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Craftsman 6.5 starts then stalls

#1

N

nomowerproblems

Hello,

New to the forum, new to owning my own mower. I have zero experience with small motors. Here is what's happening. I bought a mower used. It's a craftmans 6.5 eager1 self propelled push mower. It was supposed to run great... it doesn't. I can start it then immediately it stalls. I've been watching YouTube videos and working on it for 7 hours now. I'm persistent. I want to fix this. Please help?

I checked compression - good!
I changed the oil - good!
I pulled the carb bowl and cleaned n sprayed it down, it was clean prior - good!
I got a new spark plug, it sparks - good!

I go to start it back up. I can't even start it now. I prime it up, then it'll start then stall.... still...

I included some pictures. For starters, what controls that rod with spring connected to the carb? If I reach my hand in there, it moves beautifully but nothing I do from the outside moves that rod. Am I missing something? Any help would be awesome. I feel like it's a fuel issue?

Mike

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#2

N

nomowerproblems

I should also add to that. I drained the gas tank and did a good cleaning with it to. Gas was clean. I out a stabilizer in their to rid any water just in case.

The gasket in between the carb and air cover was toast. I realize this could be it. It'll be a few days until the new one comes in the mail. Any thoughts?


#3

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

That rod is the governor rod. The engine uses it to maintain a consistent running speed. As long as it is hooked up correctly and is not damaged, leave it alone.

If I were you, I would clean the gas tank and replace the carburetor and fuel line. You have a Tecumseh engine, and Tecumseh carburetors are extremely hard to clean correctly. Sometimes they won't work right even if they are cleaned correctly! :confused2:

I will look up the carburetor and give you the part number later. Have to eat dinner now.


#4

N

nomowerproblems

Sounds great. Any idea how the carb comes off? I don't see any.bolts that hold it in place.


#5

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

Here's an replacement carb made by Stens, a well known manufacturer of aftermarket parts: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stens-Carbu...373030?hash=item1c7da9eee6:g:RukAAOSwB-1YrVBB

And in case you want to spend more and get a genuine Tecumseh part - http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-oem-Tec...894308?hash=item3f727f7124:g:hbEAAOSwUKxYZsid

There are much cheaper ones available, but most of them are low quality Chinese imports. Stens is one of the top aftermarket brands when it comes to mowers, you shouldn't have any issues with their parts. :thumbsup:


Now, as to removing the carb. This is a weird design, if you look closely you will notice that the air cleaner studs are actually bolts, even though the ends do not look like conventional bolt heads. You should be able to remove them with a small 6 or 12-point socket. If that doesn't work, you may need to get a Torx socket to remove them. I'm pretty sure a conventional socket will work though. Click this picture to enlarge it, I circled the bolt head in red:
20170422_185253.jpg


#6

N

nomowerproblems

I ordered the stens kit. Thank you for locating that for me and educating me on the differences.

I spent hours upon hours upon hours for a how-to on removing that specific carb and your red circle with an arrow is all I needed. Thank you for the illustration since I'm still learning the part names. You've been so helpful! I will post when I get the new carb installed. I'm going to redo the tank and get a new fuel line in the meantime. Keep it clear until the carb arrives.


#7

I

ILENGINE

Why are you replacing the entire carb when all you need is the bowl assembly, and don't even have to remove the carb to install it. All the jets are contained in the bowl, there is nothing in the aluminum part of the carb.


#8

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

ILENGINE said:
Why are you replacing the entire carb when all you need is the bowl assembly, and don't even have to remove the carb to install it. All the jets are contained in the bowl, there is nothing in the aluminum part of the carb.
Click to expand...

He already cleaned the bowl assembly and it still wouldn't start. I figured since he hasn't worked on a mower before, it would be easier for him to go ahead and replace the carb rather than try to rebuild it.

Replacing the carb will also eliminate the possiblity of him re-assembling it incorrectly. It will also ensure that there are no warped gasket surfaces on the carb. And if these carbs are anything like the ones on the LV series engines, it will save him a big headache trying to make it run right. :thumbsup:


#9

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

nomowerproblems said:
I ordered the stens kit. Thank you for locating that for me and educating me on the differences.

I spent hours upon hours upon hours for a how-to on removing that specific carb and your red circle with an arrow is all I needed. Thank you for the illustration since I'm still learning the part names. You've been so helpful! I will post when I get the new carb installed. I'm going to redo the tank and get a new fuel line in the meantime. Keep it clear until the carb arrives.
Click to expand...

When you clean the tank, make sure to rinse it several times with new, fresh gas to get rid of any traces of water or contaminants. You can do this by putting a small amount of fresh gas in the tank, blocking the holes and shaking it vigorously. When shaken, it will pressurize the tank slightly, so release the pressure before continuing. Then dump the gas out and repeat 2-3 times. You definitely don't want any bad gas in your new carburetor! I use a funnel and an old gas can to hold the contaminated gas.


Also, make sure your primer bulb is in good shape (still good and flexible) with no cracks.


