TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 (edited) Hey guys....do we have any members that are good small engine mechanics with some troubleshooting skills???? I have a 6HP Murry lawnmower (Briggs & Stratton) that is all of a sudden causing me grief to the extent of me thinkin about heaving it out on the road with the GARBAGE on Monday!!! It starts with no problems, but after 5 - 10mins it shuts down....I'll wait another few minutes and she starts again for another 5 min... I've changed the oil, has fresh gas and I'm startin to get gay man*&^ Instead of 1hr of grass cutting it's takin me 2hrs and INTERFERING WITH MY FISHING TIME!!!!! Any suggestions would be apprectiated!!! Edited June 25, 2008 by TroutnMuskieHunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meely Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 I'd drop Big Cliff a PM. He's into small engine repairs. I'm sure he can offer assistance. Meely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Thanks Meely!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 I'd drop Big Cliff a PM.He's into small engine repairs. I'm sure he can offer assistance. Meely Cliff's the man. In the meantime make sure your gas cap vent isn't plugged. I've also seen ignition problems which would only appear when the bits get warmed up. That's a little tougher to diagnose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Cliff's the man. In the meantime make sure your gas cap vent isn't plugged. I've also seen ignition problems which would only appear when the bits get warmed up. That's a little tougher to diagnose. Forgot something. Make sure the pickup at the bottom of the gas tank isn't partially plugged. Is there an inline filter? Sounds like gradual gas starvation. JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 John, there is no vent cap on the gas cap as well as no filter....maybe it's the coil that's overheating...hmmm...a new mower is startin to look better an better..like one of those $149 jobs at CTC!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks999 Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 For the time being.... The bowl and needle valve are probably gummed up..... After the needle valve warms up the gunk on the valve becomes more sticky Take out the needle valve from the bottom of the bowl and clean that well with Carb Cleaner. (Count the turns Out...Put it back the same) Take off the air Filter - Spray in some Carb Cleaner. Let the Carb Cleaner evaporate....put back together Should fix it up - This happens to my friends who do not drain the carb at the end of the season. It is very common Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoriaRiverMan Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 coil........hot and breaks down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 John, there is no vent cap on the gas cap as well as no filter....maybe it's the coil that's overheating...hmmm...a new mower is startin to look better an better..like one of those $149 jobs at CTC!!! I bought one of those CTC green things a few years ago and it's worked like a trooper for me. I was so impressed I bought one for my son too, and a snowblower for each of us. I used to think one had to buy the most expensive big name units but now I'm not so sure. It's not like I cut grass all day long for a living. JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 coil........hot and breaks down That's what I was thinking, but I hope not. The problem is that it will probably deliver spark when there's no compression load. Fuel probs are usually cheaper & easier to fix. JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limeyangler Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 I have a 1 year old husky lawn tractor...i thought it was pooched...kept stalling....worked out in the end it was cuz the grass was too thick and wet. lol...i'm too new to all this kinda thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 John, there is no vent cap on the gas cap as well as no filter....maybe it's the coil that's overheating...hmmm...a new mower is startin to look better an better..like one of those $149 jobs at CTC!!! The vent's probably just under cap. There has to be relief or the tank would eventually implode. More likely the engine will quit from fuel starvation. Try removing the line at the carb and blow back into the tank. Don't swallow. If nothing else works, swear a couple of times - with conviction, kick the deck - hard, then pull the cord and it'll work perfectly. JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 If nothing else works, swear a couple of times - with conviction, kick the deck - hard, then pull the cord and it'll work perfectly. JF ...that was the first thing I tried...now I'm walkin' around with a limp cuz I stubbed my toe!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 If it runs for 5mins then stops, it sounds like it's simply running out of fuel. I'd check the float bowl and needle valve as mentioned above.. There can only be so much wrong with these suckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Almost 50 and never took a carb apart ....guess there's a first time for everything and what have I got to lose??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks999 Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Almost 50 and never took a carb apart ....guess there's a first time for everything and what have I got to lose??? The Little screws....Just kidding If you have a digital camera....take pictures of it from a few angles Whenever I start tearing apart something new...I load up on the pictures. If I need a reference.....I have one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 (edited) The Little screws....Just kidding If you have a digital camera....take pictures of it from a few angles Whenever I start tearing apart something new...I load up on the pictures. If I need a reference.....I have one When I'm disassembling something new I try to lay out the parts in a straight line in the order I remove 'em. Then I just reverse the procedure. If I come to a part that won't fit anywhere I only have to back up a step or two. Ideally there are no leftovers. JF Edited June 25, 2008 by JohnF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 you're right guys....what's a few extra bits here and there when I 'm done puttin it back together???....if it still doesn't work, I'll clean it up a bit on the outside, put it by the side of the road and it'll disappear by Monday morning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyboss Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 If you unscrew any screws be careful , when you least expect it one will fly away because you forgot about the spring.!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 LOL...thanks Dan!!!...when are ya coming out this way for a Muskie hunt?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanook Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 First thing I would do is wash the gas cap out in gasoline, there should be a tiny hole under a rubber washer. Worked for me !! 2nd thing ? get in touch with Big Cliff, he knows what he's doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 If the gas vent is plugged, just leave the cap lose next time you try it. I had a similar problem on a chain saw, ran like stink for 3-4 minutes then died, let it sit for 1/2 an hour and it woud go again for 3-4 minutes...bad sparkplug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillj Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 I'd normally defer to BC .. he knows his stuff .. but I would personally take a stab at the coil overheating ... its a cheap fix ... assuming you can find the part (about $30) .... just be sure sure you know how to reset the timing and points .... hmmm take it to BC ... might be cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mukluk Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Had a similar problem with my rototillar. Removed the bowl on the carburator and inspected the operation of the float and valve. Found the small and I mean small spring was missing which links the two. Float dropped as gas was used but valve would occasionallystay in up or shut-off position. Went to the dealer and purchased a carb kit for $2.38; problem fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Well, it could be any of the things already mentioned, simplest one to try is as suggested, when it starts to die, loosen the gas cap, if it is a tank vent problem, that will fix it (well, that will tell you where the problem is). Usually though if it is a tank vent problem it will run longer as the tank gets emptier (more air in the tank). Cleaning the carb.... could be but if it quits after about the same length of time each time????? Oh and by the way if you haven't done it before and you do decide to try it yourself.... you should probably just save yourself some time and go to CTC, LOL. It's not rocket science but if you have never done one before, it's like driving a car, easy when you know how! Coil over heating, could be..... If you do decide to replace the coil, setting the flywheel to coil gap is important .012" with the magnets to the coil. Also, becareful to not try cranking the engine over without the HT (spark plug) lead grounded you could ruin the new coil. Spark plug.... seen that happen before but not where it does it regulary after 5 minutes.. not a big job to check though, without looking it up I believe that plug should be an Champion RJ19LM, when you take it out of the box, the gap will probably be set around .025, reset the gap to .040". it will still work but not as well as it should. If all else fails, come fishing down here one weekend, I'll fix it for you. Please don't throw it out, I am always looking for "projects" that I can salvage for parts etc.. I have an apprentice working with me now and no matter how bad something is, it is an excellent opportunity for him to learn. Nothing gets wasted. Try the above and let me know what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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