floydmassey Posted July 15, 2005 Posted July 15, 2005 Hello everyone, This is my first post on here. My neighbor gave me a 4212H that he left old gas in last year. It is in really good shape, no rust or flakes on the paint and all decals still look new. I have a few minor problems with it. I flushed the fuel tank, took off the carburetor and cleaned it out, put on a new fuel filter, spark plug and air filter, and add new gas and oil. It starts up and runs really good but will die after running for about 30 minutes and then is hard to restart. Also there is a hole on a stem on the elbow right below the air filter before going into the carburetor. Fuel leaks out of this hole when it is sitting in my garage. Is there something I can adjust on the carburetor? Or is there a problem with it that I can fix? I tried adjusting the carburetor so it idles smooth and it runs smooth at fast setting on throttle. The engine model number is 281707 12 HP Briggs and Stratton. Thanks for any help and advice.
toad270 Posted July 15, 2005 Posted July 15, 2005 mow the yard with it there is some dirt stuck in the needle valve thatis attached to the float and it will wash it out maybe or you might have to tear it apart but try mowing first it's easier
ZippoVarga Posted July 15, 2005 Posted July 15, 2005 Another suggestion is that the float isnt at the proper angle and you are effectively flooding the motor out once it reaches proper operating temperature. Also, being that everything appears clean........doesnt mean it is ALL clean. I might also sugest taking off the blower housing and making sure the cooling fins on the engine are free and clear of debris. Your leaking carb can easily be remidied by installing a fuel shut off valve. But as I stated prior, your problem is most likely a float that's improperly adjusted. The probablilty of a dirty needle and seat is also possible as toad suggests. You will find this out when you remove the fuel bowl and float. Another thing to do when you remove the float is to shake it. If you hear any "sloshing" in the float then it has a hole and needs repaired. It s a simple thing to do once you find the hole if you have a soldering iron and some solder (providing your float is brass). Just make sure if you find a hole that you evaporate all the fuel from the float prior to soldering the hole. Makes for a nice little KABOOM if you get the float too hot during the soldering. Just my two cents worth.
floydmassey Posted July 15, 2005 Author Posted July 15, 2005 Thank you for the suggestions. It looks like it is going to be a nice weekend so I will take it out and mow the lawn to try to clean it out before I take it off and tear it down again. When I initially took the carburetor apart, the wire that holds the float in place was missing. I had to take a wire off of a parts carburetor I had and I did not hear any gas inside the float when I had it apart. I am definitely going to put in the fuel cut out valve. Is is common for these older carbs to leak? Thanks again for your help.
toad270 Posted July 16, 2005 Posted July 16, 2005 I have had the same problem with feul leaking in the garage but it did go away after a mow or 2 I hope that is the problem if not follow zippovarga instructions
Jovee Posted July 16, 2005 Posted July 16, 2005 With the bowl off, hold the carb upside down. The float should sit parrallel with the base when the right adjustment is achieved. You can tweak it to sit slightly up angled (while upside down) without hurting anything. Also while upside down, blow thru the fuel inlet. If you get resistance and dont hear any air then the needle is seating properly. I have had the rare situation where despite having the thing set right it still seeps gas and just plugged the hole in the elbow with some JB and filed it under "unexplained phenomenon" _ Joe
floydmassey Posted July 18, 2005 Author Posted July 18, 2005 Thank you for all the suggestions for fixing the leaking carb. We have not had rain for a while here in Southeastern Wisconsin, so the grass has not grown enough to mow since I last had it out. So I took it out of the garage and ran it for about an hour while riding around the yard (my neighbors thought I was nuts). It seems to be running allot better and the leak has slowed down considerably. I am going to put in the cut out valve this week. Thanks again for the advice.
floydmassey Posted July 19, 2005 Author Posted July 19, 2005 Zippovarga, This may seem like a stupid question, I have the Briggs and Stratton repair manual and I looked up cooling. The only thing they covered is the air filter (which I have replaced). Where are the cooling fins you mentioned? Are they the raised ribs on the outside of the engine? As you can tell my small engine repair is pretty limited. Thank you, Floyd
Simplicity314 Posted July 19, 2005 Posted July 19, 2005 yep: those are the fins he is talking about. A little fact that I always thought was neat is the fins are actually a way to increase the surface area of the block, allowing heat to dissapate (?) over a greater area. Imagine "stretching" the engine so the fins unfold flat. make sure you get any debris out of the area where the valve stems are.
