Well, all seemed fine last night after changing the plugs, so I buttoned up the tractor. This morning, though 15 minutes was enough for her to say "Nope. Not gonna start no more, no more." Hooked up a timing light to one of the plugs, tuned it over, and no flashety-flashety. Pulled the dead-man wire form the Ignition module, and still no light. Cranked one more time, and fired right up. What the???? Tapped the ignition module with a hammer, and she died right there. Well, $80 and 20 minutes later, a new ignition module fixed the problem. Used the thing all day hauling much around the yard with nary a hiccup. In fact, the "puff/poof" I was hearing in the exhaust is gone, and it runs smoother than ever. Thanks everyone for your help. Andy ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ==
Original Post: Hello, folks. I have a Craftsman lawn tractor with a 20HP Kohler Magnum engine. (Inherited it with the new house last fall, so I don't know all the history.) On the first start, whether it's 50 deg or 85 deg., 3/4 to full choke, and 3/4 throttle fires immediately. I can then open the choke and throttle down to warm up for five minutes or so. (It will go right into running full throttle with no choke, too, but I generally don't do that). No hestitation, and engine runs great with full power while mowing. My problem comes when attempting to re-start a warm engine. It will not re-fire no matter what the combination of choke/throttle, and seems to be flooded; however, remove the plugs and they are dry. Air filter and fuel filter are new. Plugs are old, and will be replaced, but cleaning and re-gapping did not help. Only after everything cools off will it re-start, and then with no choke (or throttle) needed. Time for a carb rebuild? Thanks for any responses. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- --
Follow-up Post: I pulled the covers off the engine sides last night, and discovered that Mrs. Mouse had built a nest under the left-side cover. (I won't detail my findings, but let's just say she won't do it again.) Cooling on that side was definitely compromised. I also changed out the plugs (which I found were two heat ranges too low, and actually an automotive plug). Buttoned everything back up, and ran at full throttle for about 30 minutes, and couldn't duplicate the problem. One thing I did notice, though, is that while running full-throttle, there is an occasional "poof" sound in the exhaust. I never noticed it with ear defenders on and the blades turning. Maybe I *do* have an ignition module that's starting to go south. Time will tell, since the grass is still growing, and I'll be mowing again soon. If she doesn't start up after that, I'll check the module, and the ignition wiring.
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