Adding cleaner to the mower....

[daves87rs]

After listening to a few people here, I decided I am going to add a little Berrymans B12 to my old Craftsman mower. It is idling a bit rough, so I figure I could use a little cleaning.

I do not think it has ever had a cleaner added to it, so is there anything I should look for/watch?

Just want to make sure I do this right....

 

[MolaKule]

I assume you are referring to the fuel system.

Take the tank off and dump the old fuel and dirt.

Sharpen blade.

While spark plug is out, place 2 ounces of new engine oil in the cylinder and rotate crankshaft slowly.

Gap new spark plug, replace spark plug and add new engine oil

Use non-ethanol fuel and 1/2 ounce of Berryman's per full tank of fuel.

Let 'er smoke a few seconds and then attack the grass.

One last thing, wash the underdeck and make sure old grass "sludge" is removed.

 

[6starprez]

Maybe it's time to replace some parts. The Lawnboy Duraforce 2 cycle mower is notorious for surging. Mines is 17 years old and I replaced the carburetor three years ago. Been running fine ever since.

Berryman B12 is some good stuff. I used a can a few weeks ago to clean the inside of the mower. I propped it up on a weight bench, removed the spark plug and poured it down the cylinder and let it sit for about 15 hours. Used a plastic knife and scraped the carbon off the top of the piston pretty good. When I was done and put everything back together, it didn't smoke up the front yard like it normally does when starting.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

I've used Marvels in the gas, and Techron in the gas on my rider for years.. I change the gas filter once a year. So far so good.
and I believe my machine is a 06

 

[Merkava_4]

Hey look people, you gotta quit being so afraid of carburetors. Having a mower engine run rough because the carburetor is contaminated with dirt and debris is a COMMON occurrence. I'm not only calling out the OP, I'm calling out the whole world! I am sick and tired of hearing sputtering mowers running around my neighborhood; it's pure torture to a person like me. If your mower is sputtering, PLEASE don't use it!

For some strange reason, normal people are clueless when it comes to small engines. Meanwhile, the mentally ill like myself, are experts at small engines. Funny how it works out that way.

 

[Donald]

I would suggest blue marine Stabil. But if the engine is running bad and you really think the carb is the issue, then you should disassemble the carb and clean it vs adding something to the gas.

 

[PhilsSmallEngine]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Hey look people, you gotta quit being so afraid of carburetors. Having a mower engine run rough because the carburetor is contaminated with dirt and debris is a COMMON occurrence. I'm not only calling out the OP, I'm calling out the whole world! I am sick and tired of hearing sputtering mowers running around my neighborhood; it's pure torture to a person like me. If your mower is sputtering, PLEASE don't use it!


I love people like that. I get free/cheap mowers or paid service because of that fear. Working with small engines is like working on 1930-1960's car technology. Simple as a hammer yet requires the right hands to make it work right.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule
I assume you are referring to the fuel system.

Take the tank off and dump the old fuel and dirt.

Sharpen blade.

While spark plug is out, place 2 ounces of new engine oil in the cylinder and rotate crankshaft slowly.

Gap new spark plug, replace spark plug and add new engine oil

Use non-ethanol fuel and 1/2 ounce of Berryman's per full tank of fuel.

Let 'er smoke a few seconds and then attack the grass.

One last thing, wash the underdeck and make sure old grass "sludge" is removed.




Glad that I am doing most of that already...

I like the taking off the tank idea....have not done that yet!


She gets an oil change this weekend!


Already used her once last....short of running a bit on the rough side, this old craftsmman runs pretty well for old mower with a Tecumseh engine.......

 

[daves87rs]

Added it today and started it....but only for a few minutes. (after it sat a while)

A bit smoother....will see how she does mowing this week...

 

[Merkava_4]

Some of those carburetors have very fine mesh screens.

The only way to clean those screens is by taking the carburetor APART.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

I also use Marvel's Mystery Oil in my mowers. I have a 23 year old Craftsman II with a Tecumseh 3.5hp engine on it. Had to rebuild the carb 6 years ago, but that was due to the brass float getting a crack in it. Figured I might as well go through it since I had it apart. Still fires up on one or two pulls and doesn't blow smoke. I always use synthetic oil in it too.

L8R,
Matt

 

[daves87rs]

Updating here a bit...

Now that I get to use the mower a bit more often, I can say she needed a little kick! The first few times she would start a little rough, but be nice and smooth by the end of the mow.

Now the mower has lost the rough idle all together. Runs like a much newer mower now...

 

[lars11]

strange thing with mowers and other stuff like it: I can generally make the engines start and run better than when they were new. They start out their lives as "ok", then get worse for a few years, then either gets tossed OR meets one of us and gets better than ever. Like a personal trainer for an engine, only it only takes 30 minutes with a mower....

 

[SOHCman]

A quick thing to do is loosen the carb drain plug (not the bowel screw) and pop it out for a few seconds holding a shop rag or cup under it. The fuel flowing out will carry crud and junk from in the carb bowl out.

Removing will allow a more thorough job, but this is quick and may let you know if you NEED to pull the bowl off to clean it based on what comes out.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: SOHCman
A quick thing to do is loosen the carb drain plug (not the bowel screw) and pop it out for a few seconds holding a shop rag or cup under it. The fuel flowing out will carry crud and junk from in the carb bowl out.


Definitely not the bowel screw.

 

[SOHCman]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: SOHCman
A quick thing to do is loosen the carb drain plug (not the bowel screw) and pop it out for a few seconds holding a shop rag or cup under it. The fuel flowing out will carry crud and junk from in the carb bowl out.


Definitely not the bowel screw.


lol

 

[Ethan1]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: SOHCman
A quick thing to do is loosen the carb drain plug (not the bowel screw) and pop it out for a few seconds holding a shop rag or cup under it. The fuel flowing out will carry crud and junk from in the carb bowl out.


Definitely not the bowel screw.


You sound like my wife!



...I'm sorry, I'll go back to my cave now.

 

[old1]

If it is a B&S or Tecumseh on the old craftsman, it won't have a bowl drain plug, and you will have to take the bowl nut/main jet out. As long as it is out, remove the bowl, just being careful not to not drop the gasket or the float needle. Then use some compressed air to blow through the jet, clean the bowl, and put back together. Easy for me to say. But then again if it runs good at full governed rpm, and only has a rough IDLE, none of this will probably do any good.

 

[linksep]

Originally Posted By: old1
If it is a B&S or Tecumseh on the old craftsman, it won't have a bowl drain plug...
+1 Unless it's a snow-blower engine, even then it's a 'push-button' instead of a screw-in plug.
Originally Posted By: old1
...and you will have to take the bowl nut/main jet out.
+1
Originally Posted By: old1
As long as it is out, remove the bowl, just being careful not to not drop the gasket or the float needle. Then use some compressed air...
...Spray-can carb-cleaner...
Originally Posted By: old1
...to blow through the jet, clean the bowl, and put back together.

 

[andyd]

The Toro is running better and better on high test with a little MMO and a good dose of Chemtool. My 2 stroke is mixed to 32:1, To get my Husqavara weed wacker going, I dumped out a bit of really bad looking fuel out of the tank. I poured in some fresh mix. I put 3 cap fulls of Chemtool in too. It ran crummy until it ran through the remaining guck. Then the new fuel really got it running great. No tools used.It works most of the time. If it doesn't, I have no qualms about taking the carb apart and blowing the passages out.