Craftsman T2000 2013 B&S 540

[Sears L2000]

2013 T2000 Craftsman with 19hp B&S 540.

2016 at 3 years, 3 months, compression relief system failed. $800 to rebuild damage.

2025, Until August ran normally.

2025 August. Started to be same locked compression, no crank, hit hard spot and no spin. Half dozen times. Eventually started after recharging battery to max each time.

2025 October. Magically started normally every time. Started normally for 10-15-20 times mowing and leaves.

2025 November. Still starting normally, BUT the famous choke start, run perfectly, sputter, die cycle started yesterday. Restart and repeat began. 50 times.

2025, November, today. New fuel, new fuel filter, old carb removed and replaced with brand new carb, PITA but doable. With new carb, the Engine started instantly, ran, sputtered, died just like before replacing fuel, filter, AND carb. 20-30 times exactly the same. Choke start even hot, run smooth, run rough, sputter, die, no matter where throttle is (choke, run, medium, idle).

When it changes from smooth run to sputter, the governor arm starts fluttering.

Gas in tank, inline filter mostly full, full flow if carb line taken off. Gas is going into new carb just fine.

Is this the compression relief system again?

 

[Sears L2000]

Followup info:

The 2016 fixit bill was half of the original Sears store $14xx cost, +/-. The cam shaft and a valve were replaced in the process.

As to the new carb, the engine runs perfectly for a while, will go smoothly screaming faster if governor is held by hand, returns to the governor, runs fine, and then starts missing, sputtering slows down and dies. 30 seconds later, it will easily start and repeat that sequence running for another 25-30-35 seconds.

The old carb was sprayed with carb cleaner inside the gas inlet, up the bottom hole, and cleaned outside and then was exactly the same before and after.

The new carb runs the engine exactly the same way.

I do not know , but coincidences matter. The compression lock, followed by suddenly not compression locking, followed by run, sputter, die is an indication of something.

(As an aside, this is the second Briggs engine on a Craftsman that compression start locked. That one had the decency to run forever after starting with starting ether. A 2007 20hp. Two separate mowing locations.)

 

[StarTech]

Sound more like hydro lock condition. Also can be failing spark plug on the run condition.