# craftsman riding mower not starting



## kkempker (Mar 29, 2011)

I’ve got a Craftsman mower, CV15s, that won’t start. At the bottom on the bowl of the carb, it has a shut off solenoid. This has broke. It seems that Craftsman puts these on their mowers. Kohler does not show it on the engine diagram, but if you look at Craftsman’s site, it does. A local shop thought it would work without the solenoid, so I got a short bolt to plug the hole, put the carb back on, still not working. 

I can get gas to the carb, but it is like gas is not going through the carb into the bowl. If we use starting fluid, it works, but as soon as we stop using the fluid, it dies. I took the bowl off, looked at the float, it seems fine, the needle valve was gummed up, cleaned it up, but it still won’t work. Still the same thing, gas not getting through the carb and into the bowl. 

Can anyone help me out here? Anyone know about the shutoff solenoid? Is it really needed? I don’t want to spend $50 on a part to find out that’s not the problem.


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

kkempker said:


> I’ve got a Craftsman mower, CV15s, that won’t start. At the bottom on the bowl of the carb, it has a shut off solenoid. This has broke. It seems that Craftsman puts these on their mowers. Kohler does not show it on the engine diagram, but if you look at Craftsman’s site, it does. A local shop thought it would work without the solenoid, so I got a short bolt to plug the hole, put the carb back on, still not working.
> 
> I can get gas to the carb, but it is like gas is not going through the carb into the bowl. If we use starting fluid, it works, but as soon as we stop using the fluid, it dies. I took the bowl off, looked at the float, it seems fine, the needle valve was gummed up, cleaned it up, but it still won’t work. Still the same thing, gas not getting through the carb and into the bowl.
> 
> Can anyone help me out here? Anyone know about the shutoff solenoid? Is it really needed? I don’t want to spend $50 on a part to find out that’s not the problem.


Kohler put that on the engine, not Sears. The engine will run without the solenoid. It is there to prevent "after fire" in the muffler when the engine is shut down. Your no run problem has something to do with fuel delivery through your carburetor. You need to check your main metering jet, and the nozzle and make sure they are clear. You can test the solenoid by energizing it with a battery 9 volt or simply plug it in, ground it to the engine block and turn the key to the on position. The needle should be drawn into the solenoid when it's energized, and spring out when power is cut.


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