Lawn mower starts with choke pulled all the way out but then dies when choke is pushed in?

Question

I have a few years old MTD riding mower from lowes, It has the briggs &stratton 14hp engine. I replaced the spark plug and the fuel filter the aircleaner looks good so why will it run fine with the choke pulled out but dies when it is pushed back in ? It started doing this while I was mowing last week

Answer 1

Carb needs a good cleaning and possibly a kit. Diaphragm kits are available at hardware stores and some auto parts stores. The carb is not flowing enough fuel to run without the choke on (my mower has to run with choke partially pulled too). Good luck !

Answer 2

One of two things:

1) Water in the carburator Bowl.

Water is heavier than gas and settles to the botom where the carburator picks up gas to run. The choke uses a different port so it will suck gas.

It probably has a Briggs and Stratton. Use a wrench, or socket to unscrew the carburator bowl nut in the center bottom of the bowl. Remove the bowl and dump it out.
*You may want to do this outside as gas will continue to flow untill you reinstall the carburator bowl, unless you pinch off the fuel line with a clamp.


2) If there is no water in the bowl, you may have to replace, or rebuild the carburator due to old gas gumming everything up inside the carb.
This usualy happens from sitting for a long time without use.

If there is water in the bottom of the bowl, check your gas can too for condensation.

This new gas has so much alcohol in it, it atracts moisture from the air.

Answer 3

Deffinitely carb subject matters for effective. tell tale signal is at the same time as the pulling the choke saves the engine and pushing it in kills it. Pulling the choke helps more effective gas to come back in. Take off the bowl of the carb and seem in it? Do you be conscious water contained in the gas or dirt? Is your gas yellow. it may well be so basic as cleansing out the bowl and draining the gas. gas begins to interrupt down after 30 days and between the best motives for complications. you'd be shocked what percentage contraptions come into the keep and whinge they're demanding to commence or received't run and its gas proper subject matters. in case you stumble on that your choose the flow bowl is sparkling take off the carb and sparkling it very sturdy. basically remeber the way it is going back mutually. Use any carb solvent cleanser. should be even more effective valuable in case you ought to get your palms on compressed air. in case you stumble on out that the carb nevertheless received't artwork, its time for a sparkling one or a minimum of a carb equipment

Answer 4

the carberator has small particals of trash in it. this clogged up the fuel passages. remove the carb and clean it. also even if the air filter looks good this is not always the case. change it first before removing the carb and try running the mower.

Answer 5

This is a 14hp briggs.... no diapragms.... good ol float type.
If you weren't using 10% ethanol gas..... no alcohol to suck water... so it will settle.
I'd lean towards a clogged main jet or water in the gas myself also...

Answer 6

Try backing out the needle screw on the carburetor about 1/2 turn.

Answer 7

push the choke in slowly...maybe put it at half throttle, push it in slowly, then slowly up the rpm's...or maybe, just run it with the choke out?

Answer 8

get a kit for i i had the same exact problem