Running Lean after Solenoid Mod

Hi all,

I cut the little tip off the fuel shutoff solenoid on my 17.5 B&S and unplugged it, and now it's having a hard time. It spits and sputters when you give it gas, backfires, low on power etc. Where you used to be able to see the fuel filter 3/4 full with fuel, there is now a tiny bit of fuel sitting in it at all times. It does run, and I rode it around for a while to see if anything would change, but it just doesn't seem to be pulling fuel. I don't really see how this would affect it, but it's the only engine mod I made prior to the lean issue.

Any suggestions for what to do next?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to ATLTF!

How much of the needle did you cut off? I can see it partially blocking the main jet a little bit and causing a lean condition if it's not cut off short enough.

That being said, it shouldn't affect the amount of fuel being pulled to the carb. That might be a seperate issue. Does your tractor have a fuel pump or a gravity feed setup?

I cut it completely flush with the threads. No needle sticking out anymore. It's a gravity fed system.

Ah okay, so that's not the issue then.

First things I would check are fuel level, fuel cap vent, and maybe clean out the fuel lines. Seems odd that something else would happen right after you did the solenoid bypass, but might just be one of those strange things. Only other thing I can think is if some little spec of something made it's way into the main jet.

I’m curious if maybe a little piece of metal was left behind from cutting and got into the main jet. I will probably check there first. It’s always had a little problem with spitting and sputtering at idle. The only way I know to describe it is it sort of sounds like a cough, and just sort of happens randomly and almost would sound like the engine is going to stop running. But what caught my attention this time was lack of fuel in the filter.

Sounds like a clogged jet. Doesn't explain the empty fuel filter though.

Well, it’s been sitting for a few hours and I hopped back on it a little bit ago and the filter was at its normal level again. Maybe it just needed some time to bleed some air or something. We’ll see if it stays that way.

I have cut those off many many times, I usually spray them down before I screw them back in...I agree with what the other guys are saying, you have to think of the last thing you changed and what it could have done....


Something is not right when you reassembled the carb....

I’m out of town for the week, so I haven’t had a chance to look at what’s happening with the fuel issue... but I have another question for y’all that I figure I’ll just ask on this thread.

I’m planning on removing my governor when I get home (yes, I understand the risks associated.) My question is, do I need to open the engine and remove all governor parts from inside too? I know the little gear inside there also acts as an oil slinger, and I assume that needs to stay intact. Do the actual governor parts separate from the gear? Or what do I need to do?

Thanks

I've never actually removed a gov before, but I do know you will have to open up the engine. On an oppy you just remove the gear and you're good to go, but I don't think it's that way on a single.

On the opposed twins the governor gear and flyweights come out as a unit yes. But I imagine your 17hp single has an oil slinger built into the governor like the older models which needs to remain intact, so you just need to only remove the flyweights from the gear as it is believed that they could possibly come apart at higher RPMs. You can also remove the governor shaft while you're in, but the hole will need to be sealed up to keep oil in.

Myself I have actually run a couple different engines with simply a bypassed governor and never had internal issues at all, and same goes for some other folks (like the Mowrons) But for absolute peace of mind you can simply remove the internal parts.

Got it, thanks guys!

No problem! Let us know how you make out.

Well I’m a little late updating. Pulled the motor, sump came off, removed governor arm and bracket from outside engine, removed weights and other parts from the oil slinger, cut the little wing from the end of the governor crank inside engine, slid crank out, and chopped off some of the brass tube that it was inside of. Then added a screw to the hole in the block with RTV. Alright, got my throttle hooked straight to the carb, all is well. However, the motor still runs like crap at low RPM. It really won’t idle at all, even when hot. I’ve adjusted the idle screw around, it’s either too high or won’t run at all. I do currently have the exhaust off, so it’s just running an open head because I haven’t built a new exhaust for it. Blue flame shoots out from the exhaust, and white smoke puffs from the intake periodically. And yes, the choke is fully open. Sorry for the long post, just trying to make sure I get all the info out there.

Have you tried cleaning the carb yet?

I cleaned the carb when I first got the tractor a few months ago. Wouldn’t hurt to go back and do it again I suppose.

If that doesn't do it, I'd just order a new carb off ebay. They're only $15.

I'd check for an air leak somewhere before removing the carb again, like between the carb and manifold, or the manifold and the block. Carb clean usually works for finding an air leak.

Yeah, and you can also use propane from one of those small torch bottles to check for intake leaks. On the other hand, one time I cleaned out some motorcycle carbs on a 4 cylinder yamaha and it wasn't right. I ended up taking them back off about 5 times. I didn't think I missed anything but nothing else seemed wrong. The last time I was getting pretty ticked off, so when I cleaned them out, I did everything twice even if I just did it. Then finally it ran ok. They have a lot smaller passages but it's possible to miss stuff.

Like murray mountain said, you can get cheap carbs now days on amazon. I pretty much don't clean out mower engine carbs anymore because in most cases you can get knock off ones for $10-15. Usually they're pretty nice copys too.