Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - B&S 16.5Hp Craftsman 42 Rider runs only choked

I bought a used B&S 16.5 HP 42" cut Craftsman lawn tractor from a "friend", and after rebuilding the mower deck discovered that the engine runs only when throttle is fully in choked position. Moving it down to normal speeds it dies. Spark plug seems fine and it does mow with throttle fully in choke position, but I'd like to get it running correctly. I took the air filter off and it didn't help.
Any suggestions?

Chris

Hello Chris,

The carburetor on the engine needs to be cleaned. It's starving for fuel.

I was wrong - it's a 15.5hp B&S.

Thanks for the advice. I pulled the bowl and electric needle valve assy. from the bottom of the carb. Both that needle valve and the float valve were clean, but there was just a small amount of sediment in the bowl. I also replaced the inline fuel filter while I was at it.

Same problem. There are two screw valve adjustments on the side of the carb (one slotted and the other phillips), so I tried adjusting both directions on those with no improvement. I could pick up some carb cleaner and add it to the gas (this is new gas) if that might help.

Chris

The cleaner in the gas probably won't help anything. You'll need to remove the carb and clean it properly to get it working right again. Use a bath type cleaner.