# B&S 12hp hard starting



## MGW (Sep 10, 2005)

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B&S 12 hp engine hard to start 
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#1 Today, 08:27 PM 
MGW 
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B&S 12 hp engine hard to start 

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I have a lawn tractor with a Briggs and Stratton 12 hp model 281707 engine. The engine is hard starting when cold. It chugs for a bit until it gets going. Sometimes it chugs and stalls. After the engine is warm it starts ok. The gas is fresh. The choke seems to be working ok. I tried starting fluid thinking it was a carburetor problem. The starting fluid didn't help. The air cleaner is clean. New sparkplug. The compression is low when the engine sits 30-45 psi.
After the engine has been running the compression goes to 80 psi. I squirted oil in the cylinder and the compression went to 80 psi when cold. After addin the oil the engine started fine two times, when I cut the grass. On the third time the engine was hard to start again and the compression was low. This occured over a couple of weeks. I'm thinking head gasket. Is there any way to tell for sure before I take the engine apart? Or do you think I may have another problem?


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well, it may be a head gasket, but what about valves? is it a i/c? or a regular one? how old and how much use? it just may have low compression due to rings, or valves, or a collection of the two. you could try a head gasket, but while your there make sure the head isn't warped.


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## MGW (Sep 10, 2005)

*B&S 12hp engine hard starting*

Yes this engine is an i/c. I thought with the increased compression when oil is squirted into the cyclinder throught the sparkplug hole the problem would have to be rings or head gasket. The tractor is about 15 years old used about 45 minutes a week in the spring, summer and fall.

Any additional thoughts?

Thanks


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## UncleTom (Aug 29, 2004)

my mothers mower acted like that and it turned out to be the carb running over while it wasnt used. It would start hard and then chug because there was so much fuel in the cylinder. It would start and run just fine when it was warm cause it takes awhile for the carb to run over that much. I put a new needle and seat in it and problem was gone. Just my .02


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