[AT] Lawn mower carburetors are a piece of cake..... Wrong

[Cecil Bearden]

Dean:
I can feel your pain!!   My Arctic Cat 700 is my ATV/Wheel Chair. I 
honestly am a nervous wreck when it won't run as I am stuck with not 
being able to walk more than 10 feet without something to hang on to.   
I have removed the fuel tank and repaired the fuel filler that had 
cracked out of the tank and let water in the tank. Removed the water in 
the tank and added methanol to make sure the water was gone.  Installed 
a new fuel pump and regulator. Installed a new battery in case that low 
voltage was the problem as the starter would hesitate once in a while.  
Plug is new, but I have a new one.  This machine will start and seem to 
run fine backing nearly 300 ft, then change to forward and it will die 
or jerk and stumble.  Change to neutral and rev it up and it will 
backfire and sputter and then run fine at high speed.  put it in gear 
and it probably will die.  I have spent nearly $400 in the last month in 
parts and 15 hours and still not getting it to run right.  It is an EFI 
system.  If I could find the plug to read the codes if it has any, the 
digital dash screen is so dark from exposure to sun that you cannot read 
the numbers.   If I could trade this thing for a diesel with power 
steering it would be gone in a heartbeat.   I have another same model 
without Power steering that has only 10 hours on it.  The throttle plate 
stuck.  I thought it was water in the control cables and it sat for the 
winter while I was using the ranger.  When I figured out it was the 
throttle plate, the  electric fuel pump had stuck.  Arctic Cat fuel pump 
is $250, Quantum pump with  regulator   is $70.  Never had a problem 
with them before, but that is what is in my one with power steering.  I 
also have a )& 366 model that is carbureted.  It would only run at 
idle.  Sent it to the dealership which is now not listed as a 
dealership, and $300 later they overhauled the carb.  It ran 30 minutes 
when I got it home before it would not run above idle.  I bought another 
carb on amazon and it never hit a lick with it.  I noticed that the 
rubber boots that seal the carb to the engine were  cracked, and ordered 
them.  I don't know why the dealer did not replace them..

I hate working on small engines anymore.  I started out as a mechanic  
in a lawnmower shop 57 years ago.  I have rebuilt the carburetor on the 
weed eater 3 times and it still will not run. As far as I am concerned, 
any new piece of equipment that comes on this place better have a diesel 
engine or it is not going to be on the place.

Cecil


On 6/5/2021 7:38 PM, Dean VP wrote:
> You ATIS members need a good laugh once in a while.  This should help provide that at my expense. ,
>
> One of my Grandsons just purchased his first house which has a small grass lawn with it.  Small enough lawn a self-propelled 20 - 22" push mower would be just fine.  Since he is moving out of an apartment he would need to buy a mower.   I volunteered to give him one of mine that I have out in the barn that haven't been run for a while. Don't even remember now when or where I got this one, it was probably cheap at some garage sale or auction and is a Toro Model 20216.  Probably 20" to 22" (haven't measured) deck with a 4HP Briggs motor and it can be self-propelled with 3 forward gears .Everything worked fine on it when I used it last probably several years ago (ran when parked)  and my only two complaints about it were the 4HP made it underpowered and the aluminum deck was pretty brittle  and has been welded once. I have been blessed with a wealth of rocks on  my yard.   I noticed the deck now has a couple more cracks but the mower is useable as is all I have to do is get it running.
>
> I cleaned everything up, cleaned the spark plug, changed oil and put in new gas.  I don't have a manual for the mower and the only way I could figure out how to get the old oil out was to either pump it out or lay it on its side and drain it out the fill tube. . Very dumb and very owner unfriendly. . Anyway tried to start it.    Not even a pop. Choke full on.   Tried ether. Yep, I could get it to run for a second or two but obviously not getting gas to the cylinder. Check gas line, check bowl, yep getting gas to the carburetor.  Sum Ting Wong with the carburetor.
>
> Now mistakenly I think I know what I'm doing relative to carburetors with several successful Antique Tractor and Garden Tractor carburetor rebuilds  under my belt but it has been a long time since I have worked on a Lawn Mower Carburetor.   But needing to be humbled a bit I guess I have forgotten a key detail about Briggs carburetor's. I pulled the carb, removed the bowl and found a sandy white substance (dirt?) in the bowl and also in the needle and seat well.  Not typical of what I have seen in carbs in the past. But continue to disassemble removing the float and needle. Don't see a removable seat and disassemble the rest of the carb.  Run small wires through any opening I can find and make sure they are clean and blow air through any passage I can find.  One thing that happened worried me. I had the air hose nozzle on the gas intake pipe and a little pop occurred and something hit me in the face. My observation was that it had come out of the bottom where the needle seats..   Hmmmm .............must have been plugged right there. 😊  Couldn't find what came out. I bet the carburetor will work now.  Operator now in full idiot mode!😊
>
> Moving on, soaked the carburetor in Pine Sol overnight and this morning cleaned it with fresh water.  Carburetor looks like new.  Man.... I am really good.     Hmm, the bowl gasket has expanded in diameter in the pine sol. That is not good. But start reassembling the carburetor and put the float and needle in place  and it is obvious the needle is dropping too far down and not seating properly.   Aha, that is what must have blown out and hit me in the face. Hummmmm  how do you blow out a brass seat?  Now I'm confused.  Get on the internet and watch a video of an overhaul of this type of lawn mower carburetor.  Gets to the part about removing the needle and seat. " An easy way to get the little rubber needle seat out is to blow air into the gas inlet of the carburetor"    Been there, done that.   Yep, I can completely verify that works very well but I didn't know it when I did it. @#$%^&*()   Now I sure as hell know what hit me in  the face. I can't find that little sucker.  So... $9 gets me a carburetor overhaul kit over night from Amazon.   Needed a new bowl gasket too.  Isn't it amazing how the problem and solution can hit you right in the face???
>
> In searching for the right carburetor kit  I noticed I could buy a whole new carburetor for $10.49. But I have been down that road before and I was not pleased with what I received. So I'm staying with the OEM Carburetor.  One day delivery on the parts.
>
> BTW, I'm not very sure this mower is even worth the $9 carburetor repair kit. But....  I am going to  beat this sucker into submission.  This is the way us old folks turn one hour jobs into a full day's entertainment.
>
>
> Dean V
> Snohomish, WA 98290
> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
> ..Winston Churchill...
>
>
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