How to test B&S fuel pump?

Gord Baker

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I have a John Deere D140 with a 22 hp V Twin B&S. I just overhauled it, has 140 hours on it. Before overhauling it I had to prime it with gas to get it started, figured it was because of low vacuum. I started it yesterday for first time since the overhaul. Figured it was from setting for three months. I tried restarting it after a couple hours and it wouldn't start. Pulled the carb line and nothing came out. I'm assuming the pump is bad. I see a lot of pumps online, where's the best place to buy one?

Bob
Buy one from a dealer, but I seems you have a lot more problems. Remove gas cap and in an open area blow back the gas line from NEW filter. Blow Carb line back to pump. Be sure the shutoff solenoid is operating and staying open with key on.
Check Float bowl for fuel. Remove Needle. Fuel should pour out when cranking.
 

TobyU

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Buy one from a dealer, but I seems you have a lot more problems. Remove gas cap and in an open area blow back the gas line from NEW filter. Blow Carb line back to pump. Be sure the shutoff solenoid is operating and staying open with key on.
Check Float bowl for fuel. Remove Needle. Fuel should pour out when cranking.
I'm going to estimate that approximately 80 to 90% of fuel pumps that are replaced we're never bad at the first place. It's one of those people throwing Parts at the problem and it rarely fixes the problem...at least not on the first time or two.
A pulsator fuel pump is very easy to check. If it's leaking fuel or oil everywhere or especially out of its little usually brass screen bleed hole then it's obviously bad but other than that all you have to do is make sure fuel is getting to the inlet port and take off the fuel line at the carburetor and crank the engine over or better yet pour a little bit of fuel in the car throat and let it run for five or six seconds and see if gas goes pulse pulse pulse out of the fuel line.
If it doesn't, it's still not exactly time to replace the fuel pump until you make sure that the lines aren't cracked and for the big one make sure I mean absolutely sure it has fuel on the inlet line. Even if you have to run an external tank for a couple of minutes that you see fuel flowing freely to the inlet, do so before you condemn a fuel pump.
Then, if you need to buy one order one on eBay or Amazon for under $9. They are all over the place. Briggs & Stratton round plastic style is the most common and of course there are three port. There's also a four port on the market and some metal ones but regardless all those round three ports will work and there's no reason to pay more for a Briggs & Stratton and especially no reason to pay more for a Briggs & Stratton that John Deere puts in their yellow and green plastic baggie and raises the price 40% or is that 60% now.
Knowing what you're buying and knowing what you need is the key to this game. Buying by brand etc is typically wasteful and you're usually not getting what you pay for.
 

bertsmobile1

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I'm going to estimate that approximately 80 to 90% of fuel pumps that are replaced we're never bad at the first place. It's one of those people throwing Parts at the problem and it rarely fixes the problem...at least not on the first time or two.
A pulsator fuel pump is very easy to check. If it's leaking fuel or oil everywhere or especially out of its little usually brass screen bleed hole then it's obviously bad but other than that all you have to do is make sure fuel is getting to the inlet port and take off the fuel line at the carburetor and crank the engine over or better yet pour a little bit of fuel in the car throat and let it run for five or six seconds and see if gas goes pulse pulse pulse out of the fuel line.
If it doesn't, it's still not exactly time to replace the fuel pump until you make sure that the lines aren't cracked and for the big one make sure I mean absolutely sure it has fuel on the inlet line. Even if you have to run an external tank for a couple of minutes that you see fuel flowing freely to the inlet, do so before you condemn a fuel pump.
Then, if you need to buy one order one on eBay or Amazon for under $9. They are all over the place. Briggs & Stratton round plastic style is the most common and of course there are three port. There's also a four port on the market and some metal ones but regardless all those round three ports will work and there's no reason to pay more for a Briggs & Stratton and especially no reason to pay more for a Briggs & Stratton that John Deere puts in their yellow and green plastic baggie and raises the price 40% or is that 60% now.
Knowing what you're buying and knowing what you need is the key to this game. Buying by brand etc is typically wasteful and you're usually not getting what you pay for.
Yep
In 11 years only ever had 1 faulty impulse pump and 2 failed mechanical pumps .
OTOH have replaced 8 pumps because the customer insisted the pump was bad and of those 8, 7 came back latter so I could do the real fix which was to clean the fuel tank & replace the tank to pump fuel lines .
 

TobyU

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Yep
In 11 years only ever had 1 faulty impulse pump and 2 failed mechanical pumps .
OTOH have replaced 8 pumps because the customer insisted the pump was bad and of those 8, 7 came back latter so I could do the real fix which was to clean the fuel tank & replace the tank to pump fuel lines .
That's certainly how the numbers play out. I have repaired exactly two of the old Kohler mechanical pumps because the little diaphragm just pop out of the plastic and you can stake them back in with a hot screwdriver..
 
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