I have a Craftsman EAGER-1 lawnmower, model 917.383242, and it won't start. It has been used several times already this year, and starting was not a problem at all until today. (And it has been running great; no stalling or sputtering. For what it's worth, I ran the mower last fall until it burned up all of the gas.) It has fresh gas in the tank, but my (20-year-old) son tells me that, when he pushes the primer button, it does not feel like there's any liquid being moved.
Guessing something's blocked in the fuel line, but I don't know enough about engines in general to know for sure, or even determine the problem and fix it. I had my son pick up a book (Walk behind lawn mower service manual; looks like it covers all of the major engine manufacturers) at the local library so I can have something to look at by the time I get home tonight.
I asked my son to identify the engine's manufacturer, like Tecumseh or Briggs Stratton, but he said there was no label on the engine, only some code that looked like 143.44010 4244J. I chatted with a Sears Parts Direct salesperson online, and he said this mower's engine was manufactured by Craftsman. I didn't realize Crafsman manufactured lawnmower engines, but I see it as one of the manufacturers listed in the aforementioned book's Contents section online.
Ideas, advice welcomed!
Hello Dan400Man,
The engine number you posted isn't valid, Look on the front of the top cover just above the spark plug. There should be a 143. number stamped there.....
This engine wasn't built by Craftsman but by Tecumseh, While your getting the number off the front remove the air filter. Shine a flashlight up into the throat of the carb, You will see a brass tube sticking up about 1/8 in the center. While watching this tube push the primer bulb 3 or 4 times and see if fuel bubbles up out of this tube.
The primer bulb doesn't pump fuel, It pumps air into the float bowl pressurizing it thus pushing the fuel up through this brass tube.
With the proper engine numbers and results of the above test we will know where to go next.
Good Luck
I got home Friday night, pushed the primer button a few times, and it started right up for me. I was able to feel fuel/air moving when I pressed the primer button, but the mower had been sitting at an angle where a tank low on fuel might have had nothing to go in the fuel line and, as it turns out, it was a bit low. So, I moved the mower to a flat surface before I tried pushing the primer button. Also, I noticed the air filter was in serious need of replacement, so that might have been an issue when the boys tried to start it. Otherwise, it started and ran fine.
I probably didn't need to post all that, but I wanted to acknowlege and thank 31YTech for his advice and suggestions!
Your welcome Dan400Man,
We're here to help if possible, no matter how small the issue.....
Tags: craftsman, push, mower, start, primer button, brass tube, fuel line, might have, primer bulb, this tube
