Did This Ever Happen to You?

[GBertolet]

I just worked on a Tecumseh LEV80, 3.5 hp engine. The rehab turned out great. Starts first pull, and I mowed the yard with it several times. I went to start it for another use, and couldn't pull the starter cord. Hydraulic lock?? The muffler was wet with fuel, and the fuel tank was empty. I took the sparkplug out, and gas ran out of the cylinder. Lots of it. I removed the filler cap to check the oil, and gas gushed out the oil fill. Must have entered through the breather. I drained the oil, and got well over a quart out. I took the carb apart, and could find nothing wrong. No dirt in the bowl. Float, needle and seat looked ok. I ultrasonicly cleaned it previously, as a part of the rebuild. I then put the carb back together, refilled the oil, added a little gas to the tank, and it started first pull, and ran fine. Any ideas on what the heck happened?

 

[huskihl]

Carb float needle stuck open.

 

[ucm931]

I just worked on a Tecumseh LEV80, 3.5 hp engine. The rehab turned out great. Starts first pull, and I mowed the yard with it several times. I went to start it for another use, and couldn't pull the starter cord. Hydraulic lock?? The muffler was wet with fuel, and the fuel tank was empty. I took the sparkplug out, and gas ran out of the cylinder. Lots of it. I removed the filler cap to check the oil, and gas gushed out the oil fill. Must have entered through the breather. I drained the oil, and got well over a quart out. I took the carb apart, and could find nothing wrong. No dirt in the bowl. Float, needle and seat looked ok. I ultrasonicly cleaned it previously, as a part of the rebuild. I then put the carb back together, refilled the oil, added a little gas to the tank, and it started first pull, and ran fine. Any ideas on what the heck happened?

Needle and/or seat is leaking. Make sure the seat is installed all the way in, that it was installed in the correct orientation, and that the needle is clean. The groove in the seat faces down.

 

[Nutball]

Couldn't hurt to install a fuel shutoff valve.

 

[GBertolet]

Needle and seat installed correctly. I would like to install a shutoff, but I have only 5 inches of hose from the carb to the tank, and would have clearance issues with the governor arm. The tank on this mower is one of the recall tanks from Tecumseh, with the horizontal outlet, #37947. I don't know if it applies to my year of engine. It has cracks across the top. Must not be all the way through, as it does not leak. I think there is some interchangeability with these tanks, and maybe I can find one with a vertical outlet, to give me some more room for a shutoff or filter.

This issue seems to have been caused by a needle/seat failure. The diagnosis offered, is likely correct. I am wondering why it took so long to happen?

 

[huskihl]

Needle and seat installed correctly. I would like to install a shutoff, but I have only 5 inches of hose from the carb to the tank, and would have clearance issues with the governor arm. The tank on this mower is one of the recall tanks from Tecumseh, with the horizontal outlet, #37947. I don't know if it applies to my year of engine. It has cracks across the top. Must not be all the way through, as it does not leak. I think there is some interchangeability with these tanks, and maybe I can find one with a vertical outlet, to give me some more room for a shutoff or filter.

This issue seems to have been caused by a needle/seat failure. The diagnosis offered, is likely correct. I am wondering why it took so long to happen?

Sometimes it just happens. Usually once you get it cleaned out and run it again it might be good for a while. Sometimes just tapping on the float bowl with a screwdriver is enough to dislodge a piece of grit and they run fine. The fuel filter or screen could have some rust in it that’s getting into the float