Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?

It still sounds like a fuel delivery problem. It runs when you use the prime
bulb. It will not stay running when the prime is burned. I would suggest
that the carb is gummed up and needs to be cleaned. You should also invest
in a carb. kit.
"46erjoe" wrote in message
...
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?

"46erjoe" wrote in message
...
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?
diaphragm under carb possibly

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:01:53 GMT, "John Lawrence"
wrote:

It still sounds like a fuel delivery problem. It runs when you use the prime
bulb. It will not stay running when the prime is burned. I would suggest
that the carb is gummed up and needs to be cleaned. You should also invest
in a carb. kit.

I agree about the fuel starve. I was thinking a stuck float, and or
valve. Sometimes a tap or two with a screwdriver handle can knock
things loose.

If the OP can start it and try spraying some starting fuel in the carb
and try to keep it running a little longer would make me rebuild the
carb.

Oren

46erjoe wrote:
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when
I got a new house. It starts up fine, but runs for only
about 30 seconds and then stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I
thought so too. I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it
dry and put it back on with fresh gas. The screen at the
bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it
stays running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it
still keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap
on and off to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing
the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing.
Still won't run.

Any suggestions?

You dind't mention the fuel filter; is it clogged?

Definitely sounds like fuel starvation. Can you get gas to come
out of hte hose if you remove it at hte carb? If not, there's a
hint. Is gas comes out, then the carb is the next cluprit even
though you said you cleaned it up. Float stuck? Sunk? Jets
clogged?

HTH
Pop

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:45:52 GMT, "Pop"
wrote:

Float stuck? Sunk? Jets
clogged?

HTH
Pop


I've looked and looked a sunken float before, sometimes you just never
see the leak. The float is full of fuel.

Oren

Cogged fuel filter?


46erjoe wrote:
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?

there may be a passage in the carb bowl nut that is clogged or passage
in bowl nut boss...also a good ime to pull the bowl off and wash
out.lucas

http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm

"46erjoe" wrote in message
...
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?
Is this the type that the carb bolts directly on top of the fuel tank?

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:45:52 GMT, "Pop"
wrote:

Float stuck? Sunk? Jets
clogged?

HTH
Pop


I've looked and looked a sunken float before, sometimes you just never
see the leak. The float is full of fuel.

Wouldn't that give you too much fuel?

Bob

Sunken float causes flooding. My guess is also some kind of fuel
supply problem. My guess is clogged metering jet. They tend to have
Tecumesh engines, and those jets clog easy. That, or water in the carb
bowl.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Oren" wrote in message
...

I've looked and looked a sunken float before, sometimes you just never
see the leak. The float is full of fuel.

Oren

Craftsman usually used tecumseh engines. So, it would be gastank h igh
in front, carb on the side.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"digitalmaster" wrote in message
...

Is this the type that the carb bolts directly on top of the fuel tank?

Oren wrote:
On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:45:52 GMT, "Pop"
wrote:

Float stuck? Sunk? Jets
clogged?

HTH
Pop


I've looked and looked a sunken float before, sometimes you just never
see the leak. The float is full of fuel.

Oren

Tinkered with it some more today. I can keep the motor running
indefinitely as long as I keep priming it every 10 secs of so. Does
that give any clues? Thanks.

Are there places on the net where I can just buy a carb outright
instead of going through Sears or rebuilding it?


On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 20:19:04 -0400, "digitalmaster"
wrotF:


"46erjoe" wrote in message
.. .
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?
Is this the type that the carb bolts directly on top of the fuel tank?

Had the same problem with my Toro. It would only run while I was priming
it. I called about getting it serviced. The guy said you can bring it in
and I will fix it for 30 something dollars or I can tell you how to do it
now for free. What it was: the fiber washer that makes the seal on the carb
bowl retaining bolt ( has the metering jet in the bolt). There was a hair
sized thread of thar fiber washer sucked into the hole (jet) in the bolt.
Just reach down to the bolt head on the bottom of the carb bowl (noting the
front side of the bowl to get it back in place right) and unscrew it with
your fingers. Take the bolt out, blow it out, check the washer for stray
fibers and trim the stay fibers off and reassemble.

Bob

On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 22:35:29 GMT, 46erjoe
wrote:


Tinkered with it some more today. I can keep the motor running
indefinitely as long as I keep priming it every 10 secs of so. Does
that give any clues? Thanks.

IMHO It's parts in the carburetor, and even disassmbling the carb and
soaking in the good stuff** might not be enough to clean them. The
guy at the repair/parts store talked me into buying 5 or 6 parts, and
I did it partly so he would be nice to me for the next lawnmower, so
it was about 30 dollars.

**I'm not sure if they sell the good stuff anymore. IIRC the stuff 40
years ago would leave the metal of my car's carbuertor parts shiny,
but I'm just not sure it is that good anymore. I'm not referring to
gumout spray or liquid, but small parts cleaner that comes in a coffee
can style thing, with a metal basket so you can dip things in there,
then pull them out without getting the stuff on your fingers. It
turns them brown. Does anyone know if the stuff they sell in the last
20 years is as strong as what they sold 40 years ago. Carcinogens and
all that. What about what gas stations use, with the flexible
gooseneck pipe and the pump that circulates the cleaner and puts it
where you want it. Is that the same stuff that they sell in quart
sizes, with the baskeet in it.

At any rate, buying new is more reliable. Each part is only 3 or 4
dolars.