Simplicity314 Posted July 19, 2005 Posted July 19, 2005 oh yeah: it seems like all these carbs leak. A non-leaker is the exception!
floydmassey Posted July 19, 2005 Author Posted July 19, 2005 Thanks for the information Jim. I will pull it out and give it a good cleaning this week. The engine was caked in oil and grime and sat that way over the past couple of years before the PO gave it to me. I am thinking of getting out the pressure washer and a can of Gunk Engine Bright and giving it a good scrubbing.
ZippoVarga Posted July 22, 2005 Posted July 22, 2005 Floyd, Sorry about missing your posted question. But Jim summed it all up for you. You'll want to remove the flywheel shroud when you clean. Once you have the engine cleaned and back together you should be able to feel the "wind" blowing through the engine fins on the opposite side of the motor. Jovee also described how to set the float but don't get discouraged if it still leaks. We'll all get you running. There's a lot of information here. Well worth the 10 dollar a year membership.
tunester Posted November 9, 2005 Posted November 9, 2005 I'm having the same problem with a B-110 and have tried all but the JB Weld. Float is good, rebuilt the carb. Started on the first try but on the way to the barn after a 2 min. warm-up I gave it more throttle while driving, the engine died and now the carb is leaking again, but only after trying to start, it will not fire at all once this happens? It can sit for days and leaks no fuel. Timing? Valve?
Simplicity314 Posted November 10, 2005 Posted November 10, 2005 Tunester: First make sure tank is vented so gas flows, make sure fuel/air filters are clean, as well as the block. Simple first. Make sure the jet--the long brass tube with holes that screws through the carb body-- is seated well. If fuel seeps through this it will just fill up the bowl and pour out. Make sure you put the float needle on the right way and it's not hanging up. Also, did you CLEAN ALL the passages in the carb with compressed air? Parts in a kit may be new, but debris might be stuck in one or more of the passages in the carb body. Carb cleaner is not enough. If you don't have an air compressor, get a can or two of compressed air from a computer store and reclean the carb. If all else fails, I'd start looking at the valves, especially the exhaust. If it was the timing, it would still try to start and sputter a bit.
tunester Posted November 10, 2005 Posted November 10, 2005 Simplicity314: Thanks for all the tips. I do have a compressor but I think the float WAS sticking for whatever reason? I guess it just didn't seat right. After fixing the float it did fire a few times but would not start. Then I thought maybe the spark plug was not in all the way or something because I could hear air. Turns out the head gasket has a leak on the front side of the engine. It's a very small leak but still a leak. I'm thinking this was my problem all along and why my dad who gave me the tractor went with the other B-110 he has even though it burns oil. I'll call my parts guy and hopefully I can pick a new gasket up on Sat. Then I bet it will put every craftsman on my street to shame! LOL!
Simplicity314 Posted November 12, 2005 Posted November 12, 2005 doh! forgot about that, until after you mentioned it! I had the same problem with my landlord, couldn't figure it out and kirk (daddycat) actually solved it. It ran terribly and there was oil near the coil, and I thought it was misfiring b/c of a bad coil! It was actually seeping from the gasket. Glad you figured it out before getting into the valves.
tunester Posted November 13, 2005 Posted November 13, 2005 Me too. I got it going and pulled my lawnrake around yesterday. It needs some tuning but I think everything will work out. Thanks again.
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