# Spark plug becoming fouled



## Bob DiGiacomo (Jan 15, 2009)

I have a 3 yr old tecumseh / craftsman pressure washer that was not quite running smoothly at full throttle, so I pulled the carb bowl and cleaned the main jet. After that quick fix the pressure washer ran great for about 20 minutes, but then it would not restart. The plug was fouled with a black powdery residue. Would excess carb cleaner that I sprayed on the top half of the carb (since I did not pull it off) cause this condition? I also noticed a weird smell in the exhaust right after I cleaned the carb. So, do you think I need to pull the entire carb and clean everything, or is the plug not going to foul next time I use it? I used new gas too. Thanks


----------



## paulr44 (Oct 14, 2008)

No, the carb. cleaner would have been passed very quickly.
Exhaust smells are usually due to improper fuel mixure, or oil being burnt. Rotten eggs, lean mixture; burning eyes, rich mixture; smelly blue/white smoke, oil.

Check: oil level for being overfilled (and dipstick for being tight); air filter for being restricted / oil saturated.
Plug fouling: "powdery" suggests fuel, whearas "slimy" suggests oil. Black describes either.
If it's 3 years old, the carb. probably has a plastic main feed tube (red or green) that protrude into the center of the venturi of the carb. that's sealed with 2 o-rings. If so, using carb. spray cleaner may have degraded them, and could be effecting the mixture, although the usual result is too lean when they're bad. It's SOP for me to replace these when servicing a so-equipped carb.
Paul


----------



## Bob DiGiacomo (Jan 15, 2009)

Thanks Paul,

The exhause burnt my eyes. I checked the oil it is at the right level, but it seems watered down (thin and clear, not brown or black). The air filter is very clean, but it has some excess oil on it. What steps should I take to correct the problem. Thanks Bob


----------



## CHUY68 (Aug 20, 2008)

may be an out of adjustment/faulty carb float , gas got mixed with the oil. if its gas with the oil and you said oil is at the right mark on dipstick, i would drain the oil add new oil and see if it corrects the problem, look for engine flooding after running engine.


----------



## Bob DiGiacomo (Jan 15, 2009)

It turned out the problem was the oil. I have used it one time since I changed the oil and it started right up first pull and the smell was gone. I also noticed that before the oil change it was very hard to pull the starter rope, but the starter rope pulls that way it should. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. Bob


----------