Carbs vary but this one had a bowl with a nut head on the mddle bottom
of it. The part was an inch long or more, and has a small jet in it
that if you have one like mine, you probably can't even see the jet.
So you'll never know if you have unclogged it.

I think he sold me a new float, but I don't think I needed that. A
new valve and seat is not a bad idea.

He tried to sell me a new bowl, under the theory that once running,
the gum in the bowl would dissolve and yet still clog the new jet.
That doesn't sound likely, but I may have bought it, like I say, to
make him happy.**

There might be a screen of some sort, can't remember.

He didn't seem to be listed as an authorized dealer, (but he had
everything in stock.) so I called him to make sure he had what I
wanted. It was almost closing time and he was 10 or 15 minutes away,
so he on his own spent the time making a list of the parts I needed,
putting them in a bag and making out the receipt. That wasn't enough
to make me buy all of them, but all but one or two. And it did save me
time. I think in less than an hour after I got home it was assembled
and running fine.


*** This was the end of last summer. I have 3 more lawnmowers that
need fixing, but I have two that work and it's hard to get up the
energy, or even the money, to fix mowers that I have no use for and
can't sell for much.

Are there places on the net where I can just buy a carb outright
instead of going through Sears or rebuilding it?


On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 20:19:04 -0400, "digitalmaster"
wrotF:


"46erjoe" wrote in message
. ..
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?
Is this the type that the carb bolts directly on top of the fuel tank?

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:01:53 GMT, John Lawrence wrote:
It still sounds like a fuel delivery problem. It runs when you use the prime
bulb. It will not stay running when the prime is burned. I would suggest
that the carb is gummed up and needs to be cleaned. You should also invest
in a carb. kit.

Could be. I got a Sears mower with my house in 2002 and it ran fine for a
several years, but this year it will prime, but not stay running. One
problem is that there is no fuel shutoff, so you cannot run it dry when
finished. Gas in the carb probably evaporates leaving residue that gums
up the carb eventually. But no fuel shutoff also makes it hard to clean
the carb when you have a full tank of gas.

Fortunately I also have a good old fashioned 2-cycle Lawnboy (after Toro
bought them out). It has a fuel shutoff, so I can run it dry to avoid
carb gum up. And it started right up after not running for years.

"David Efflandt" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:01:53 GMT, John Lawrence wrote:
It still sounds like a fuel delivery problem. It runs when you use the prime
bulb. It will not stay running when the prime is burned. I would suggest
that the carb is gummed up and needs to be cleaned. You should also invest
in a carb. kit.

Could be. I got a Sears mower with my house in 2002 and it ran fine for a
several years, but this year it will prime, but not stay running. One
problem is that there is no fuel shutoff, so you cannot run it dry when
finished. Gas in the carb probably evaporates leaving residue that gums
up the carb eventually. But no fuel shutoff also makes it hard to clean
the carb when you have a full tank of gas.

Running them dry is something I do only at the end of the season. It doesn't
seem to be a problem when used regularly.

Bob

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 00:02:19 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 22:35:29 GMT, 46erjoe
wrote:


Tinkered with it some more today. I can keep the motor running
indefinitely as long as I keep priming it every 10 secs of so. Does
that give any clues? Thanks.

IMHO It's parts in the carburetor, and even disassmbling the carb and
soaking in the good stuff** might not be enough to clean them. The
guy at the repair/parts store talked me into buying 5 or 6 parts, and
I did it partly so he would be nice to me for the next lawnmower, so
it was about 30 dollars.

I missed the original post so I'm piggybacking onto this response. My
Craftsman mower had the same problem this spring. I had left fuel in
it over the winter (yes, I know better but I've gotten away with it in
the past!). Like yours, it would run as long as I pushed the primer
bulb every few seconds, but that's an awkward way to mow a lawn!

I took it to a mower repair guy. He cleaned the carb and replaced the
gas cap. Apparently a poorly-fitting gas cap doesn't allow for the
proper vacuum and can contribute to the mower not running. (Someone
else can probably describe that better). It cost me between $25-30 to
get it fixed.

Lauri in WA

"46erjoe" wrote in message
...

Tinkered with it some more today. I can keep the motor running
indefinitely as long as I keep priming it every 10 secs of so. Does
that give any clues? Thanks.

Are there places on the net where I can just buy a carb outright
instead of going through Sears or rebuilding it?


On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 20:19:04 -0400, "digitalmaster"
wrotF:


"46erjoe" wrote in message
. ..
Got this Craftsman model 917 6-hp lawn mower for free when I got a new
house. It starts up fine, but runs for only about 30 seconds and then
stops.

I know what you're thinking: Fuel delivery problem. I thought so too.
I pulled off the tank emptied it, blew it dry and put it back on with
fresh gas. The screen at the bottom of the tank is clear.

If I prime it more than the 5 suggested times, it says, it stays
running longer.

I did this quite a few times in order to get it hot, but it still
keeps on shutting down.

The carb is tight to the block. I tried leaving the gas cap on and off
to see if venting was an issue. Still kept doing the same thing.

The air filter was dirty, so I left it off while testing. Still won't
run.

Any suggestions?
Is this the type that the carb bolts directly on top of the fuel tank?



Sounds a lot like mine that had set up for 2 years. There was a couple of
things wrong the rubber boot used to prime it was torn and it was full of
gooey gunk. Replacing the boot and soaking the carb in cleaner did the job.
These carbs used to have a needle valve in the bottom of the bowl now the
orifice is permanently set. The tube that holds the bowl on was really
gunked up. Cleaning this solved the biggest part of the problem.