How to fix Briggs and Stratton lawn mower engine that starts and dies.

[@tomcoleman9601]

I had the air filter and spark plug already in my car to head to the shop for replacements. But then I watched this video and thought "why not?" Actually, I thought "it can't be that simple." But I was wrong. Very wrong. I emptied the bowl, cleaned out a bit of crud, then put everything back together. Vroom! And it kept vrooming! Many thanks for saving me lots of time!

[@chuckdavis5300]

Great Video. I got a free roadside John Deere Self propelled yesterday. Same Briggs motor. I drained the gas, put in fresh. Used starting fluid. It would run on the fluid but it was apparently not getting gas. Found your video. Took the float bowl out and found it full of white water slush and sediment. I suspected when I drained the gas tank there was water in there. Cleaned the jet with a bristle on a wire brush, added a quick burst of starting fluid directly into the spark plug hole, it started right up. Died after about 30 seconds. We're making progress here. Went back to the float bowl and the jet, now more water and sediment. So I went through this process of cleaning the bowl and jet then restarting it. After about 5 cleanings it runs like a new one. Never forget guys...free is a very good price.

[@juliava605]

Hello! I'm a senior citizen who doesn't have much money. I just followed your tutorial and fixed my lawnmower which saved me so much trouble and money. I truly can't thank you enough. You taking the time to create this video means more than you probably realized when you were doing it. Thank you again!

[@Anto-kz5hk]

5 years on youtube and only 1466 likes. I fix my mower today following your Instructions. Thanks for sharing it.

[@brcam2013]

9 years later and only 1 thousand more likes. News flash: Nobody wants to watch this crap unless they have to. Did you expect it to go viral? You must be over the age of 50 sir and it shows 😂

[@garysalazar2400]

Yesterday my mower stopped working.. this morning I went to buy another, but $195 was too much to pay for a cheaper model. I decided to go on You Tube and clicked on this sight. 20 minutes after watching this video, and doing exactly as instruced, my mower was running great! Thanks for the video!!!

[@fozalinko]

8 years later you helped me out hombre from Phillip island Australia

[@cuzican2777]

You may have saved thousands of marriages, hundreds of whiny teens and roughly millions of 911 calls for domestic disputes with sharing this short, helpful video! There's a special place in heaven for heros like you! Lol thank you

[@Rustbelt_Research]

I'm so happy to have helped!

[@enginepaul8099]

Steve gave the best comment. Divorce lawyers and psychologists must hate Cap.

[@fantaztikbeatz]

Lol I hope this works out my wife is on the verge of dog housing me.if I don't figure out my lawnmower situation 😅

[@scottboughton2699]

You could also try keeping it running on either till water runs through. My bowl was a little harder to remove, and the mower was running fine till cleaned under deck with hose so water in bowl seemed to be the problem. So instead of removing bowl I just kept in running on starter fluid till ran on its own.

[@anthonyshurburn7560]

I was at the end of my patience after replacing the oil, filter and spark plug. I am going to finish mowing my yard...thanx to you. I would have never guessed that I had a dirty carburetor. Thank you so much.

[@Rustbelt_Research]

Thanks for the kind words

[@briand317]

Many thanks, was about to head to the repair shop and tried this. Literally 15 minutes later the mower is running like a Swiss watch. Brilliant video. Bravo sir !!

[@heatherfenske1865]

THANK YOU! was visiting my mom and her backyard looked like a wild meadow, I asked what was up and she said the lawn mower would only start and run a few seconds and die. Found this video and cleaned her bowl (it had quite a bit of debris in it!) and then it ran again :) This was so much simpler than I could have imagined.

[@deviantelite]

I picked up a cheap mower on fb marketplace, seemed to work at pickup. When I got it home, started and stopped. Your fix worked. Hardest part was finding my ratchet haha. Thank you so much!

[@Rustbelt_Research]

Glad I could help!

[@drewdoyer6686]

Wow. Thought blindly trouble-shooting my mower would have chewed up the better part of a Saturday. This awsome video shortened the project to 10 min. Thank you! KZbin is the most comprehensive University and Trade school I have ever attended.

[@chencho7083]

My friend, wish I can give you a hug. My lawn mower is a cheap 5 hp and is different from the one in your video and after replacing the spark plug and the filter, still stalled. Anyways I took a look and mine has a plastic canister with a 10mm hex plug at the bottom. Because it doesn't have easy access I had to remove the top lid of the machine and remove the tank and the carburetor. Drained the gasoline, removed the plug, drained the canister, wiped cleaned, put everything back together and broooom. Took me less than 20 mins. Now my lazy 15years old son doesn't have an excuse now to earn his food. Thanks again...

