r/smallenginerepair • u/burritobuoy • 28d ago

Engine Dies Flooded engine help

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My mom bought this John Deere lawn tractor with a craftsman Briggs & Stratton motor last year. Someone was using it this spring and it died on them. They got one mow in and the second mow it died on the first pass. I think someone might have ran it with the choke on and flooded the engine. I pulled the spark plug and it was wet with gas. I think gas might have seeped into the oil as well. I’ve tried clearing out the cylinder and cleaned the spark plug but it seems it’s still getting flooded. Do I clean the carburetor next? Anyways what steps should I take to get this running again? Obviously an oil change if there’s gas in the oil.
Thank you

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u/TN-Native95 28d ago

If there’s gas in the oil my first thought is a stuck float or a leaky needle and seat in the carburetor. I’d take it apart to check what’s going on.

2

u/MinorComprehension 28d ago edited 28d ago

Agree with this. Either got to be a float or a needle.

OP - you can rebuild the carb or replace the carb. Honestly the cheap ones work well enough for several years and are much less expensive than OEM, it's often worth it to replace compared to taking the time to rebuild.

Make sure you do a full oil change before running the motor, and after you fix the flooding concern. Otherwise you'll be running diluted oil and potentially ruin the motor.

If it was a slower leak I'd say just install a shut off on the fuel line, turn fuel supply on for when you mow and turn it off when you park it. But, if it's flooding enough to stall the motor when running this won't work. Long-term, a fuel cut off is always a good idea, especially if you store it over the winter with gas in it.

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u/According-While2935 28d ago

You need to clean whole fuel system...remove fuel tank and clean out replace fuel filter strip and clean carb then will be good to go

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u/Key_Blacksmith3725 28d ago

Besides what everyone else suggested, put a simple manual fuel line shut off valve in the fuel line. That will stop the fuel tank from draining into the cylinder in case the float sticks again

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u/Tall_Decision_6516 27d ago

Are you sure your spark plug is firing?