# Craftsman-Briggs 13.5 engine problem



## megavites (Apr 10, 2009)

5 yr old mid engine rider that is giving me trouble that I believe is carb related.
Mower starts and runs fine but when hot (20 min) will start to sputter.
Sometimes it will bellow white smoke and die. It appears that it is not pulling
enough fuel as I look at the clear fuel filter.
Another symptom is flooding. I have found gas slick in the oil.

Would you start with a carb rebuild and fuel shutoff inline?

FYI, the armature-magneto was replaced last summer due to a no start condition.


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## phillipmc (Jan 27, 2008)

really no point in the fuel shutoff valve unless its something you would like to do. But deffently rebuild the carb.


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## megavites (Apr 10, 2009)

Only reason I was thinking fuel shutoff is because of the ethanol in the gas these days. Its probably what has caused the problem in the carb.

I'm confused as to why it would blow white smoke after running a while.
Flooding?


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## phillipmc (Jan 27, 2008)

also try running with a half tank and the fuel cap removed ( half tank is to keep gas from sloshing all over the place ) to see if your fuel cap is venting properly


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## megavites (Apr 10, 2009)

I'm leaning towards a carb rebuild kit and a cylinder head gasket to see if that takes care of it.

Any other suggestions?


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

The white smoke is generally from oil, if fuel is getting into your crankcase and contaminating the oil, then it can be overfull in the crankcase. If this is the case then the mixture will accumulate in the breather and eventually feed into the carburetor via the breather tube. This mixture will cause a lot of smoke. 

If there was gas in the oil, you need to drain the crankcase and refill with good clean oil. As a matter of course, I generally install inline fuel valves whenever I service a carburetor, this makes it easier to replace fuel filters and service the carburetor in the future. Definitely take care of your flooding issue first.


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## megavites (Apr 10, 2009)

took another look today, started it and it ran for a minute, then oil spit out at the carb. Check the fill level and it was fine. Decided to drain and it was full of gas again. New oil and it ran fine.

I will be rebuilding the carb, adding a fuel shutoff and possibly a head gasket while I'm at it. Not sure why oil would spit if fill level was normal. Maybe the gas dilution had something to do with it? It was water thin.


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