#10
sfrasher
Thanks everyone!
It does not have a shut-off valve, but that sounds like a great idea! The perfect place for it is right before the filter where I could get to it easily. I'll check Ace Hardware for one.
I pulled the spark plug yesterday figuring that the cylinder was full of fluid, but it was clear. That left me baffled. I figured that it must be frozen. ****! So I took the cover off and found a whole lot of grass/dirt all around all the fins! Not the problem here, but a major potential heat problem. That might have been part of the problems all along. This should be easier to get to and clean out!
Anyway...I got a large screwdriver and I was able to turn the flywheel (at the teeth, not the fins). Hmmm. It's not frozen and the cylinder is empty. The starter is about 2 weeks old. The battery has plenty of charge! I was starting to think that the new starter motor was bad, but that's an awful coincidence.
I looked over where the carburetor had been and I saw a bare wire. It had gotten hot at some point and the insulation was burned off. It goes from the ?magneto? to the ignition. The bare wire was resting against one of the rods for the carb! If the carb had been in place, it would not have been shorted! But I taped up the wire and it cranks! Now to put it back together and see what happens. I did get a chance to clean the carb though.
So...thanks for all the help. Only a psychic would have figured this one out! Some good ideas at least!
I'm filing this under "weird anomalies" in the Twilight Zone!
Plenty of opportunities is this "Twilight Zone" for strange things to happen.:wink: A fuel shut-off valve is a great idea for the mowers not already equipped with one.:biggrin:
#12
reddragon
im permanently in the Twilight Zone :confused2:
#13
sfrasher
I checked Ace Hardware and a couple other hardware stores for a 1/4" shutoff valve. No luck! I tried a farm store that usually has everything. They didn't have one. I tried O'Reilly Auto Parts and they didn't have one. I finally ended up at a mower parts and repair place. They have them for Craftsman mowers! So I finally found the valve and put it in. Easy job, just cut the hose and put in the valve. Piece of cake!
Got the mower back together and it cranks but didn't start before the battery ran down. I will try again tomorrow.
I have had this thing apart 4 times now and still don't have any parts left over, so I guess I'm doing okay! :wink:
If you don't have any extra parts left over you must be doing something wrong! i always have extra parts left over, and let me tell you, it is a God sent. For some reason when ever I have extra parts I always have a need for them. :laughing:
