Ariens Briggs & Stratton won't start.

[Richard Milhous]

I predict this is the Solution. Always keep the tank Full. In hot ,Humid weather a near empty tank causes Condensation. Your Gas is Bad. You have Spark and Compression. Remove plug and blow out all bad gas and let it sit with plug out for 15-30 minutes. pour a glurp of gas in carb throat and Start engine.

Yeah I don't know why The Instructions always say to empty the tank for storage. Always keep it full of stabilized gas over the winter, and this goes triple for two-stroke engines. I normally run every small engine every 2-3 weeks for at least a few minutes, too.

 

[SlopeMan2]

Sorry to hear you have having problem with the BS. My 50 year old B&S quit, and it was just the spacing between the coil and flywheel. The spark was weak. I found there was nearly no gap. I loosened up the coil, slipped a business card in, to make about a .020" gap, tightened, and bingo - hot spark, and engine running like new. It can sure be a lot of little things. Let us know what you find D H

 

[SlopeMan2]

Sorry to hear you have having problem with the BS. My 50 year old B&S quit, and it was just the spacing between the coil and flywheel. The spark was weak. I found there was nearly no gap. I loosened up the coil, slipped a business card in, to make about a .020" gap, tightened, and bingo - hot spark, and engine running like new. It can sure be a lot of little things. Let us know what you find D H

I do like Richard, as far as the gas tank goes. I just start all 5 of my engines, ( mowers and MC) every time the temperature approaches 60 degrees during the winter. I let them run a few minutes, and most of the time, I turn the gas valve off and let them run the fuel out of the carb. I have 20 RC 4 cycle model airplane engines, and we do them that way. Some of them are 20 years old. Good luck with the Briggs.

 

[grassy]

I think you need to check for a bent push rod on an intake valve, so take a compression test or if you dont have a tester take the valve covers off and check for operating valves. this has to be the problem

This is exactly what happened to my B&S 25HP. Those intake push-rods are designed to fail if anything goes wrong like valves too tight.

 

[rutbuster1]

Question: When you try to crank the mower and it doesn't crank, is the spark plug wet or dry? You tried starting fluid. If the plug is firing, the engine should do something if nothing but sputter. If the plug isn't getting wet, then the carb is stopped up. But one thing that puzzles me is that you tried the starting fluid, (ether), and it doesn't do anything. If the plug is good and shows fire, the engine should do something.

 

[Richard Milhous]

I do like Richard, as far as the gas tank goes. I just start all 5 of my engines, ( mowers and MC) every time the temperature approaches 60 degrees during the winter. I let them run a few minutes, and most of the time, I turn the gas valve off and let them run the fuel out of the carb. I have 20 RC 4 cycle model airplane engines, and we do them that way. Some of them are 20 years old. Good luck with the Briggs.

I've had no problem at all with leaving the carb wet, as long as the gas has Stabil in it and the engine is run periodically to keep it wet. Let gas dry out in a two-stroke carb and you're hosed.

 

[Richard Milhous]

Question: When you try to crank the mower and it doesn't crank, is the spark plug wet or dry? You tried starting fluid. If the plug is firing, the engine should do something if nothing but sputter. If the plug isn't getting wet, then the carb is stopped up. But one thing that puzzles me is that you tried the starting fluid, (ether), and it doesn't do anything. If the plug is good and shows fire, the engine should do something.

I've seen coils that would produce a tangible spark but wouldn't fire starting fluid. I think starting fluid is not all created equal. Some of it seems better at wetting the plug than exploding.

 

[mitchstein443]

Bottomline:
remove plug, spray carb cleaner or starting fluid into cylinder through plug hole.
reinstall plug and plug wore.
start engine. If you get nothing, engines spins but does not bang or smoke then there is NO SPARK.
pull the plug, lay it so the side of the bare plug is toching the engine try to start, if no spark is seen then it's an ignition problem, check coil, wire, maybe defective plug.

with the plug removed, crank the engine, feel for air to blow out of the plug hole, if no air blows out then you have valve issue and/or piston is not going up and down.

With the plug removed, put a long pencil or long but thin wood dowl into the spark plug hole so that it is touching the top of the piston. sping the engine b hand and see if the pencil moves up or down, if it doesn't move then there is a crank or connecting rod issue..

The engine is very very basic.. no smoke, no bang try starting fluid (remove the air cleaner first) if it tries to start or bangs then spark is good. however spark could be improperly timed. the timing is done by the magnet on the flywheel, check the "crankshaft Key" makesure it is good. if it sheared then the flywheel will be in the wrong position on the crnk nd will spark the plug but at the wrong time..

 

[DaveU]

I had a similar problem with my zero turn Z425 John Deere mower. I could hear the fuel solenoid click when I turned on the key, but it often would not start, or, would start and run for a couple of seconds and shut off. After chasing this one for over a week it turned out to be a worn out ignition switch, so the connection to the fuel solenoid was erratic. Changed the ignition switch and voila - problem went away. Hope this might be helpful.

 

[Ronni]

I need help. I have an Ariens 20 horse 46" riding mower from 2012. It's ran like a champ ever since I bought it new. Now, I started it up, pulled out of the garage and it died while I was driving it out of the garage and off the driveway and will not start back up.

Mower info:
Ariens: A20H46
Product: 93605300
Model: 96046002300
Engine: Briggs and Stratton Intek with XRD 540cc -> 331777-1372-B1

Things I've done since it died.

• Put a new spark plug in it. [(Calls for Champion# RC12YC - obsolete) compatible NGK - BKR5E. 7938 is what I used.] I also found and bought Briggs & Stratton 5092 PN: 496018S.
• Changed the oil and filter. (Briggs & Stratton oil PN: 100028, filter calls for B&S 492932 - obsolete, I used B&S PN: 842921.)
• Checked the fuel solenoid (it is working).
• Pulled the fuel line off of the carburetor. Fuel is going through the fuel filter and getting to the carburetor.
• Sprayed a little starter fluid into the carb air inlet. Where the air filter attaches to.
• Checked for spark. Getting spark to the plug.
• I don't have a compression tester, but the engine sounds to be getting compression when it turns over. Sounds normal. When I turn the flywheel by hand, I can feel the compression. Hard to turn, then more loose, then hard again, etc.
• I don't see any frayed wires.