Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - 2001 Sears Craftsman 2000 Lawn Tractor With Engine Trouble

We have a 2001 Sears Craftsman 2000 Lawn Tractor. Yesterday. the engine started, and seemed to run fine at first. The the engine lost power. it was running at about half speed.

After shuting the tractor down for a couple hours and restarting it again, the engine started to back fire. What could be causing this? Is it repairable?

Thank you for your time, consideration, and cooperation. I hope to hear from you soon,

David

Did you buy the tractor new? Is the oil level good? Is the fuel good? Is it running hot? If oil level is good and fuel is good, it could be running lean due some sort of dirt in the carb. If it is running lean, the engine will seem hotter than usual and may have a hot smell. I had to clean the carb on my Sears 21.5 HP tractor about four times before I found that the fuel line between the filter and the pump was deteriorating - and the tractor was only 2 years old. I replaced the fuel line with new line and the problem was solved. Hope this helps.
Danny

Pull the bowl off the carb and see how it looks. Could be a carb problem. Does the oil smell like gas? Did you try a new spark plug?

This is a follow-up to the original question.

We have changed the fuel filter, spark plugs and battery. Now, when the key is turned the engine will not turn over. It will only click.

What could be causing this? Is it repairable, or are we just throwing money away?

Thank you again for your time, consideration, and cooperation. I hope to hear from you soon,

David

Are you sure that the battery is charged? My lawn tractor clicks when I try to start it when the battery does not have enough power. (same type of noise occurs with cars). Try putting a charger on the battery for a while and then starting it.
I'm assuming that your connections are correct (red cable to pos terminal on battery, black to neg), tight, and corrosion free. If they are not, that could be your problem.

The battery that was put in the tractor is new and charged. Again, when the key is turned the engine will not turn over. It will only click.

Thank you again for your time, consideration, and cooperation. I hope to hear from you soon,

David

Since we don't know what you have for an engine (so please post back with engine make and all ID numbers off of such), remove the spark plug(s) and see if you can rotate the flywheel by hand. If so, then you will need to first perform a systematic test of the starting circuit to determine what is the problem with the "no spin" issue: Test the battery strength (don't assume that since it's new that it's good); Inspect all (6) starter cable ends; Test for power to the starter motor; Test for power to the solenoid; Test for power to the key switch. How is the engine oil level and condition?

Will the engine turn over by hand?