[@Rustbelt_Research]

Hahaha, I'm so glad I was able to help!

[@TD-dq9nv]

Hi, was having the same problem with my mowers Briggs and Stratton engine starting and dying. Had put fresh fuel in, replaced the plug, pulled the Carby apart to check the bowl and cleaned the jets after watching some other videos first. Still no luck until I watched your video and realised the bolt holding the bowl on had the jet holes. Put it back together again after that and now runs beautifully. Thanks very much mate for the great video 🤙

[@Rustbelt_Research]

cheers mate, have a good one.

[@farnorth7314]

I watched your 5 minute video and saved about $200...the jet was contaminated and now it works perfect! I have always run high test, non ethanol gas (still available in Canada) but still I had water in the float bowl. The whole job took 15 minutes including an oil change. Well done!

[@dls2004]

I had the same issue with a Briggs & Stratton 725 series 190cc mower engine, the carburetor jets, all three holes were completed blocked. The reason the air filter unit was not closing properly allowing leaked air contaminated with dirt/crap directly in to the carburetor by passing the filter pad. The nut end of the air filter enclosure had sepsrated from the plastic housing preventing the air filter unit from being closed tightly. Without this video i would never have discovered both issues. Thanks a bunch your a life saver.

[@lethaface22]

Worst ice storm to hit our place in 10 years and you sir just saved my ass!!!

[@rondeuce7424]

As someone who is not especially handy, I followed your instructions and got my 10yr old mover up and running again. I used a socket wrench instead of a hand tool and my clamp didn't stop some gas from leaking out. All things considered, I still got the desired result.

[@geo316geo316]

So...at the recommendation of other videos, blogs and forum posts I replaced the gas, the spark plug, air filter and was contemplating replacing the carburetor as per the last video I watched (which thankfully led me to this one). I watched twice, then went outside. Literally ten minutes later I was mowing! Sure wish I'd watched this FIRST!. If I may suggest something to those about to try it, on my mower - which appears to be extremely similar to the one the video shows, the bowl is slightly indented on the bottom so a wrench (with a ring end lol) wont work - you'll need a ratchet and 1/2 inch socket... other than that the instruction is flawless. THANK YOU Cap10323

[@lytleric]

I had the exact same problem with my mower. First went to the local hardware store and picked up a new spark plug. No difference. Then turned to Google and found the "official" Briggs & Stratton troubleshooting video that directed me to replace the entire carburetor. I needed to mow the lawn TODAY, so I actually looked at Home Depot's site to see if they had the carb in stock -- luckily they didn't! Then I found your video. Five minutes later, my mower was running like a swiss watch. Thank you! I would have otherwise replaced the entire carb for no good reason.

[@jonmcphailjr5269]

Fantastic that was the exact problem I had. I was done and running in less than 5 minutes. You made me look like a genius in front of my dad. My dad now uses google and you tube on unusual problems thanks again

[@fantaztikbeatz]

Awesome

[@NorthJerseyFooter]

I just did this to my craftsman 5.5 HP 25 year old mower. I just unscrewed the nut, cleaned it and screwed it back on. Runs like a champ. Thanks.

[@c.s.3746]

This fixed my problem. Someone threw a snapper mower out on the curb that was in great condition. Mother in law brought it to me to see if I could fix. Shot starting fluid to it and it fired and died. Was pretty sure after that that I had a carb issue. Cleaned the carb real good.. nothing. Came in, youtubed this and bam. fixed it like a champ. Thanks!

[@DrewStarrsPierce]

Just fixed my mower thanks to this video. Had to drain the fuel and refill it. It seemed to have some dirt in the fuel. Runs like a champ now.

[@Myrelli1]

I changed the spark plug on my mower still couldn’t get the thing to work. After watching this vid and applying his instructions, the thing worked like a charm. Thanks!!

[@taniarodrigues468]

The assembly of the lawn mower could be done without any problems kzbin.infoUgkxTPN04aT-Qdjr_KS3ql7ng8wnU3wwsCqk also recommend I just puzzled something about the red strange “key”. However, it quickly turned out that this creates a kind of contact bridge between battery packs and lawn mowers. An additional backup as a father of a 1 year old nephew is great!! :-)

[@joaoleopolt9791]

So glad your video is still on KZbin! You just saved me a bunch of bucks and valuable time fixing this problem myself! Thanks for keeping it simple and short. Followed your instructions, and the mower fired right up and stayed running. Bless you for sharing.

