I have a 22" Craftsman self-propelled, front wheel drive mower. I bought it new in 2010. It has a B&S Platinum 7.00 (190cc) engine. I've never had any issues with it until about a few weeks ago. I ran it out of gas, then filled it back up (87 octane). Immediately it ran for about a minute then started spitting and sputtering and eventually cut off. After about 10 pulls it restarted, cut for about 10 minutes then cut off. Restarted it again and it ran for about 30 minutes, cut off, restarted, ran for about 30 minutes and I was done cutting so I put it up and forgot about it.
Last week I pulled it out and it fired on the first pull. I cut for about 10 minutes and of course it cut off. I fought with it for several hours and could get it to run for 5 minutes at a time, but nothing seemed to work for good. I drained the gas, cleaned the air filter, cleaned the carb and went and bought new gas (93 octane). Still the same thing. I replaced the spark plug to no avail, so I ordered a brand new carb. Just put it on tonight and the mower ran great for about 10 minutes, but now it is doing the exact same thing. I have no idea what to try next, besides lighting a match.
This engine has no real adjustments on the carburetor, no set screws, and there is no primer bulb. I cleaned the gas cap and even tried another cap from another B&S motor I have on my pressure washer.
Whe it cuts off it sputters almost like it is bogging down in thick grass, but it is cutting off while sitting on the driveway. Sometimes it will backfire too.
Check to see if you have something moving around in the fuel tank. Sounds to me like something is moving around blocking the tank outlet causing your problem.
Check to see if you have something moving around in the fuel tank. Sounds to me like something is moving around blocking the tank outlet causing your problem.
Another thing to try, is run your mower unit it dies. Right after it dies, check to make sure you still have spark. Some times your coil will get hot and quit working. Or the spark will be weak and not let it fire properly. If no spark after engine dies, replace coil.
#4
pugaltitude
Briggs had problems with the early metal spark plug caps that would breakdown and cause hot no start.
Either replace with an upto date metal type or replace with normal terminal and rubber boot type.
