UPDATE on repair of Craftsman Lawn Tractor

I had a similar on my MTD and it cleared up when I cleaned the air filter and toped-off the oil. Might check the vanes on the governor.

clean the air filter and adjust the needle valve (in that order). cs

Oops, I forgot to check the oil today... Will check both oil and air filter tomorrow. The air filter is not so bad, but I will clean it anyway. Thank you.

Where is that needle valve and how to adjust it. I can post very detailed pictures if necessary. Needle valve sounds like it could be of great relevance to my story. Thank you.

I had a pressure washer doing that. I cleaned out the gas tank and carb, both were on the dirty side having various amounts of crude, gunk and what-ever. It's a family tool that gets passed around and abused.

Lane

perhaps 2

It will be on the carb body. Looks like a screw and will have a spring under the head....

Thanks, perhaps I will take it off and wash it... How much time might that take?

Thanks... I will try messing with it tomorrow...

Fuel filter clogged ?

Maybe slow flow - fills the float and then you run it out - starves and ...

Martin

Thanks Martin. I will add fiel filter to the list of things to check. There could be dirt in the carb too, it was all cruddy.

You DID buy a repair manual for that beast while you were at Searz, didn't you, Iggy? Get that and you'll know how to rebuild and adjust the carb, clean the governor, set the belt tension, adjust the gidge-gadgets (as my female neighbor calls machines/tools/mechanical things) etc. Even at Searz prices, they're worth it.

- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---

It's likely that the problem is the idle mixture adjustment. The problem is that until I see a picture of the carb I don't know which one you've got.

Most likely there's not a main mixture adjustment on the carb. They quit putting them on there a long time ago to comply with emissions laws (which is crazy to me). It might not even have a idle adjustment. There's getting to be more of them out there that can't be adjusted at all.

Anyway if there's a screw with a spring under the head on the side or top of the carb somewhere that's going to be the idle adjustment. If there's a screw with a spring on the nut which held the float bowl on then that will be the main adjustment.

To adjust first run the engine at a high rpm and get the main adjustment set (if it has one) to where it runs the best. Then slowly idle it down as low as can without it dying. Then slowly turn the idle mixture. If it starts slowing down more then go the other way (preferably reverse it fast enough that the engine doesn't die). You adjust that screw till the engine runs the best it can at idle. You'll likely have to make several attempts at it slowing the engine down more each time till actually does idle properly.

If adjusting the screw doesn't do anything then the idle circuit in the carb is stopped up and will have to be cleaned out.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Sounds more like the governor spring got stretched or the linkage is out of adjustment.

I feel quite stupid that I did not do that. As a computer programmer, I am too impatient to read manuals, but I can if I force myself to.

thanks... I will check it out..

Wayne, I saved your post... will follow it tomorrow... thanks...

By the way, my bowl does not have an adjustable screw holding it. There are two adjustable screws, on the carb.

We're manly men and we don't NEED no stinking manuals!!!

Oh yeah I forgot about the idle speed screw. It will be the one near the throttle shaft. The other in this case will be the idle mixture adjustment.

If it's placed near the intake flange of the carb it'll be a idle air adjustment but it still adjusts the idle mixture.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX