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Craftsman Lawnmower will not start

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maalu's Avatar
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Join Date: Mar 2008
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22-Mar-2008, 03:10 PM #1
Craftsman Lawnmower will not start
Hello everyone...

I have a 6.75 HP Craftsman lawn mower (model no. 917.377912, about 8 years old). It quit working on the last day I used it this (last) fall, during the middle of mowing. I left the repairs till I needed it again, and this spring I tried to start it after taking care of the usual trouble spots (i.e. I drained and refilled the oil and changed the airfilter and spark plug). It did start up and I left it running for a while (to make sure that the fuel was OK; I was still using the fuel in the tank that was left over from fall). After about 3-4 minutes there was loud noise and the lawn mower stopped working. Now I am not able to start it up at all. Do any of you have any suggestions as to what the problem (and, if possible, the solution) is? I would be grateful for any help I can get...
lotuseclat79's Avatar
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22-Mar-2008, 06:55 PM #2
Hi maalu,

First, I would get some fresh gas - i.e. never start a new season with old gas - dump the left over in your car so it can mix with a recent fillup. Also, always drain the gas left over from the season in your lawn mower's tank rather than let it sit in the line, tank and carburetor - it may have gummed things up inside the carburetor. Use a self priming siphon hand pump like you can get from Harbor Freight Tools online for a reasonable price - item 03878-0RYA (siphon pump kit) at $9.99 sometimes $4.99 when they have a sale on it their catalog. (at http://www.harborfreight.com ).

Sounds like it may have backfired, which may mean a carburetor problem. I do happen to know that the local Sears in my neck-of-the-woods has a discount if you bring it in before 5/1/08 - parts not included, or you could opt to try rebuilding the carburetor with a rebuild kit if they carry them (they probably do as that sounds like it would be a common problem for lawnmowers).

-- Tom
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Last edited by lotuseclat79; 22-Mar-2008 at 07:05 PM..
Soundy's Avatar
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23-Mar-2008, 03:52 PM #3
I'll second all of what lotuseclat79 says there, but I'd be interested in a better description of this noise, as "a loud noise" could be a number of things.

Gummed up from bad gas is pretty likely in this situation, though.
maalu's Avatar
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23-Mar-2008, 04:40 PM #4
It was not exactly the noise of a backfire; there was more of a metallic timbre to it. When the lawn mower stopped following this noise, I checked all the accessible (without dismantling the engine) rotating parts to see if anything had broken / worked loose, but I couldn't find anything.

If it indeed is a gummed up carburettor, I presume just draining the old gas out and refilling with new gas wouldn't be enough - I would have to take the carburettor aprt and clean it, right?

As always, thanks for your help...
JohnWill's Avatar
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23-Mar-2008, 05:05 PM #5
I'm guessing you may have had an internal failure. The metallic noise doesn't sound good...
Soundy's Avatar
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23-Mar-2008, 05:54 PM #6
Yeah, my thinking exactly. Worst case would be something like a broken ring or connecting rod. If it's a four-stroke engine, a broken valve spring or bent valve would be a close second. Snapped reed valve on a two-stroke would be a distant third (they're usually pretty easy to fix).

Does it still seem to have compression when you turn it over (ie. if it's a manual start, pull-start etc., is it hard to turn, or does it turn in "spurts") or does it just spin easily? The latter could be symptoms of any of the above.
The Easy's Avatar
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28-Mar-2008, 10:32 AM #7
Get A Honda
n2gun's Avatar
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28-Mar-2008, 12:20 PM #8
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Easy View Post
Get A Honda
And send more money to Japan
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