[@stevenlawrence2232]

I put my new air cleaner and sparky in on my 10 year old Masport with a B&S (ie first full replacements for both outside of the oil which i have done, yep im tight fisted and lazy lol) and still had the same starting problem. "Great! Ignition must be screwed!" i thought. I follow Caps advice and 15mins later not only does it start easy stone cold but it feels like its got about 15 more hp lol. Brilliant video! Many thanks!

[@DaveSalvator]

Thanks for this. I have a B&S w/ the primer, and apparently I also had some water in the carb bowl. Removed it, got the water out, hit the jet bolt and bowl interior with some carb cleaner and dried them out, and problem solved. Took less than ten minutes. Super helpful.

[@gylesm8842]

I have a very old Craftsman pressure cleaner with a Briggs and Stratton engine. Same symptom, starting for just a second, then cutting off. Like Jon Oppel, I found the center hole of the jet screw with debris in it. Now it starts and runs great. Your video saved me a lot of time and money. Thanks!!

[@danspieth]

Thank you! This helped my engine run better so definitely great thing to do periodically. There was a second problem with mine. I found debris (Grass and dirt) lodged in the spring from the choke. It was restricting gas flow as a result causing the engine to die when under stress in heavier grass. Once I used compressed air to clean that out, my engine is running like new! You may want to add this as something else to check.

[@dirkmcelyea6832]

I had that problem today. I thought it was the spark plug, bad fuel, clogged air filter. Nope! This was a fast, easy repair! Thx.

[@Christatum411]

Thanks for the video.I have a powerwasher that I borrowed from my Father in Law and really did`nt want to return it in non-working condition. Performed these steps and it`s running like a champ.I rally appreciate it

[@aoldfolk]

You absolute legend! Did this and boom, working straight away! Actually seems to run smoother than it did yesterday when it conked out! Whilst I'm at it I'm gonna put a new spark plug in and change the filter. Thank you so much

[@newinans]

Just an FYI, the wrenchs proper name is open end/box end wrench. Great video and works just as you showed!

[@katiehickey5291]

thank you! Worked liked a charm. Wasn't sure what i was going to do. Repair shops are mostly closed because of COVID-19 and didn't really want to buy a new mower. Thanks again! (Just wondering who gave it a thumbs down, absolute perfect solution to the problem posed.)

[@alofano]

Wife said : ''Hey same lawnmower, hey same issue, HEY same shoes, HEY same pants''. I will try to do what you did and hopefully I will get the same results. Thanks for the post.

[@vanrauch7216]

Dude, you rock. My Briggs & Stratton was doing exactly this two days ago. Water in the bell and and clogged jet screw, It now runs again. Many thanks.

[@christopherbellamy1077]

Thank you for your concise video. I am not at al mechanically inclined, but you gave me the courage to try this, and it fixed the problem and saved my weekend (and a $75 repair, too!) I can't thank you enough...

[@RFC1997]

I said to myself this is not going to work,to easy of a fix expecting to have to do some carb work. Thanks for saving me a bunch of time, it worked like a charm.

[@cliff8675]

Followed this and resolved issue that we had chased all afternoon. I ran a pin through the top and made sure I could see it through the side openings. After that it worked like a champ. Thanks for the help and the video

[@edmorris5007]

Excellent Video that clearly identifies the most Common Problem, and clearly explains how to easily fix it. I used a small Sewing Needle to clear the dirt out of my Jet, as I had no compressed Air. Thanks!

[@mcmiller413]

I have a much older B&S riding mower that had been sitting for some time. After draining the fuel tank, cleaning out gunk, and replacing the fuel filter, it ran for a short while and then stopped again. Wanting to turn over, but not catching. My carburetor is the same as yours so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Nothing too dirty, but likely some water or dirt that fell out upon loosening/leaking. Did the same as you for cleaning it and replacing. Started right up!!

[@1925eddie]

Just cleaned my filthy float bowl and screw and Voila, all is well again. Your tutorial help immensely. Thanks.

[@1992deevo]

Thank you! I didn't notice that there was a port on the screw that goes into the float bowl, saved me from buying a new mower!

[@jayess1363]

Excellent guide, this is the first time I fixed a lawn mower and it works great now. Thank you!

[@sentdata]

You saved US! We are in Tampa waiting on hurricane Irene. It worked great. God bless you!

