I wasn't sure which section this belonged in, could be lawn and garden but my issues are mechanical, my apologies if it's in the wrong section.
I bought a used riding lawn mower a few years ago which had obviously not been taken care of very well, but you get what you pay for. It's a Poulan 14542LT with a 14.5hp Briggs and Stratton motor. Had the mower been serviced properly, or, ever, I'm sure it would be a fine mower.
The first time I started it this year it ran rough, I suspected carburetor issues so i took the air filter for a closer look, and fuel was shooting up out of the intake. I suspected float or needle issues.
I took the carburetor off and it was a complete mess, a gallon of degreaser and parts cleaner couldn't put a dent in the grease. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to routine maintenance so I just went ahead and bought a new carb (it's was a Nikki, carb was original) and thought it might be best to start fresh.
Unfortunately you can't buy these locally so I got one off of Amazon. While the carburetor was en route, I went ahead and changed my oil, twice, to fully remove the fuel that had flooded the crankcase, pulled the spark plug and turned the engine over to clear the cylinder, degreased everything, then put on a new plug and air filter.
The Amazon carburetor was cheap, Chinese made, and the plastic choke link lever (is that the correct term?) on the carburetor cracked only seconds after I got the thing out of the box. After a round of plastic weld, which held nicely, surprisingly, the carburetor was on the motor as well as the intake.
So i fire it up, and it runs like crap, white smoke everywhere. After some fiddling with the choke at the carburetor things smooth out a bit, but I noticed the choke is very finicky and the engine only runs even somewhat smoothly in one position. The engine seems to slow and sputter when I push the choke lever, this seems inverse to me, shouldn't the engine speed up? This is my first problem. I could use some tips for how to fix this as I am no carburetor expert.
On to my second problem. I hopped on the mower to take it for a victory lap around the backyard, and it won't move. Clutch lever feels okay, parking break engages. I took a peak under the mower and the belts seem to be on track. Mechanically, gear shift works fine all the way to the trans. I didn't have the rear tires off so the pin wouldn't have fell out of the rear axle. What could cause it not to go in gear?
Lastly, are any of you guys free to give me a hand in pushing this heap of scrap metal with wheels off the nearest cliff? Kidding....... only slightly.
I bought a used riding lawn mower a few years ago which had obviously not been taken care of very well, but you get what you pay for. It's a Poulan 14542LT with a 14.5hp Briggs and Stratton motor. Had the mower been serviced properly, or, ever, I'm sure it would be a fine mower.
The first time I started it this year it ran rough, I suspected carburetor issues so i took the air filter for a closer look, and fuel was shooting up out of the intake. I suspected float or needle issues.
I took the carburetor off and it was a complete mess, a gallon of degreaser and parts cleaner couldn't put a dent in the grease. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to routine maintenance so I just went ahead and bought a new carb (it's was a Nikki, carb was original) and thought it might be best to start fresh.
Unfortunately you can't buy these locally so I got one off of Amazon. While the carburetor was en route, I went ahead and changed my oil, twice, to fully remove the fuel that had flooded the crankcase, pulled the spark plug and turned the engine over to clear the cylinder, degreased everything, then put on a new plug and air filter.
The Amazon carburetor was cheap, Chinese made, and the plastic choke link lever (is that the correct term?) on the carburetor cracked only seconds after I got the thing out of the box. After a round of plastic weld, which held nicely, surprisingly, the carburetor was on the motor as well as the intake.
So i fire it up, and it runs like crap, white smoke everywhere. After some fiddling with the choke at the carburetor things smooth out a bit, but I noticed the choke is very finicky and the engine only runs even somewhat smoothly in one position. The engine seems to slow and sputter when I push the choke lever, this seems inverse to me, shouldn't the engine speed up? This is my first problem. I could use some tips for how to fix this as I am no carburetor expert.
On to my second problem. I hopped on the mower to take it for a victory lap around the backyard, and it won't move. Clutch lever feels okay, parking break engages. I took a peak under the mower and the belts seem to be on track. Mechanically, gear shift works fine all the way to the trans. I didn't have the rear tires off so the pin wouldn't have fell out of the rear axle. What could cause it not to go in gear?
Lastly, are any of you guys free to give me a hand in pushing this heap of scrap metal with wheels off the nearest cliff? Kidding....... only slightly.
