Can't start Wizard riding mower

[suzie queue]

I have a Wizard riding mower and I never have any trouble starting it. Last fall, I was using it quite a bit to haul a weelbarrow sized cart full of firewood to stack on my front porch. After I was done. I turned it off to use again the next day. It wouldn't start. It was low on gasoline so I filled it up. It still wouldn't start. So, since I had another riding mower, I just parked it for the winter to deal with it in the spring.

It is now spring and I have completely drained the gasoline and put in fresh. I have put in a new spark plug, new gas line, new in-line filter, cleaned the air filter, and changed the oil. It still won't start. I have had to charge the battery twice because of running it completely down trying to start it. I have sprayed starter fluid in the carborator and it fires so I know the plug is good and I always mark new plugs with the name of the equipment it goes in when buying them, so I know I have the correct plug.

Where do I go from here before calling a repairman.

 

[ILENGINE]

If it will start on starter fluid, and then dies after burning the starter fluid then you are not getting gas through the carb into the intake.

 

[suzie queue]

If it will start on starter fluid, and then dies after burning the starter fluid then you are not getting gas through the carb into the intake.

So, what do I do next?

 

[RussellTP]

Take carburetor apart,remove float, spray with carburetor cleaner in holes then put back together.

 

[Rivets]

Before you tear into the carb try this. You may need a helper for this. Disconnect the fuel line from the carb and clamp it off. Vice grips works great for this. Take a small funnel and attach a short piece of fuel line to it. Attach the other end of the fuel line to the carb inlet. Put a small amount of fuel in the funnel, holding it above the level of the carb, so you can gravity feel the carb. Try to start the engine. If the engine starts and runs, you know you have a problem before the carb. If the engine does not start, you know the problem is in the carb.

 

[DaveTN]

Or you could just take the carburetor bowl off, clean it out, spray up in the pick up tube and work the float and needle by hand. You don't have to take the carburetor off the engine but spray everywhere in there with carb cleaner and put it back together. Sometimes this works after they've been sitting a while. If that doesn't work, then you'll have to take the carb off, dis-assemble it and soak it in cleaner etc.

 

[Benny R.]

I have a Wizard riding mower and I never have any trouble starting it. Last fall, I was using it quite a bit to haul a weelbarrow sized cart full of firewood to stack on my front porch. After I was done. I turned it off to use again the next day. It wouldn't start. It was low on gasoline so I filled it up. It still wouldn't start. So, since I had another riding mower, I just parked it for the winter to deal with it in the spring.

It is now spring and I have completely drained the gasoline and put in fresh. I have put in a new spark plug, new gas line, new in-line filter, cleaned the air filter, and changed the oil. It still won't start. I have had to charge the battery twice because of running it completely down trying to start it. I have sprayed starter fluid in the carborator and it fires so I know the plug is good and I always mark new plugs with the name of the equipment it goes in when buying them, so I know I have the correct plug.

Where do I go from here before calling a repairman.

You said " it fires " but does it run at all? I think you may have a stuck in-take valve. Remove the breather and spray wd-40 into the carb and turn the engine over, if it spits the wd-40 back out the carb the valve is stuck or leaking. I would suggest checking the flywheel-key also !