How to Clean a Riding Lawn Mower Carburetor [Briggs & Stratton]

How to Clean a Riding Lawn Mower Carburetor Briggs & Stratton

Today you are going to read the complete How to Clean a Riding Lawn Mower Carburetor [Briggs & Stratton] [Essential Information]. If you own a Briggs and Stratton riding lawnmower, you’ll know that these lawnmowers enjoy a great reputation as the manufacturers of quality lawn mowers and lawn care equipment. Part of the maintenance of your lawn mower should include attention dedicated to the mower’s carburetor.

The principal function of a carburetor is to mix air with fuel. This mixture then advances to the mower’s engine where it will be ignited thanks to the spark plug.

This process will drive the engine’s piston to produce an output of power within the engine that is characterized by internal combustion. If your carburetor has a problem, so does your lawnmower.

Carburetor problems can emerge in numerous ways. Some of the manifestations of carburetor problems include:

  • The engine won’t start
  • The idling of the engine is too low.
  • Unusually high idling of the engine.
  • Engine sputters.
  • The engine starts and then dies.
  • Lawnmower produces exhaust that appears as black smoke.

While some of these problems may be related to stale fuel, a bad spark plug, or oil that has deteriorated, often a dirty carburetor is the culprit. If you keep your mower’s carburetor clean, you can prevent a lot of these problems.

The Process of How to Clean a Riding Lawn Mower Carburetor Briggs and Stratton

To clean your Briggs and Stratton riding lawn mower carburetor, follow these simple steps:

Carburetor airflow should be checked out. Firstly, remove the cover of the air filter and then proceed to remove the air filter itself. Look for anything that may be clogging your filter such as oil, twigs, grass, dirt, and grime, or debris.

You also need to control the connection between the air filter and the carburetor to ascertain if there are visible blockages or a build-up of dirt. If you notice foreign objects or substances, remove them.

After inspecting the air filter, you can either replace it with a brand new one or clean the filter with a vacuum. Metal parts within the carburetor should be sprayed with a carburetor cleaner purchased specifically for this purpose.

These carburetor cleaners are available in spray cans that make cleaning convenient. Both the throttle and the choke plate must move freely. They also should be sprayed with cleaner. There should not be any type of sticking going on.

Removing the fuel line will be your next step. You will find it connected to your fuel tank. Take the fuel line and look for any type of obstruction or blockage present. You can gently blow into the line to help free it of blockages. Take care to not inadvertently swallow any fuel and avoid inhaling any fuel fumes while working.

If you see that the fuel moves freely, then your due line is most likely free of any type of obstructions. When it is necessary to use force when blowing, then you probably have an obstruction in your fuel line. If blowing does not free or remove the blockage, then you will need to substitute the fuel line.

Proceed to check out the spark plug. You need to remove the plug to see if there is any moisture or charring visible. You may find moisture near the spark plug if the air-fuel mixture contains too much fuel. Charring, on the other hand, may indicate that the air-fuel mixture has an excess amount of air.

If warranted, you can adjust the mixture of air and fuel by adjusting the idle screw. You will need to reassemble the parts you have removed. Put back into place the fuel line, the spark plug, and eventually the air filter if it doesn’t block your reaching the idle screw.

Turn your idle screw in the clockwise direction to the point that the needle comes into contact with the seat. Now the screw needs to be rotated counterclockwise a turn or two. Turn on the lawnmower and leave it idle for at least five minutes.

Afterward, turn the idle screw both in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions till the engine idling begins to slow down in either direction. Once this has been accomplished, return the screw to its position in the middle.

Final Observation

If you happen to own a lawnmower tachometer, you can now test the speed of your lawnmower’s engine. The rotation should measure 1750 RPM.

A good way to keep your lawnmower in excellent condition is to do a complete tune-up of the mower annually. For persistent problems, we recommend you contact your local Briggs and Stratton authorized repair shop.