Craftsman Lawn Tractor, Briggs & Stratton Engine Can't Start

[jmoconnell]

Hello, any help is appreciated.
I am trying to tune up my friend's Model #917203910 Craftsman lawn tractor, Model #44R677-0019-G1 Briggs & Stratton engine for the upcoming grass mowing season. I have built plenty of things with my hands, and I am a fairly competent individual at solving problems and following directions. I do not have any automotive/small engine knowledge however. My friend also is not an automotive minded man, and also doesn't take great care of the mower, or follow any of the end of season guidelines for storing a mower. I have read through the https://www.searspartsdirect.com/mo...man-917203910-front-engine-lawn-tractor-parts owner's manual many times and done the following: changed the oil(there was maybe a tablespoon of oil in the entire machine, the oil drain valve bolt that attaches it to the engine was finger-turn loose, and there was both an oil spill area underneath where the mower sat all winter, and there was gunk all along the top of the mower blade housing, just underneath the valve, so I assume most of his oil leaked out. I tightened the bolt before changing the oil), changed the oil filter, charged his battery to full, drained 95% of the gasoline he let sit in the tank all season, put in fresh gas, and filled tires to proper psi(irrelevant, I know). After doing these things as focused and to the T that I could, I installed the fully charged old battery, and attempted to start the mower. No dice. The lawnmower engine fan turns, and the lights turn on, so the battery is definitely installed properly, and the issue doesn't seem to be that the mower isn't getting energy. It just goes through the motion of trying to start, but never hitches or stutters or attempts to really kick into "part two" after turning and holding the ignition key. It is not silent, and it is not just a click. The proper setup has been followed to start the engine (ensure freewheel control is in the transmission engaged position, make sure to be seated and activating the sitting sensor, depress brake pedal all the way, engage parking brake to hold it in that position, ensure throttle control is in choked position, turn key for no more than 15 seconds at a time per minute, if this doesn't work after a few attempts, switch throttle control to fast, wait a few minutes, then try again). So after doing that many times, giving good pauses between each try, for 2 days, I went and bought a new battery and new spark plugs. After charging the new battery to full overnight and installing the new plugs, nothing has changed. I have seen the videos about troubleshooting the tension on the throttle control cable that is sometimes loose and not actuating the choke levers properly, but they are tight, and trying to tighten the cable more only moved it about a millimeter. Following its course up and seeing the lever move as the throttle control is moved up and down, I don't think that is the problem. The engine air filter has been checked and seems pristine, and he said he changed the fuel filter before the end of last season, and I can't directly see a visual issue with it, although I don't technically know what a bad one would look like, there are no obvious deposits or gunk in the clear housing it sits in. So beyond all of this basic superficial tweaks, the manual does not go into detail about any more things to check. There are pages in that sears link that show engine blueprints, but they aren't labeled, and I don't know how to identify anything by just looking at the mower/engine. I don't know where to find a detailed blueprint that actually shows what all the parts are, and without that, I am very afraid to just start unscrewing bolts to potentially important pieces attached to or integral to the engine to see if there is something I can diagnose. I can post any pictures or post links to youtube videos showing any aspect of the mower if that would help anyone assist me, or if anyone can think of anything else to try that someone with just basic knowledge of the mower would be able to try, I am all ears. Money isn't really an issue, and in the end, he can just hire someone who knows what they are doing if need be, but I would like to learn at least this small bit of getting a mower to work for my future knowledge and any issues I may run into myself. Thank you for any who replies.

 

[bertsmobile1]

OK
so lets see if I got this right
the engine spins but does not go bang .
If this is true the spray a VERY SMALL amount of starting fluid in the carb throat as you are cranking the engine .
If it fires then remove the fuel solenoid either under or just in front of the carb
IT is a 1/2" spanner size but you might need to grind it thin or bend it to a funny angle to get in there .
The little plunger should retract when you turn the key on
If there is 2 wires . no problems . If there is one wire then it needs to get a ground contact
on the 2 wire one side goes battery voltage key on & the other is is always ground .