[@RSandberg09]

Thank goodness I found your video. I inherited a lawn mower that was basically new but has the symptoms you described in the video. it actually took me longer to find a 1/2 inch socket then it did to fix the problem. Thanks again!

[@Rustbelt_Research]

+Rob Sandberg People like you are the reason I keep making videos! Glad I helped you

[@Ulysses-31-o]

Fair play man. I've been searching for an easy to understand method for this fix for the last couple of hours. Yours is first class! Off I go now to fix my mower! :D

[@haroldgreeno5704]

Thank you. I had full tank of gas also, only I tipped mower so tank was up, with fuel up as well. Took off air cleaner, then removed bowl and cleaned it. Had little trouble starting with no gas in bowl, but finished my yard thanks to you.😎

[@davenewhouse7117]

I did exactly what you said to do and my lawn mower runs like champ. Thanks!

[@hhjustthefacts]

Thanks a TON! Just fixed this without husband or son's help. Woot Woot! But my clamp or zip tie would not close off gas, so I had to empty gas out. Darn. My 13 yr old son is now mowing:)

[@carisa.s.g]

This was as easy to do as described. Very smart idea to clamp the fuel line before getting the float bowl off. Appreciate it.

[@Ulysses-31-o]

Just finished the grass!! You, Sir, are a legend!

[@bsn399]

Thanks to this video was able to fix pressure washer with Briggs and Stratton engine today and not take it in for repairs. Thank you SO much!

[@offthagridotg9335]

Tried it with my yard force. Worked the first time! Great video!

[@adrianopol]

thank you. After 4 hours work and a bad day were I not found the problem you helped to solve it. I fixed it. Thank you.

[@marclanman1902]

Five stars for your great video! Exact same engine and problem with a 9-year-old Troy-Bilt. Followed your instructions and running like a champ now! Found the bowl had some sediment in it. Gas started leaking after reassembly - I found I hadn't tightened the jet bolt enough. Tightened that up, seems fine now. THANKS!!!

[@balebu1]

This was the fix! Glad I didn't have to remove the entire carb. It started on the first pull and stayed started.

[@solito744]

you have helped me a lot with this fix, I had the same problem, I open the carburetor and sure there was water and fuel mixed up. I clean it and now runs like new! thanks for sharing your quick fix.

[@829joliver]

Problem solved! My mower now runs like a charm! Thank You for posting this informative video...

[@marsv7777]

Great video !!! Been going most of the day trying to get mine going, never realised the bottom bolt was also the jet, was completely blocked. Thank you :) All good now. Cheers from Australia.

[@tremainemcdaniel8604]

I've watched many lawn mower vids and it wasn't till I came across yours did I find my problem. I did exactly what u did and got your same results. thank you I was about to spend 60-100 bucks to get it serviced

[@southernmarsh4234]

Sorry neighborhood junk collector in the white Ford pickup truck. Rust belt research just spoiled your pick up. This repair tip was spot on perfect.

[@bythesea8439]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for this video. Was able to get my mower running after trying different quick fixes. And I just happen to have that type of wrench!! ❤😊

[@tommili8094]

Спасибо бро! Не один русскогоаорящий блогер не помог, а ты красавчик!!🤘

[@braddoherty1737]

Followed your instructions & she started on the first pull. Like many others all I could see were $$ signs. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@ronmitchell859]

After trying several other things this was my fix for a portable generator. Much thanks!

[@dannylaronde2354]

Fantastic video. Within 10 minutes I had the jet cleaned and engine running perfectly. Thank you Cap!

[@jamesscott7015]

Awesome, mine started acting up half way through mowing the lawn. It was water. Thanks, I fixed the problem and now I can finish the mowing. A+++

[@devilcity5827]

From Canada with Love, Thanks for your help, Lawn Mower working very well again, no water but lots of Sediments.

[@eddymofo3359]

Also change your fuel. If there's water the carby there's water in the tank 💦

[@bradykaiser3540]

I realize Im quite randomly asking but do anybody know of a good site to stream newly released series online ?

[@kasenronin7009]

@Brady Kaiser I would suggest Flixzone. Just search on google for it :)

[@sjtpond8606]

I had the same problem. Followed this video and mine started first time after 10 minutes work. Thank you for doing the video.

[@davebarney8705]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Exactly my problem and easy fix. Saved time, money and 2ft high grass!

[@fescudder]

Worked like a champ! Free mower now is functional!

[@henrysibley1443]

This worked ! Be sure to clean the carb a little more with carb spray once you get it off

[@joshknickerbocker5345]

Best video ever!!! Took me 5 minutes to clean out, and it runs like new. Thank you!!!

