# Won't start when engine is hot



## dtop (Apr 16, 2006)

I have a Snapper riding lawn mower with a 8hp Briggs & Stratton engine. A few times the engine would die when the engine has warmed up (Cutting for 45 min to a hr.). When this happened it would not start until the engine is completely cooled. Then it will start on the 1st pull. What should I look at first? Thank you for any help.


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## scrench (Dec 8, 2004)

make sure the vent cap on the tank is open sounds like it might be closed


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## Roperman (Apr 17, 2006)

make sure that the cooling system is free of grass and stuff,, it might be over heating maybe,, maybe the coil too


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## icepickjake (Mar 17, 2006)

you could have a pinched wire, when the electrical curent flows through the wire it heats up and the insulation melts, causing a ground, when the wire cools it "heals" itself allowing you to start it again


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## TownWrench (Sep 27, 2005)

*Wont Start When Engine Is Hot*

I Just Had The The Same Problem On The Same Machine. I Found Some Powder Burn Mark On The Coil Wire, I Replaced The Coil And That Solved The Problem. It Was A White To Light Brownish Powder Burn Mark.let Me Know . I;m Curious? Thanks Townwrench


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## dtop (Apr 16, 2006)

Thank you for the info, I checked the coil and it looked good. I got some good info on another site for troubleshooting small engines. It talked about the engine getting over heated and heating the gas which would than cause a vapor lock (small bubbles in the gas). This would shut off the fuel flow in the gas line or carb. And it wouldn't start again until the fuel cools. It said that most of the time this is cause by the cooling fins filled with debris. Sure enough, I took a second look and bent back the shield and the cooling fins on the bottom were full. I cleaned them good and got a new cap for the fuel tank, filter and it ran good today. On my engine it is easy to see the cooling fins on top but you have to bend back the shield to see the bottom ones. That's were my problem was....Hope this helps out someone else. Thank you for the help. :thumbsup:


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