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Repair information and troubleshooting for Craftsman-brand riding lawnmowers.

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Why does my Craftsman rider run perfectly for 15-20 minutes then die?

My 2 year old Craftsman rider starts right up and runs and cuts perfectly for around 15 minutes then slowly starts to lose power until engine dies and will not start back up. An hour or two later the engine will start back up and the same scenario happens

Update (06/21/2016)

The mower is a T100 Crafysman with a 420cc overhead valve engine. All gas lines are far enough away from heat sources that I don't believe vapor lock would be an issue. All maintenance has been kept up

Update (06/21/2016)

I meant a T1000

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Just an update on my Craftsman mower. Did a compression check and had very little compression. Haven't had a chance to dig into it to see if motor is shot. It is correct that the mower has a MTD engine. They stick Craftsman stickers all over it to make you think otherwise. Hoping it's a valve spring or a keeper or something fixable. Mower is just out of warranty (of course).

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My Sears riding tractor does same thing runs great for 15 r 20 min then slows dwn and stalls took carb off tried blowing in fuel line fitting very hard to blow like something was blocking the passageway looked inside saw a piece on paper filer stuck up against a screen took the obstacle out and now can idle as low as the throttle goes it purrs now

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It's probably a bad solenoid on the bottom of the carb bowl. It heats up and the coil stops conducting electricity. It cools down and works again. Unscrew it from the carb and snip off the plunger then re-install it.

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I’ve got a 2019 yard machine 420cc MTD yard tractor and I’ve had this problem and followed everything ( changed plug- coil- gas cap checked all lines- filter) and it was the fuel ports with gummed up and it fire right up that was my issue so try to clean all fuel ports first

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They stick Craftsman stickers all over it because craftsman parent company is MTD. Which is also the parent company for numerous outdoor/lawn and garden/splitters snow blowers, etc.(Powermore,Craftsman,Cub Cadet, and many, Many more), and all the reasons listed are good examples, but if none solve the problem, it is your valve lash. A major issue in any, and ALL small OHV engines that are just gassed up and run without proper valve adjustments for wear.

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@amycollin sounds like it is related to heat. Make sure that your cooling fins etc. are clear of any obstruction. Ensure that all fuel lines etc are away from the block and potentially causing a vapor lock. If you tell us what model your mower is and what engine it has we should find more concrete information for you.

Update (06/26/2016)

@amycollin if the unit is running with restricted fuel flow it can cause overheating. If the spark plug looks dry and white after some use instead of slightly wet or tan colored, then it still could be caused by something restricting the fuel supply. Check for a partly blocked fuel line, fuel filter, or tank vent,possibly even something inside the carburetor. Also, check if you still have spark when the unit is hot and stalls out. Sometimes an ignition coil or spark plug can work fine when cold but short after having enough time to heat up. Change the plug. Post an image of the spark plug face with your question use this guidefor that. You also can check the intake and exhaust valves for proper settings (trying to find more info for this particular engine) If they are running a little to tight they will close when the engine is hot and causing those symptoms.

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@amycollin that sounds like the model they are pushing as a craftsman engine. Where they used Kohler and B&S there are now more of the Zongshen gasoline 1-cylinder 2-valve 420 cc engine. Any issues related to the engine cannot be found in the mowers service manual, but it's in the engine manual. So we'll have to investigate yours carefully. If you are sure it's not vapor lock make sure that it is not creating a vacuum anywhere, ensure the tank is vented. This "starts to lose power until engine dies " is usually fuel related. I added more to my answer. Lets see if we can figure it out. Check on the engine for any identifying marks,numbers etc. Just learned that there are also models with a B&S engine and peerless engines.

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Would a improperly capped spark plug cause this?

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My T1000 (purchased in2014) suffered from same issue after about 2 years of running perfectly, it would run for about 20 minutes then quit. putting the choke on would keep it running for only a few more minutes. compression was still good and spark present, replaced the plug just to be sure it was not the issue. then removed the fuel solenoid on the base of the carb and put a bolt in the hole. 8mm 1.0 mm pitch. now seems to be running fine again with no issues. I put a fuel cutoff valve in the fuel line .

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Can you make a video of this ?

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had the running /stopping problem.it was some lint like substance in gas line at the needle valve entrance port.blew out seat and hose.this has occurred with snow blower apps as well.also the disc type filter is not a good filter does poor job'!use a cylindrical style

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Mine does after tank runs down some. Basically it is gravity fed and gas line is lower than carb with filter.The gas will not run up hill. Just purchased new gas cap and vent valve if that does not work I will work on possibly changing to another type tank. I have cut stem off solenoid on carb already that did not help.

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I forgot to mention I use John Deer gas filters on all of my mowers. They are compact and do good job of filtering gas

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I’m having that issue with getting warm and then the engine starts popping and sputtering and finally shuts down. All the research I’ve done and experience I’ve had pints directly to the coil. Once it gets hot it fails. It cools down restarts and runs fine for a bit and again shuts down. I originally thought fuel issues. Went all the way through from tank to card. Still same thing. Coils are fairly reasonable priced and easy to change. Just make sure the gap is correct. If the coil hits the fly wheel on rotation as it runs I’ve seen them blow apart like a small explosion. So make sure of your gap. You change the coil I’d almost lay money on the issue being resolved

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I've changed coil carb fuel lines spark plug disabled safeties and still runs for a while real well then slows down then dies,not all the time though

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