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I just had my carb replaced because last season my 17 year old Craftsman mower was dying on me and giving me grief - it was taking an entire tank of gas to mow my < 5,000 sq. ft. yard and it should go at least twice without filling.
Now this spring it is running fine and using only 1/2 a tank of gas as expected. But the next several mornings after mowing my garage reeks of gas and the next time I go to mow all the gas in the tank has evaporated. I don't see any obvious leaks but is this a "duh, the tank is leaking" problem or did I somehow get a bad carb? Googling, the only advice I saw was to put on an in-line valve on the gas line? Obviously I went to a shop for the original fix - wouldn't they have checked for a leak like that?
I guess I'm just not up to spending another $100 bucks on a mower that is at the end of it's expected life...unless folks on here say it's an easy fix and new mowers are so bad I should hang on to what I've got! Any advice?
Check the crankcase oil. and see if it's thin and smells like gas. I had that problem, and it was a bad carb seat allowing gas to get into the crankcase. If that's your problem, they didn't replace your carb as stated, OR the new one went bad right away. You sure they didn't just swap a used carb from another mower? If it's just leaking, you should have a stain on the floor of your garage or shed.
I just make SURE to run the mower completely dry of gas everytime I use it. Just put enough in the tank to mow the lawn, and no more. Mow until it quits because it ran out. If it quits too soon, just put a splash of gas in it to finish up.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The most common issue, even with a new carburetor is the float bowl gasket. If it twisted or popped out of alignment when installed the fuel will leak when the bowl is full. You may not see the leak when it's not running, but should see the dripping when it is, and for a few seconds immediately after shutting it off. If it's that old, more likely the hose from the tank to the carburetor has cracked from age, and no, since it wasn't leaking then they probably didn't inspect closely. You would expect them to have been anxious to add to their profit by finding other things to replace.
I just had my carb replaced because last season my 17 year old Craftsman mower was dying on me and giving me grief - it was taking an entire tank of gas to mow my < 5,000 sq. ft. yard and it should go at least twice without filling.
Now this spring it is running fine and using only 1/2 a tank of gas as expected. But the next several mornings after mowing my garage reeks of gas and the next time I go to mow all the gas in the tank has evaporated. I don't see any obvious leaks but is this a "duh, the tank is leaking" problem or did I somehow get a bad carb? Googling, the only advice I saw was to put on an in-line valve on the gas line? Obviously I went to a shop for the original fix - wouldn't they have checked for a leak like that?
I guess I'm just not up to spending another $100 bucks on a mower that is at the end of it's expected life...unless folks on here say it's an easy fix and new mowers are so bad I should hang on to what I've got! Any advice?
Check the fuel lines between the tank and the carbs. Could be rotted, could be that it's not attached right. It should be an easy diy fix and a few bucks for the tubing.
I guess in the meantime I'll just fill the tank with the minimum needed and check the fuel lines - those look like an easy fix if needed.
As for the carb, I'm not seeing any stains on the floor beneath it. Would it be running differently if the carb was out of alignment?
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