[@SteveLoughlin-q6p]

Checked everything, and it was the port being blocked on the top of the bolt, great video

[@michaelcloyd1017]

Thank You very much!Followed your instructions and viola lawnmower now running like a singer sewing machine!Thanks again saved me from having to have it repaired by some one else!

[@arthurcarter7820]

Thanks for the vid. My dads mower the jets were clogged with gum which I cleaned out with a tiny wire and some alcohol. The bowl was full of trash too. Cleaned it all out, fired right up, running perfectly.

[@rebeccawyatt4460]

Thanks for the video! Had the same exact issue on our Toro and my husband did exactly what you showed. Started right up like a new motor. Same as the comment below, Saved some $'s on service!

[@2wheel_weekend]

Thank you for posting this, I missed the fact that the screw was the jet. The center hole was plugged.

[@yldbglz7081]

Thank you ! My 9 year old Craftsman (exactly like the one in video) runs like a champ now !

[@mustangguy6242]

Nice explanation and well done video. Ethanol is the cause for the water. It pulls moisture from air. There are fuel treatments that will stop that for winter storage, but I haven't found any that are 100% foolproof. Sometimes all you have to do is drain a bowl of gas through the carb to get the H2O out.

[@Rustbelt_Research]

Frequently it's also just from machines being left outside in the rain, a surprising amount of people don't realize that leaving their machine outside will cause water intrusion.

[@mustangguy6242]

You are so right. The water doesn't actually have to get into the tank, only the damp air. The sun hitting a tank will cause it to exhale, and when the sun goes away, new moist air comes into the tank ready to get dehydrated by the ethanol. That falls to the bottom of the tank, since water is heavier than gasoline. The more water there is, the lower the ethanol percentage of that mix there is, until it is no longer flammable, let alone combustible.

[@mustangguy6242]

Here's an idea for a video if there aren't already some out there. Get some gas with 10% ethanol in it. Put it in a beaker you can cap leaving room for about 25% more fluid. Add some water and a couple drops of food coloring. Mark the line where the water settles. Shake it up and look at where the water settles to after shaking. It will be over the mark you just made by a good bit. Water and Ethanol mix, gas and Ethanol mix, water and gas do not mix. What you see is water/Ethanol on the bottom and Gas on the top.

[@jettramel]

Just picked up a Toro with a 6.75 on it, have rebuilt them for years for personal use & like the motor, but have this one from a pawn show & it won't prime & has no bulb, going to do the 2 gasket two step & see if that works along with your bowl clean method, I hate the 300e they came out with this 12000 series 6.75 has been a work horse thanks for the great tip.

[@emma-gh8sy]

Thank you for the video! I was going to buy a new mower today but checked your video first. Mower runs great now!!!

[@julst20]

Thanks I was able to fix mine right away with your video ! Worked perfectly

[@yetivanmarshall1473]

TY, Fixed mine tonight. I fell for the "your carburator needs to be rebuilt" nonsense several times by the repair shop.

[@chrisherrmann7174]

This worked for me, as well! Thank you for taking the time to make the video!

[@mikegawryletz2698]

Thanks for the most useful tip of Spring 2021, so far! Worked perfectly.

[@smithwesson7149]

Thanks for the video. This fixed the same problem I was having on my Craftsman Briggs 6.75 mower.

[@No_one1776]

This also fixed my lawnmower as well. I would note getting the jet back in was a pain in the butt. :| Thanks dude!

[@johnf6262]

Motor starts and immediately stops this can also be caused by the gasket leaking under the air cleaner cover held on by three bolts I had this problem installed new gasket and this fixed the problem.

[@Randizzleworld]

Great video! My jet screw was clogged and my lawn mower is running again. Saved me time and money. Thanks for the video. Subscribed! 🙏

[@garymolina2157]

Good video. No wasted time. Straight to the information. Much appreciated.

[@teaglet1]

I do that every year at start up. Thanks for the post. Very good

[@danrobinson4174]

Awesome, thanks so much for posting this! This was exactly the fix I needed for my mower.

[@technodaz]

100% worked , now to figure out why its going 100% all the time! thanks for at least getting it started again lol.

[@shuumai]

Excellent! I followed what you did, except I used a socket. This was exactly the problem. The time before, I ran out of gas. I guess it sucked water into the bowl at that time. Thanks!

[@ingodwetrust1136]

Dude hell yea! Just did this and it fixed my issue, runs like a top now 👍🏻🍻 thanks brotha