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I bought a used Craftsman lt4000 (model # 917252600) this past spring and did not have any problems until yesterday. Yesterday was the first time I tried to pull/haul anything. I was using an aerator. About 20 minutes into it I ran out of gas and the mower (obviously) stopped. It had the same symptoms as if there was excess grass underneath or I was off the seat. I hit the brake and it regained a bit of power then stopped. I refueled but it wouldn't turn over. Yesterday, I thought it was flooded. I tried today to start it and it still will not turn over. I checked underneath for excess leaves/grass. I tried to jump start it. I unhooked the seat safety cables and reattached them. Any suggestions?

Is it in nuetral? blades aren't engaged are they? your description is a little confusing as grass in the deck won't make it not start unless the blade belt is bound up on the pulley, you do mean that the engine won't crank correct? could also be a bad safety switch some where.

sounds like a safety switch.....make sure the blades are disengaged and deck all the way up and brake fully depressed....a 1/4 inch off and it wont start:smile:

It is in neutral.
Brake fully pressed.
Blades are up.
Blades are not engaged.
I just replaced the spark plug and fuel filter. Still not working.
I took off the air filter and removed the hose after the filter. It started but only ran for about 5-10 seconds.
I cannot get it to start again. When I try to start it, the belts turn and it sounds like everything is cranking but it won't fire up. How do I check/diagnose for safety switch issues?

so...to be clear...it cranks fine ...but wont run?

Correct, it cranks fine but will not turn over.

pull sparkplug and rest against the block somewhere to check spark while cranking [ use a glove]......if ok then get some starting fluid......spray into choke area while cranking....if it fires...its a fuel issue

That makes a big difference and what you need to check, if it is cranking then it isn't a safety switch, remove air filter and spray some carb cleaner into carb and try starting it, if it fires then dies you have a fuel problem if it doesn't fire than you have a ignition problem, check it and let us know what happens.

I pulled the sparkplug and it is sparking. I sprayed starter fluid into the carb and it fired up then died.

So you need to start working on the fuel system, pull the fuel line loose from the carb and see if you are getting fuel out of the hose, not sure if you have a fuel pump or gravity feed on this unit, if it is a pump then have someone crank it over while you hold the tube into a gas can or coffee can to check flow. if you are getting fuel out of the line then start checking the carb.

FYI my suggestion is to not use starter fluid on small engines, I have seen some serious damage done to them when it was used on them, carb cleaner works great. WD40 works great on 2 cycles and doesn't wash off any lubricant that is still on the internals.

Blades and belts DO NOT MOVE when your trying to start it unless you unhooked the blade safety . If it is an electric PTO there isn't enough power to start the motor , turn the PTO ...

I checked the lines, I am getting fuel. What do you mean, "check the carb?"

well...voila! ...make sure you start with good fuel in the tank....i like to install a shutoff valve before carb work...so gas spillage doesnt get out of hand....first..check the fuel shut off solenoid....hold it as you turn the ignition on and off....you should feel a thump inside it....see picture

I felt a vibration on the fuel shut off solenoid.

ok...its time to give us the engine numbers...so we can get down to the nitty gritty

Kohler engine
serial # 2431610074
model # CV15S
spec # 41508
displ 426

any suggestions? I'm hoping that I can remedy the situation in order to get the last cut of the season.

i would get a rebuild kit and do the carb.....get 5 cans of carb spray cleaner and clean the outside first before you take it off

Five cans of carb cleaner? are you going to wash the whole mower? 1 can lasts me thru at least 8-10 carbs.

do I order a carb from Sears?

I think he said carb kit not entire carb, I just went to 5 different web sites and none of them are showing a p/n for a carb kit or needle and seat kit, I would just try cleaning the carb out good and reinstall first, there may just be a piece of something stuck in the need seat. And as I said earlier a shut off valve will take care of the problem also for about $5-6 , carb will cost you over $100 I'm sure.

dont tell him a shut off valve will fix it!.....that just treats the symptom not the problem.......i use 5 cans because i work in a clean environment....if your using 1 can for that long ...your doing it wrong!

It's worked for me for many many years,

Duffer72 said:

It's worked for me for many many years,

Click to expand...

have you EVER soaked carb parts overnight??????

Yes I have, I bought 5 gallon cans with the basket in them, I'm not a shade tree mechanic, If you worked for me and used that much carb cleaner on one unit you would be gone in 5 min. Not sure how long you have been working on small engines or where but don't tell me I am doing it wrong, when you run a shop with over $ 300,000 in repairs in a year then you can tell me how do things.

your full of ****!!...if you know so much ..you would have never opened you stupid mouth in the first place!!...if you fix carb leaks leaks with a shut off valve instead of actually fixing them....then you can just piss off and find some other forum to spew you egotistical horseshit!!!

Just clean the outside of the carb and around the whole area take the carb off and cover the hole with a CLEAN rag put the carb on some news paper take carb apart lay all parts in a line in the order they came off There is no need to fight everyone does not do things the same way

this might help... http://www.youtube.com/user/donyboy7...26/Z3DLNguqLRk ....theres also some other good videos that might help on there.....check your fuel filter too...its a long shot but they are cheap:smile:

Guys - thanks for your help. I was able to get some time (after watching some how-to-videos) to clean the carb yesterday. Seems to have worked because I was able to fire it up and cut the lawn for an hour afterwards. It idled high (and sounded louder than usual) so I'm sure there's more work for me to do. What's my next step? The two wires that attach to the carb (linkage?) were a little stiff so I just put some WD40 on them after I cut the lawn. Will that solve my problem of the high idle or do I have to mess with one of the two screws? If so, which one? And which way do I turn it? I put both screws back to the same spot they were previously set. One was 2 1/2 turns and the other was 1 1/2 turns. I don't remember which one was which but I have the diagram to refer to if needed.

if you have the one on the bottom of the bowl...then thats your high speed screw....and the one on the side is idle screw [ for low throttle]....make small adjustments and see if it smooths things out:smile:

HI. Just a thought. When checking for fuel flow run some fuel into a glass jar. If it appears to be in two parts you have water in the tank. Not uncommon and a great source of income for small repair facilities.

Richard