Ariens mower cylinder full of gas and oil overfilled

T

trooper1954

Well-Known Member
Hi all,
Have a ariens model 911134 with a Kawasaki FJ180 V motor I'm looking at for a friend.
He said it started briefly after winter, then died, then when restarted a cloud of white smoke, died and now wont restart.
I pulled thew oil dipstick.....way overfilled.
I pulled the plug......cylinder full of gas and I suspect had hydro-locked as he said he couldn't pull the pull start.
How do I proceed to resolve these issues?
thanks for any help.
 
1.STOP trying to start it.
2.Turn OFF the gray fuel valve to stop flow from the tank.
3.Pull the plug out then, pull the rope. Will shoot out gas and junk from the cylinder. Pull the rope several times to clear it all out good.
4.Remove the carb. Clean it.
5.Pressure test the carb needle at 7psi for 30+ minutes. Many videos on youtube how to do this.
6.Once a new or cleaned needle/seat are verified working with ZERO leaking, go to #7.
7.Change oil and filter. Dump the oil and filer after three mows. Oil is cheaper than a new engine. Gas will thin the oil down to a water like viscosity.

Get her running.
 
when you pull that rope, put an old towel on the head to catch the fuel because it is going to come out like nuts. If the plug sparks it can ignite the spray without a towel, or the towel. Be prepared to put the fire out. If the engine has a on off switch, leave that switch in the off position. You can also put a jumper on the plug wire to ground to kill the spark. Do it outside. If there is a cup of gasoline in the cylinder, you will get a cup in the air atomized waiting to go off. I've been known to put a towel over the plug hole and use my air compressor to blow it out instead. The cause is that the needle is stuck open. The oil will have to be changed before running the mower or the bearings etc., will get ruined with the thinned oil that will be in it.
 
So....in the ongoing saga of this mower.....I drained all the gas and old oil, purged the cylinder, put in fresh oil, cleaned the plug and re-installed, and it fired right up....no white smoke. Neighbour took it home....a few days later he fired it right up and started mowing, but after a while it stalled....and would not start. Once he brought it back to me, I could see no oil left on the dipstick, and once again a strong smell of gasoline. It did not hydrolock this time.
I am now suspecting that the float needle is not seating properly so I took the carb off and gave it a thorough clean with carb cleaner and air. The needle has a rubber tip.......but no tell tail ridge from wear. The seat itself looks good. My problem now is I cannot seem to find a new needle and seat at a reasonable price...for the price of a new needle and seat I could almost replace the whole carb on amazon.........EXCEPT the model of Walbro carb is not listed. Its a 15004-0994 part number....and I've spent the afternoon trying to find one. They are available oem on line ....but for anywhere from 165 to 300 $ US!!!!
Does anyone know of a compatible carb that may fit? Even a Toro or some other make?
Seems silly to trash a perfectly good mower for the sake of a carb.
Any help appreciated.
Thank you
 
Returned with no oil?
It may be trashed. Check it over good before spending another dime on it. The mower's age and hours will come into play. Those Ariens walk behinds were good mowers. If the rest of the mower is in good shape, it might be worth putting a new engine on it.
After all, you are dealing with a 20+ year old mower.
 
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