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I have a Craftsman 536.773500, which is a big string trimmer on wheels with a Tecumseh engine. After years of use it got to where it would crank and then die immediately. I concluded that the problem is that, it burns the prime almost instantly and then dies because it can't suck more gas out of the tank. I thought that, if I took the carburetor apart, I'd see something obvious. I did that and didn't see anything. So my question is, "what causes that problem, and where should I look?"

It's been packed away for a long time now. I'll dig it out, get the model number, and take some pictures.

thanks

the.doc said:

I have a Craftsman 536.773500, which is a big string trimmer on wheels with a Tecumseh engine. After years of use it got to where it would crank and then die immediately. I concluded that the problem is that, it burns the prime almost instantly and then dies because it can't suck more gas out of the tank. I thought that, if I took the carburetor apart, I'd see something obvious. I did that and didn't see anything. So my question is, "what causes that problem, and where should I look?"

It's been packed away for a long time now. I'll dig it out, get the model number, and take some pictures.

thanks

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You didn't tell us much info about the engine.

The carb has a bowl on the bottom of it.
Take it off by removing the nut in the bottom.

Be careful with rubber gasket.

The nut you removed has a hole running two directions.
Run a small wire through both ways and clean out those holes.
Clean bowl...
drain old gas and put clean/fresh gas in tank.
Put it back together with care on placement of the rubber gasket...and you should be good to go.

Thanks for the reply. I've decided that I pulled the trigger too soon in starting this thread.

I found another thread from a couple of years ago that's about the exact same Craftsman string trimmer. I'm going to try getting that one going again.

https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/36738-5-h-p-Tecumseh?p=308035#post308035

The primer bulb and that gasket you told me to be careful with are hard enough that I think they'd break if I bent them much. Given that I have to replace them and given the prices I'm seeing for aftermarket replacement carburetors, I think I'll start by getting a whole new one. The main thing now is to be sure that I order one that will work on this machine. There are so many model numbers, and Craftsman didn't put any of the Tecumseh numbers anywhere, and cross-reference pages for that are hard to find online right now, and they don't always seem to agree. However, i've found a lot of listings on eBay; I think I'll try one.

The inside of this thing is astonishingly clean, which is why I'm so puzzled by the problem that I have with it.

This info might be of help in your search. Your unit should have an engine model number of 143985012. This number should cross to a Tecumseh model number of LEV115-350090C. The original carb number should be 640069 which is superseded by number 640262A. Hope this helps you out.

Never reported back on this. Found a local guy who repairs mowers. He put on the new carburetor, and it cranks and runs. Does not like to start when hot; when it runs out of gas, I decide that I've done enough for the day.