QuestionI've got a Broadmoor tractor from '97 with a B&S 14 HP V-Twin Vanguard engine. It's model # is 294777, Type # is 1131-A1 and Code # is 96101111.
This past weekend saw its first use this year. It ran for about 20 minutes and stalled. After about a 30 minute rest it would restart and run for another 10 minutes before stalling again. The wait and restart pattern was repeated a couple of times before I gave up.
The air filter and fuel filter are good. I tried restarting with the gas cap off and that did not help. I've searched the forums and from what I could find it seems that either the valves need adjusting and/or the carburetor needs a cleaning.
Is one of these more likely than the other? Is there anything more likely that it might be?
Thanks,
John
AnswerIt sounds more like the coil is failing. You'll need an ignition tester to check it. When the engine dies, immediately use your ignition tester to check for fire. Oftentimes when the coil starts to break down it will quit firing when it gets hot.
On homeowner equipment we recommend adjusting the valves every 100 hours as normal maintenance. We also recommend rebuilding the carburetor every 150 hours whether it needs it at the time or not. We replace fuel lines when rebuilding carburetors as well.
