OT Repair of Sears lawn TRACTOR leaking gas

There could always be something else wrong but you have to start somewhere. If it's obvious the float has a leak you start there but I'd also order a carb kit because it should include a new valve and seat and needed gaskets for reassembly. The crud you found in the bowl tells me the whole carb should be disassembled and cleaned.

Don't quite get the last statement but my guess is that there was no fuel leaking before you got it to run because 1) the line was clogged by all the crud you say you found in the bowl, and 2) because many of those have a diaphram type pump that is actuated by the engine so they don't pump until the engine is either being cranked or is running.

If you can't find the parts locally go to

click on the "Parts" link on the left side of the page and enter your model number with a "." where you have a space and you'll be able to look at a breakdown and parts listing. Up the quantity of the parts you need to 1 and then click on the "View Cart" button and it will show you prices. The float is only $4.06. I don't see a complete kit listed so I selected the needle and seat and every seal and O ring on the list for a grand total of $15.44, plus shipping unless you have a Sears parts center in your area.

If you remove the carb from the engine you'll also want to replace the mounting gasket.

It might also be a good idea to purchase an inline filter (~$3) to put in the fuel line so this doesn't happen again, or at least not any time soon. :-)

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Does the tractor have a fuel pump? It may be keeping the fuel from running out untill the pump starts pumping???

i recently had a stuck float in my lawnmower. to my surprise the crankcase was full of gasoline, the fuel leaked past the rings and into the crankcase. (it was a nightmare, i had the carb off and cranked the engine, the engine RAN without a carburetor and started overspeeding. fuel was gushing like a fountain out the breather hose and all over the engine, was terrifying.) better check your oil. (not sure if that's what you meant by "...When I shook it, it became apparent that it is gasoline-logged. There is liquid in it, splashing inside...."

b.w.

-snip-

If the float is brass, you need to see a little split/hole whatever that let the gas inside.... then, drill a couple little holes to let the gas out, clean up the brass, then solder the holes and the split closed.... good as new. Clean up the rest of the carb, including all the air passages/jets, etc. Ken.

Yep. I see a lot of engines ruined this way. It goes like this. The owner parks it after mowing with some gas in the tank. The next time they go to mow they find the tank empty so they just fill it up and start the mower. Go mow the grass till the bearings seize or the rod gets thrown through the side of the block. They then come to me and say it was making a funny noise before it quit running.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Yeah, even a Searz.

That'll do it.

Of course there could be something else wrong. You haven't run it long enough to determine that yet, and until you do, you won't know. Chances are good that it is the only problem unless the guy tried to fix things himself or had some idiot over who "thinks he knows something" about mowers.

I used to make a lot more money on customers who had these guys work on their vehicles before I got to 'em. Ditto computers. I love the USMC. Their boys sent more work my way early in my career. ;)

That's a puzzler, isn't it? Perhaps the flooded float had just enough buoyancy to seal when it was sitting still, but it bobbed around and leaked when the engine was running. I've been amazed (in a former life) at vehicles DRIVING into my shop with 1/4" of sand/rust/silt in the float bowl. (HUH? This thing RUNS?)

Bottom line: Call your local shops to see if the float is stocked. Worst case: You'll have to call Searz Parts. They seem to think their parts are all made of gold-pressed latinum and price them accordingly.

I do not think so. The fuel kept leaking long after the engine was shut down.

I will rephrase my question. Gas leaked out of the tractor with the engine shut down. However,, before I tried to start the tractor, gas did not leak out. I am not sure what could explain that.

i

Thanks. The first thing that I will do today is buy a fuel shutoff valve. I also found out that replacement floats can be picked up at our local Sears, for $4.06.

i

For $4.06, I can as well buy a new float...

i

Scary stuff. My engine did not make any funny noises that I could hear. It choked on gasoline, which blocked supply of air -- that's my explanation. I will drain all oil and pour in new oil.

i

That's exactly what happened, he had his buddy look at it and "do something", and then it stopped working shortly thereafter. At that point my seller bought himself a new tractor.

My thinking is, if this is the first thing that is broken, it may as well be the last. I'll see.

Sears stocks this float for $4.06. It weight, perhaps, 4 grams, so it is $1 per gram. About 4 times more expensive that silver.

i

The previous owner is wrong. The engine is a Tecumseh. You can go to Sears Parts on the web and get an illustrated parts list. I believe that the part numbers will be Tecumseh part numbers, so you can then Google and find places that sell Tecumseh parts. I found the following place which seems to have about the lowest prices on engine parts. Their web site however is clunky.

If anyone knows of a better place to get parts, please post the information.

Dan

Ignoramus23461 wrote:

Thanks Dan. At this point, I found out that the parts are available at my local Sears repair center. I will try going there tonight. I will keep my fingers crossed that there is nothing else wrong with this tractor.

i

Engines with gravity feed fuel systems receive fuel from a "bowl" under the carburetor. As far as the engine is concerned, the bowl is the fuel tank. A small opening from the carburetor's throat, a little tube if you will, projects down below the fuel level in the bowl. Fuel is picked up from the opening in the throat and effectively "carburated" as it is sucked into the engine. The float is there to regulate fuel level in the bowl. As fuel is drawn off, the float drops and opens a valve that allows more fuel to come in and automatically maintain fuel level in the bowl. When the float doesn't work properly the bowl overfills and fuel flows through the pickup tube into the carburetor.

Bob Swinney

Bob, you are perfecty accurate. Exactly how it works in my tractor.

i

following

anyone

Jack's Small Engines is OK

Tulsa Engine Warehouse has dimensioned drawings for popular small engines-nice to have if you're doing a replacement...

Probably the float was stuck before you started it. It broke free after starting but was to heavy and wouldn't shut off.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

It's likely a Tecumseh on a older Sears alright but it's not set in stone. Sears uses Briggs engines with there name on them as well.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

that makes sense... hopefully I will visit Sears today...

i