It's Steve writing. Could you please help me with a mower issue.
My 6.5 hp, 22" Sears Craftsman mower won't start (part no 917.377574). The engine is an "Eager 1"
I have already:
1. Replaced plug with correct plug.
2. Replaced air filter.
3. Emptied all oil & put in new, fresh oil.
The mower is a 4-cycle, but has a "push bulb" to get gas into the carb prior to starting. So I'm not sure if using starter fluid would help.
There is no fuel filter that I can see in order to change.
2 weeks ago I was cutting the grass, then stopped to take a break. It wouldn't restart. I waited about 2 hours & eventually I got it restarted.
1 week ago it was very difficult to start. Once I got it started, for the 1st 15 minutes of lawn mowing I could hear the engine oscillating in tone.
The mower is a year 2000, given to me in late 2005. I don't think it was well cared for by the prior owner. I confess that I haven't paid much attention to the age of the fuel I've been using. The manual says use fuel <30 days old. I haven't done this & haven't used STABIL either.
Any suggestions? Please tell me there are a few more tricks I can do before taking the carb apart to clean it.
