[jsflynn603]

I picked up a big wheel lawnmower at the dump (It's not a Yazoo, but it looks like a Yazoo). It had what appeared to be a seized 5hp B&S I/C engine.

I found the carb full of water, and so cleaned it out, put in some marvel mystery oil, loosened it, and it fired up and has run for two years now.

Occasionally it acts up and I have to move the throttle into the choke zone for it to run, then it seems to clear itself. Today this happened and it just got worse and worse, until it had zero power, and essentially I shut it down.

It still starts and runs, but only with the choke full on.

I'm thinking that there's something in the carb, perhaps a bit of something that obstructing gas flow or possibly a fuel line obstruction, so tomorrow I'll remove the carb, pull it apart and clean it out.

Might there be other areas that I don't know about that would cause this to occur?

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Saturday is our town's "Old Home Day" and my lawn is half mowed... it's embarassing!

Thanks

 

[Austen]

Welcome to MLMF!

Gotta' love the durability of an 'ol Briggs engine, huh. Those I/C's are pretty darn near bullet proof!

It sounds like a neat mower you have there, it would sure be fun to see it! You're definitely on the right path by deciding to pull the carburetor and check it out along with the rest of the fuel system. It does sound like an obstruction somewhere and I would also check the gas tank as well to make sure there's not something blocking the fuel flow. If the problem persists and it's not fuel related, my next hunch would be a spark issue, but first things first, check the fuel system and go from there.

Keep us updated and again, welcome aboard!