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18 HP Briggs and Stratton engine won't start

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G. Mosley

03-15-2006 15:37:37




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I have a Poulan garden tractor. It has an 18 HP Briggs and Stratton overhead cam engine. I just paid Sears $300 to put a new starter on it. I also just put a new battery in it. Was running fine. We got it out to cut the yard for the first time this spring. It cut a small patch, then without warning, the engine sped up a little and it died. It would restart but it was like it was barely running. It will idle for about 30 seconds, very slowly, then go dead. Bluish gray smoke comes out the muffler. You can recrank, but goes dead again. Any thoughts on what this might be? I'm desperate. Just spent $300 on a 4 year old mower. I don't want to invest much more.

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c. hicks

03-16-2006 17:50:48




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 Re: 18 HP Briggs and Stratton engine won't start in reply to G. Mosley, 03-15-2006 15:37:37  
One other thing to check is the inside of your gas tank. Most tanks have a screen at the outlet hole in the tank, grass and other junk can plug it up, seen that happen on alot of garden tractors i repaired. Also it wouldnt hurt to check the oil level for the smoking part.



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Hermit

03-15-2006 19:32:54




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 Re: 18 HP Briggs and Stratton engine won't start in reply to G. Mosley, 03-15-2006 15:37:37  
Don't forget to check that the vent is clear on the fuel tank cap.



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souNdguy

03-15-2006 17:48:36




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 Re: 18 HP Briggs and Stratton engine won't start in reply to G. Mosley, 03-15-2006 15:37:37  
I agree with frankie. i used to have a trail mower with a 10hp brigs engine.. carb setup one summer and float/needle stuck. Unit would start.. then starve down fast as gas could only trickle past the stuck needle into the bowl.

A carb cleaning fixed that..

Soundguy



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frankiee

03-15-2006 16:48:59




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 Re: 18 HP Briggs and Stratton engine won't start in reply to G. Mosley, 03-15-2006 15:37:37  
My guess is that you have a centipede in the carburetor.
What I mean by a centipede is some sort of crap in the fuel filter or the carb.
It could be a real centipede also. It happened to me a few years back on a boat motor.
The sign is that it speeds up just before it quits. This is because it is running lean just as it is running out of fuel.
Try squirting in fuel to the carb with a joy bottle as a test to see if it keeps going. Be careful.
The fact that it is smoking I think is because it is still fresh from being stopped all winter.
Should clear up as it is run for 10 or 14 minutes
.
Could be many different things but I think this stenario is very common after a winter so I would start there. Darn centipedes..

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