Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.

fotoboy

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
Sorry about that long title, here's the story. I'm mowing the lawn and I hear a fwump like the blades caught some dirt then the mower dies and winds down. After that it will not start only spins and does that wind down thing... (see video). I have done a visual on the flywheel key and it is still in place. Also one of the blades was loose (eek) when I looked under the deck. (tightened that right up) any ideas would be greatly appreciated...

 

shiftsuper175607

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
Sorry about that long title, here's the story. I'm mowing the lawn and I hear a fwump like the blades caught some dirt then the mower dies and winds down. After that it will not start only spins and does that wind down thing... (see video). I have done a visual on the flywheel key and it is still in place. Also one of the blades was loose (eek) when I looked under the deck. (tightened that right up) any ideas would be greatly appreciated...


You have to narrow it down to air, fuel or fire.
Did the dirt plug the air filter? probably not, but a clean air filter is good.

Is it getting gas? Will it run with starter fluid squirted in carb? Will it stay running if you keep squirting a little at a time?

Is it getting spark ? Is the plug fouled?

Answer those and you go forward from there.
 

ILENGINE

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
From the video I would take out the spark plug, and make sure the piston is going up and down. It acts like the rod is broken.
 

Tinkerer200

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
My thoughts as well, need more info.

Walt Conner
 

fotoboy

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
Indeed, piston not moving at all. Anybody know a good resource for B/S teardown manual or the like? (never took a mower engine apart before, but not a mechanical idiot)
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
Search this forum for Briggs & Stratton manual, a few have posted links to downloadable versions.
Note they are written for factory trained technicians not joe public so are nothing like a Haynes or Clymer manual.

Bad thing is generally a rod letting go is terminal.
So it won't hurt pulling it down but you have a less than 50% chance of recovering the engine.
 

Tinkerer200

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  • / Need help with Craftsman Briggs Stratton 15.5 Spins but wont start after it quit.
I can send you a Service Manual for your engine IF you like. Address below, put in proper format and remind me engine model number and what you want. Perhaps one in five engines with thrown rod can be salvaged.

Walt Conner
wconner5 at frontier dot com
 
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