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I have a Craftsman Garden Tractor model: 917.273220 with the Kohler engine:CV26S 69526. I ran out of gas and then filled it up, and now it will start up and run at full throttle just fine. As soon as I pull the switch for the mower deck or let off the brake to take off it will die. When it starts to die I'll pull the choke out and it still dies. Some times it will backfire like when you shut off the fuel solenoid isn't working. Any ideas?

Everything that you are indicating points toward a faulty seat switch or seat switch circuit.

I to thought this also and put a jumper wire in it and it's doing the same thing.

On this mower you have an operator present relay that may not be working.

Let me ask the following:
Does the electric engages before it dies? Or just dies without engaging the electric clutch?

1.Remove the kill wire off the ignition coil for testing only. Engine should run the fuel tank dry.
2.Check for bad pulley or PTO slash bearings. Something not allowing your belts to turn dogging down the engine.
3.Make sure the deck and blades are clear to spin.
4.Verify you have full battery voltage at the carb solenoid WHEN you engage the blades. Wondering if your PTO is shorting killing voltage to the carb solenoid. I would snip the plunger tip off the solenoid if it was mine. Never worry about this again.

If you just ran it out of gas before the problem started I would think you sucked some gunk up into the carb. I would start with cleaning the carb.

HughDaHand said:

If you just ran it out of gas before the problem started I would think you sucked some gunk up into the carb. I would start with cleaning the carb.

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While this is a good point Hugh,
Fuel blockage can explain the engine dieing when the blades are engaged because that would open the throttle and thus the main jet which could be clogged .
However dieing when the brake is released will not change the fuel requirements so that points to an electrical problem .

My experience is a carb cleaning is usually necessary after running out of fuel. A quick test wouldn't hurt. Unplug the PTO at the connector closest to the PTO and then try and turn on the PTO and see if the engine still stalls. If it stalls you know that it's a issue in the safety system, if it continues to run you know its a problem with the load on the engine.

I have seen issues where the gas added was older than the gas in the mower. Someone handed a friend (his dad) a gallon of kerosene once to get enough gas on a Packard restoration to get to the station to fill it up. Engine just would not run right and no one could figure out why. Dan was late to the Sr Prom that night.

HughDaHand said:

My experience is a carb cleaning is usually necessary after running out of fuel. A quick test wouldn't hurt. Unplug the PTO at the connector closest to the PTO and then try and turn on the PTO and see if the engine still stalls. If it stalls you know that it's a issue in the safety system, if it continues to run you know its a problem with the load on the engine.

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Not argueing that a carb clean would not hurt but the engine stalls when the hand brake is let off
Brake + seat + magneto ( no change in carburettor opening )
PTO + seat + magneto ( carburettor opens fully )

bertsmobile1 said:

Not argueing that a carb clean would not hurt but the engine stalls when the hand brake is let off
Brake + seat + magneto ( no change in carburettor opening )
PTO + seat + magneto ( carburettor opens fully )

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What I was saying is the engine runs and starts fine, revs up to full throttle and keeps running fine. As soon as I put the transmission in gear and let the brake peddle out it dies. The same when I pull the switch for the mower clutch out even with it in neutral. Some one said something about cut5ting the wire on the I believe they were talking about the fuel solenoid, if you do that. doesn't it backfire like the old Cubs that didn't have the solenoid and plunger?

Three techs here have both said most likely the seat switch or the seat switch circuit .
Got cut whatever wires some brain dead moron on face book said to do but it will still not run & if you cut the solenoid plunger off it will still not run
But if that is what makes you happy go ahead & do it , it is your mower.
If you want it fixed then listen to what you have been told here
If you wont more information then ask
From what you have posted to date it would appear you are well out of your comfort zone

If you don't understand then ask for a clarification
We have no idea of your machanical / electrical aptitude
You are just dots on a computer screen.

I would have posted a wiring diagram but since the take over craftsman searches are geo locked it USA & Canada only so I can not even pull up an IPL form down here any more .

And no one on this forum said anything about cutting anything
You were asked some questions & asked to do some tests
If you want help from the people on this forum then we expect you to do what was asked so we can get the information we need to properly diagnose your problems.

The other thing to remember is some get the forum as a complete thread while others just see it as a series of emails
So some of the answers will only reffer to the previous post and not the entire thread
This can get a little confusing if you are already out of your depth .

I went to the effort to explain to you & to one of the posters who had not thought through the actual thread why we think you have a safety circuit problem
And Slomo gave you instructions about how to verify this before Hugh sent us down the wrong path but he probably had not read your original post .

Fred1951 said:

I have a Craftsman Garden Tractor model: 917.273220 with the Kohler engine:CV26S 69526. I ran out of gas and then filled it up, and now it will start up and run at full throttle just fine. As soon as I pull the switch for the mower deck or let off the brake to take off it will die. When it starts to die I'll pull the choke out and it still dies. Some times it will backfire like when you shut off the fuel solenoid isn't working. Any ideas?

Click to expand...

The fuel solenoid or "Afterfire Solenoid" on the bottom of the carb is most likely sticky. listen carefully, turn key on and off with brake set and see if solenoid feels and sounds crisp. These are very intermittent because they are at the bottom of fuel bowl and a very small deposit in bowl will hinder it's motion.

For some reason the operator present relay [circled] is not operating.