# craftsman push mower



## 2mcgrath (Oct 10, 2003)

i bought a new craftsman push mower last year with the honda motor.i used it about 3 months to finish out the season.i got it out this year to start the season and it ran alittle while then started backfiring then died,wouldnt crank back.changed plug fired right back up ran awhile done the same thing again.so i took the carb off cleaned it,put a new plug in ran awhile done the same thing.took it back to sears for warranty to see if they would fix it.so they sent it off, guy calls says needs carb cleaned and that it wasnt covered under warranty would be $100 bucks.i said hell no send it back.so i went picked it back up.checked the carb again installed new plug done the exact same thing.so im starting to think the ignition is going out.and i think only reason they said it was the carb is because they didnt want to do the warranty work without getting paid.needless to say i will never buy anything from sears again.because i know for a fact there was nothing in the carb because i cleaned it before i took it to them.you guys got any idea's what could be wrong with it.i fix my own lawnmowers all the time but this one has me stumped.ive also drained the tank several times but no help


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Did you replace the air filter? If the air filter is restricted it will make your engine run rich and the spark plug will foul after a short time. The air filter may not look particularly dirty, but can be plugged with microscopic dirt particles. If you have not replaced the filter, then that is what I would try.


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## justin3 (Apr 10, 2007)

Is your fuel switch on or clogged up?


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## 2mcgrath (Oct 10, 2003)

well the airfilter looked allright but i could change it and try it.and the fuel switch was clean i took it off and blowed it out.i tried running it without the airfilter didnt seem to help.but i could try a new filter


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Be sure to replace the spark plug when you install a new air filter, this way you can tell if the filter makes a difference on the life of the plug.

One other thing to check is the valve lash, incorrectly set valves can cause problems also, but I don't think it would be a problem with the ignition, unless the flywheel key is bent or sheared.


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## justin3 (Apr 10, 2007)

Bring it down to your local repair dealer, sears is very expensive, my local dealer only charges $30 for carb cleans so I would check around if you can't figure it out yourself.


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## jetrail (Dec 7, 2005)

this might sound off but try to check for water in the gas i just sold a murray ad the thing was giving me fits getting it ready to be sold , would run , backfire some and pop ect then die anter cleaning the carb and checking the bowl about 5 times i finally got all the water out of the thing by running a little dry gas in there too , so it might help


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## 2mcgrath (Oct 10, 2003)

yeah i will keep fooling around with it to see if i can get anywhere.i thought it had water in it myself but have drained the tank and carb several times to no aval.


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