#10

I

ILENGINE

primerbulb120 said:
He already cleaned the bowl assembly and it still wouldn't start. I figured since he hasn't worked on a mower before, it would be easier for him to go ahead and replace the carb rather than try to rebuild it.

Replacing the carb will also eliminate the possiblity of him re-assembling it incorrectly. It will also ensure that there are no warped gasket surfaces on the carb. And if these carbs are anything like the ones on the LV series engines, it will save him a big headache trying to make it run right. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

the reason I said that was because he had already had the bowl assembly off, and it just snaps into place. The carb cleaner could also swell the rubber seat for the float, which will shut the fuel flow off into the bowl.


#11

N

nomowerproblems

@primer thanks for the how to on the gas tank. I was actually watching YouTube videos on that last night. I was concerned with using soapy water as I wouldn't know if this would leave any residue once dried. Using fresh gas makes more sense.

@ilengine there are definitely easier routes and cheaper to go about this. One being just rebuilding the carb. I'm going with the new assembly to just avoid the headache if by chance it doesn't work(rebuilding carb) I would rather face it not working with a brand new carb, therefore I won't have to wonder wth went wrong.

The gasket between the air box and carb was toast so this I'm sure is either the problem or part of the problem. Either way it'll be eliminated.


#12

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

nomowerproblems said:
@primer thanks for the how to on the gas tank. I was actually watching YouTube videos on that last night. I was concerned with using soapy water as I wouldn't know if this would leave any residue once dried. Using fresh gas makes more sense.

@ilengine there are definitely easier routes and cheaper to go about this. One being just rebuilding the carb. I'm going with the new assembly to just avoid the headache if by chance it doesn't work(rebuilding carb) I would rather face it not working with a brand new carb, therefore I won't have to wonder wth went wrong.

The gasket between the air box and carb was toast so this I'm sure is either the problem or part of the problem. Either way it'll be eliminated.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't use soapy water if I were you. It probably wouldn't leave residue, but you'd have to wait for it to dry thoroughly before putting it back on. You can reassemble it as soon as you're done if you rinse it with gas.


#13

N

nomowerproblems

Carb arrived. Installed it this morning. Mower runs great!

It wasn't immediate at first. It wouldn't even start. After watching a ton of YouTube, this forum and primerbulb, I did the following:

Rechecked for spark
Followed all the lines to make sure none came loose
(Fuel tank was cleaned with fresh fuel and fuel line replaced at carb install)
Loosened the gas tank cap just a smidge

This got the mower to start but still stalled.

I then started it back up and continued to prime it before it would stall and repeated about 5 times until it didn't stall.

That's when the mower ran like a champ.

For those who might find this helpful, I did the following. I went the whole 9 yards because I wanted to, but most mowers wouldn't need all this done to run properly.

New filter
New spark plug
New air line
New fuel line
New carb with gaskets
New fuel
New oil
Gas tank cleaned
Cleaned and cleared all the crap collected throughout the motor

Total invested: 50 bucks +80 for mower

Thanks primer for your help. Much appreciated.


#14

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

nomowerproblems said:
Carb arrived. Installed it this morning. Mower runs great!

It wasn't immediate at first. It wouldn't even start. After watching a ton of YouTube, this forum and primerbulb, I did the following:

Rechecked for spark
Followed all the lines to make sure none came loose
(Fuel tank was cleaned with fresh fuel and fuel line replaced at carb install)
Loosened the gas tank cap just a smidge

This got the mower to start but still stalled.

I then started it back up and continued to prime it before it would stall and repeated about 5 times until it didn't stall.

That's when the mower ran like a champ.

For those who might find this helpful, I did the following. I went the whole 9 yards because I wanted to, but most mowers wouldn't need all this done to run properly.

New filter
New spark plug
New air line
New fuel line
New carb with gaskets
New fuel
New oil
Gas tank cleaned
Cleaned and cleared all the crap collected throughout the motor

Total invested: 50 bucks +80 for mower

Thanks primer for your help. Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Glad you got it fixed! You shouldn't have had so much trouble starting it though. That worries me a bit, hopefully it will still start okay once it's cooled down.


#15

N

nomowerproblems

primerbulb120 said:
Glad you got it fixed! You shouldn't have had so much trouble starting it though. That worries me a bit, hopefully it will still start okay once it's cooled down.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same. I'm not sure I want to hold onto this craftsman. I did hose it down after I mowed my lawn and let it sit for few hours. Started it up and had no issues. No hesitation.

I actually found a Honda self propelled on Craigslist for 20 bucks which I'll work on for a back up. I enjoyed working on the first one. Therapeutic.


#16

primerbulb120

primerbulb120

nomowerproblems said:
I was thinking the same. I'm not sure I want to hold onto this craftsman. I did hose it down after I mowed my lawn and let it sit for few hours. Started it up and had no issues. No hesitation.

I actually found a Honda self propelled on Craigslist for 20 bucks which I'll work on for a back up. I enjoyed working on the first one. Therapeutic.
Click to expand...

Uh oh...You're getting the mower bug!
http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/5601-My-Lawn-Mower-Repair-Thread-(56k-warning)


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