Works for a while and then stops

SOURCE: Lawn mower dies

I had a very similiar issue, try this, when the mower starts to die, unscrew the gas cap, if it starts running again, it is creating a vacuum in your fuel tank, you can get a new gas cap, or drill a small hole in it to allow a bit of air inside.

SOURCE: gas leak

Hi..my name is Keith..and this is a common problem..i would overhaul the carb..but my neighbor, his Murray done the same thing..but he is a tightwad..he just put a shut-off valve in the fuel line..i hope this has helped

SOURCE: craftman 11 lawn mower...wont start have checked

Hi..my name is Keith..and if you have sparkand it wont start..i would suspect old gas..lawn mowers are very sensitive to gasoline..and it likes fresh gas..but if you do have gas in it that is more than a month old..it needs to be drained and not mixed with fresh gas..but im just going on what you are saying about having spark and the carb is working fine..i hope this has helped..if not please write me back

SOURCE: craftsman 21 hp mower

check fuel line for colapse near frame rail common problem ? new hose from tank to fuel filter will fix it

Brad Wilkinson

• 106 Answers
• Posted on Jan 01, 2010

SOURCE: Mower Runs briefly then cuts out and wont restart.

These ride-ons have a cut out solinoid under the carby that when there is no power or the ign is cut it will drive a little pin into the main jet to prevent flooding, id say this is why your mower runs for 20 and stops...

There is a few reasons this could be occuring:

#1First I would be checking the battery see if its dropped a cell or has a dead cell, you can do this by load testing it with a load tester or removing it and taking it into a battery specialist. if this is the case the battery will not accept a charge from the charging circuit...

#2 Check your wiring with a multimeter from the armature under the flywheel all the way back to your battery (also these models may have a regulator/rectifier that can be tested they have test values and can be checked by your local small engine repaier)

#3 If all your wiring is ok then you will have a problem with your armature this is located under the flywheel on your engine it has two seperate windings one for the charging of your battery and the other powers your headlights / elec magnetic clutch, the one for the charging will be unservicable these can be diffucult to access and test and is probably best done at your local small engine repair shop...

Hope this helps you out

Kind Regards
Brad