Engine Difficulty Starting Engine

[JimP2014]

Hi,

I have an older MTD with a 14.5 HP Briggs engine. I had it at a shop for about 3 weeks. The mechanic replaced the fuel line, the spark plug, the fuel filter and the air cleaner. I brought it to him because the engine kept quitting. So he delivered it back to me today. The driver drove it off the flat bed and shut it off. I then started it and drove it to a garage. The garage is at an incline and I shut it off again at the garage door. I opened the garage door, and the tractor would not start. So I pushed it in the garage, and tried to start it on level ground. The engine kept turning over but no start. I bought a can of carb cleaner, waited about an hour and sprayed the carb cleaner and after about 5 mins of spraying it, the engine finally turned over. I didn't touch anything and let it run for say 15 mins. and it ran fine. The reason I brought it to the shop in the first place is, it would NOT stay running. I was thinking maybe the kill-switch but the engine was cranking so maybe not the kill-switch, I am not sure about this. It is gravity fed system so maybe the incline ( where I stopped it ) made it difficult to get gas into the carb? But on level ground I would think it would start back up but didn't without the aide of carb cleaner.

Anyone have any ideas on this?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Fish]

Sounds like you just have water in your fuel system.......

 

[JimP2014]

Sounds like you just have water in your fuel system.......

Fish thanks for replying. I failed to mention I cleaned the tank about 3 weeks ago as well as I could. The gas is his gas and we went over this very topic a few days ago. Anything else? Not ruling this out.

Jim

 

[Fish]

But to eliminate the kill-switch circuit, you need to unplug the small wire at the coil. And if it keeps running then, then you know which direction to look.

 

[Fish]

Post your engine's model numbers, and maybe the tractors, but unplug the kill wire, and that will help isolate things.

 

[JimP2014]

But to eliminate the kill-switch circuit, you need to unplug the small wire at the coil. And if it keeps running then, then you know which direction to look.

I am not a mechanic so where is the coil? At the bottom of the carb is an electrical wire and I think my neighbor about 4 weeks ago., pulled on that wire and it shut off. I think that is correct behavior for the design but not sure.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Fish]

Yeah, that would be the afterfire solenoid that is designed to cut off the fuel when the power is cut off at the key.

Which is why I always request the model numbers.

 

[Fish]

The coil, here anyway, means the ignition coil, which is at the other end of the sparkplug. There is a small wire going to it as well
which "kills" the engine when the key is turned off, it kills it by sending the circuit to "ground".

 

[JimP2014]

Yeah, that would be the afterfire solenoid that is designed to cut off the fuel when the power is cut off at the key.

Which is why I always request the model numbers.

I found this below. Are you talking about the same wire ( see this blurb )

Well, The small wire coming off of the coil was the kill switch ground wire. For some reason, the previous owner had it wired to ground (any position the key was at). The small engine place said to remove the wire and see if it sparks. Well, I had the plugs in the motor, unplugged the small wire and it started!! I could not get it stopped, so I touched the small wire from the coil to the engine case, it sparked and stopped. Pul the shrouds back on, ran another wire from the small coil wire to a toggle switch (figured that would ground/unground???) Tried again to start and no spark. unplugged the wire like before and still no spark. WOW, the son and I were excited for a minute then dang. Very frustrating to someone who knows nothing about engines. He was telling me that if I do something wrong at the switch (something, can't remember what he said) it can fry the coil. I'm wondering if that happened. guess I'll take it back to the place and get it tested again.

I THINK YOU GAVE ME ENOUGH TO GO ON. OUR POSTS MAY BE OUT OF SYNC, BUT I FOLLOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING - THANKS FISH!

 

[Fish]

Not sure what you mean about a "blurb"??

Were you talking about my last post?

Yes, leave the small wire at the coil {spark plug}!!!!!!!!

In no way do you want to send any voltage to the coil!!!!!! Unless you like burning $50 bills!!!!!

The wiring setup on these mowers is pretty much set up one way, the engines shut off with "grounding the kill wire" at the ignition coil. But if you keep screwing around and accidently send voltage to the coil by screwing around, you will destroy your ignition coil!!!!!