Briggs & Stratton help

[RGardner]

I have a 6. 5 hp overhead valve bs that is used to move a sideroll irrigation system. It has run fine so far this season till yesterday. Now it does not want to run unless choked and then only in spurts. I can get it to run until you put a load on it then it dies. I took the bowl off to see it there might be water in it but no luck there. Drained a quite a bit of gas from the tank also. It will run full throttle for maybe 1 min then die. Any ideas?

 

[Byershome]

Check your fuel lines for leaks and your inline filter it may be plugged.

 

[lmills]

I know you said you checked the gas, but have you tried draining it and refilling with clean fuel?

 

[bmoeller]

First of all, take the B&S to an open area, and light it on fire. Then go get a Honda. :-laf



Seriously, though, are all of the linkages on the engine moving properly? I had a similar problem on one of our 5. 5hp OHV engines. Just played with all of the linkages by hand, then it ran fine. Hasn't happened again, yet... ... ... .



If it has been sitting for a long time, some carb cleaner and some fresh gas are in order. May need to clean the spark plug (or if it is a Champion plug replace it with a Motorcraft, or something else that is better.



I have had to take some things apart to get at the coil, and clean rust off of it, and the magnet on the flywheel.

 

[Dieselnut59]

First of all, take the B&S to an open area, and light it on fire. Then go get a Honda. :-laf



Seriously, though, are all of the linkages on the engine moving properly? I had a similar problem on one of our 5. 5hp OHV engines. Just played with all of the linkages by hand, then it ran fine. Hasn't happened again, yet... ... ... .



If it has been sitting for a long time, some carb cleaner and some fresh gas are in order. May need to clean the spark plug (or if it is a Champion plug replace it with a Motorcraft, or something else that is better.



I have had to take some things apart to get at the coil, and clean rust off of it, and the magnet on the flywheel.

Then light the Honda on fire and get a Yanmar. Once you go diesel, you will not want to EVER fool with ignition, chokes or carburators again!

Sounds to me like the main (power) jet is plugged. Small gasoline engines have an idle jet and a power jet in the carburator. If you are having to choke it to keep it running at higher throttle, you are "richening" the air/fuel mixture which is lean because of lack of fuel through the power jet. Remove tha carburator and clean it and the fuel lines. Make sure you get flow through the jets. I do this by using brake/carbrator cleaner and shooting it through the jets using the straw on the can of cleaner.

Hope this helps. If not, I have a 6. 5 horse Yanmar (also overhead valve) that is properly fueled that I would HIGHLY recommend!

 

[RGardner]

I will try the new fuel tomorrow. I replaced the spark plug this morning with the same results as before. The funny thing is that it worked fine for the first several days of this irrigation season. Started right up after the winter (had stabilized the fuel and poured a can a chem tool in the tank first thing this season), started on the second pull and ran fine for the first 4 moves then this problem.

 

[MMeier]

Much like our dear trucks, everything is fine and dandy till something decides it does not want to operate as intended.

 

[bmoeller]

RG, that what was wierd with the one I had trouble with. Had been using it for a week, then having starting problems. Been OK for the last week of spraying, though.

 

[RGardner]

Took the carb apart and cleaned the needle and jets and everything works fine now. Never could see anything in it but must have been something.