 

[jmoconnell]

 

[jmoconnell]

Thank you for reaching out and giving me that advice. Is there any chance you can tell me what 1-9 are in my pictures? All of the 'm's are irrelevant, that image editor is usually meant for construction and listing measurements of a room, and they are double sided arrows, but only the tips pointing to parts on the engine are the side I am pointing at. I unfortunately do not know which the carburetor is, or where the carb throat would be, and I do not know what the fuel solenoid would be either.
1) I don't know what this thing the fuel line runs into is that has 3 hoses sticking out of it.
2) There are 2 of the metal casings on the front of the engine, I don't know what either of them are.
3) There is another metal arm that actuates on a spring mechanism behind/near the choke control lever, but I do not know what its purpose or name is.
4) There is some sort of electric wires in a plug that go into the front of the engine, I don't know what they are or their purpose.
5) The other metal casing on the left side of engine I don't know.
6) The black plastic dual hosed piece?
7) Black cylindrical piece in back of engine.
8) Glass fronted piece with wires attached.
9) I mistakenly made 9 and 5 the same thing, just different pictures.
If you can tell me any or all of these it would really help, thank you.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The way things work with me is I ask you for what I need to know to help you diagnose your problems
When YOU come back with the answers I carry on depending upon the results .
I am not going to directly answer your questions but will show you how to find out
On one of the rocker covers ( they are metal pressing by the way , not castings ) the model type & serial numbers of your engine are stamped into the metal
which you have posted .
Go the the B & S customer web page , support / manuals and using that information down load the parts manual for your engine.
Then when you have worked out what you want to know using the part numbers in the book or the name in the book ask your questions so we will be talking a "common language" and understand each other
Also
engine rotates with the starter = cranks
Plugs spark across the electrodes = plugs fire or plugs spark
engine goes bang once or twice - Starts
Engine keeps on going bang = runs

from your photos
1) the fuel pump has 3 lines, fuel in on one side , fuel out on the other , impulse ( which powers the pump ) on the top .
They almost never give you any problems , I have replaced 5 in 11 years over 3000 services .
Pull the one off that goes to the carby ( at the carby end so you can put a catch can under it ) and crank the engine a few seconds
Fuel should gush out while the engine is cranking .
2) in the book
3) in the book
4) in the book , it is the carb solenoid . IT is designed to stop fuel going through the main jet when the engine is turned off.
Using a 1/2 open ended spanner remove it then plug the wire back in
Power off the plunger should be out
Power on the plunger should be retracted
IT must move quickly & fully
If not then try to spray some carb cleaned down the plunger, work the plunger up & down to free up the varnish/tar / dirt build up & repeat till it clicks when turned on & off .
If it is stuck out then no fuel gets into the engine so no bangs ( as requested to do in the original reply )

6/7/8 no real idea what you are talking about , use the book & ask

Finally, do not PM me .
I do not respond to PM's because it defeats the whole purpose of an open PUBLIC forum.
If I wanted to do 1:1 then I would sign up to one of the pay for help services that continually email me to sign up to them .
If it goes a week and you have not gotten a reply sufficient to help you then you reply to your own post.
Several way to do it politely .
"anyone else ? "
" I dont understand can you explain in more detail " ( a please goes a long way ) .
" ?????"
or even
" bump "

That will flag your thread as "todays posts" & "unread posts" which is how most of the active members read the forum .

The service manual for your engine is available on line for free in several places & if you are lucky some one who reads this reply will pop a link to a known good copy for you to download.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

6) is your intake manifold, delivers fuel air mixture from the carburetor to the combustion chambers.
7) is your electric starter
8) is your regulator/rectifier, converts A/C from stator (alternator) under the flywheel to DC voltage and delivers the appropriate amperage needed to maintain the battery.

 

[jmoconnell]

Thank you, it is working again.

 

[sgkent]

Thank you, it is working again.

it is customary to report back what made it work so others can have the wisdom of your experience.

for future knowledge on engines since you say are new to them, there are 3 things an engine needs to run. Air to fuel in the proper amount, spark at the right time,and compression. Normal engine troubleshooting is to determine which is missing. It is easier to do this than shotgun the problem. One reason is that once someone starts shotgunning they may cause multiple problems.

 

[slomo]

Thank you, it is working again.

What was the fix action please? Bet it was out of gas LOL.