16.5 b&s rider mower engine doesn't start

[jteuban]

No put the fluid in the air intake. The jet is the thing in the middle of the float it's the hole where the screw goes. You need to spray with carb cleaner or blow with compressor. When you test for spark take the plug out and put the wire back on and then put the tip of the plug on something metal like the shroud and turn the engine over watching for spark if spark great if no then take the shroud off and pull off the kill wire to the magneto and try again if no again then you have magneto failure and that would be your prob. If you have spark and you try the spraying starter fluid then it might be a valve or timing issue but I do not think this is the prob in this case. Cheers

 

[RobertBrown]

Starter fluid is an airosol product, comes from a can like wd40. Some people call it ether.
It's highly flamable, and already aspirated. Sometimes this will start the carbeuration process and the engine as well.
The spark plug has to be touching ground in order to spark.
You said you had automotive experience so I assumed you knew this.
Your carb body uses engine vacum to pull gas through it, facilitating the fuel air mixture moving into the engine. The bowl simply stores gas for this process. There is a tube from the carb body to the bowl that is obstructed (a guess). You need to find it and remove the obstruction so gas can move through the jet and mix with air so that it can be burned.

 

[KennyV]

Just like an automobile engine ...
All you need is fuel, ignition air and compression, all at the proper time...to make the thing run...

Your easiest procedure will be as RobertBrown, had said earlier... spray something flammable into the air intake...If it starts or tries to start you have a fuel problem...
If you look at the end of (a good) spark plug, and there is no spark, you have an ignition problem...
While the plug is off check for compression...

You really need to determine what is there and what one is not... :smile:KennyV

 

[whitebriggs]

Ok so after coming back from vacation, I tried many times with the starting fluid, and it fires up but dies in a couple of seconds or so.
I have new gas in the tank and cleaned the rubber lines leading to the carb AND changed the fuel filter...
Also cleaned the crab out of the carb with carb cleaner...

Engine fires with the starter fluid, but doesn't stay on

Now what do i do?

 

[whitebriggs]

I took the entire carb unit off and cleaned it very thoroughly, i took the bowl off and the float off the carb, cleaned holes everywhere and saw that the cleaner squirts out the other side.

So i've got it down to the bottom part (3rd pic - part which pumps the gas upwards from the bowl to the carb) that looks like a nozzle, is defective in some way because the fuel DOES collect in the bowl but never gets to the top portion of the carb to go in the intake pipe to get burned!

Any thoughts on this?

 

[KennyV]

I

Any thoughts on this?

There should be an electric wire attached to this...
You should hear it click when you turn the key to ON, that is the fuel Shut off solenoid, no 12 volts applied... no fuel will go into the carb main jet. ... :smile:KennyV

 

[whitebriggs]

So i found out that part in the third pic that attaches to the bottom of the float is called the Fuel Shut-Off solenoid. Since the gasoline DOES collect in the float bowl everytime, would this solenoid be responsible for not allowing the fuel to go nowhere near the top of the carb?

The solenoid seems to be getting power because it does get very hot after i try to start the engine

I've removed the entire air cleaner assembly and can see the inside of the carb get no fuel while i crank the engine.

You can tell i've never actually diagnosed a carb equipped engine before lol

 

[KennyV]

would this solenoid be responsible for not allowing the fuel to go nowhere near the top of the carb?

The solenoid seems to be getting power because it does get very hot after i try to start the engine

Yes & it is likely not working if it is getting hot...
When you turn the Key to ON... can you hear or feel that solenoid Click?... if not replace it and you will be good. :smile:KennyV

 

[reddragon]

like they said before....try starting fluid..spray where the choke plate is...pull the plug and and press the threads to the engine block with the wire attached while cranking and tell us what happened..:confused2:

 

[reddragon]

nevermind!...i was responding to an earlier part of this thread:confused2: