21 hp briggs vanguard question

[john swenson]

that is excellent advice ! .. not being a engine guy , i'm not aware of all the possibilities for trouble shooting . i just had a thought also . when the engine took a lot of cranking before it fired up awhile back , i found out the choke cable had slipped and choke was'nt even engaging . maybe after adjusting it , it is still choked a bit . that would make it run rich ? even though it runs smooth and strong . i'll check the oil level regularly and the exhaust pipe too . you guys are great , thanks jboy va. p.s i had alot of fun cruising thru the woods today in the fresh , overnite snow with the dog zipping along .

[Laird]

It doesn't take much choke to make it run a little bit rich. You will want to make sure the choke is fully open. Also, pull the spark plugs. If the engine is running rich they will be black and sooty. The plugs should be a tan color. If they are black, I would recommend new ones as opposed to cleaning them although cleaning them with acetone, brake clean or carb clean and compressed air is better than nothing. I have cleaned them on a wire wheel but have found out that Briggs doesn't recommend this method as it can leave metal particles that could contaminate the cylinder.

[john swenson]

laird buddy ...checked the plugs this morn , nice color , no sooty black . oil seemed fine and did'nt smell of gas . choke was still a little closed so i adjusted cable again . fired right up and off i went in the snowy woods . will keep a eye out on it , thanks again . johnboy va.

[ba49]

I once had a drag bike, a bored and stroked Harley Sportster that had 11 to 1 compression and was a kick start. I had to always remember to shut off the fuel because sometimes the float needle would stick and fill the cylinder with gas and when I jumped on the kicker it didn't move LOL. One thing you need to check is for gas in the oil. I used to pull the dipstick and smell it. You need to be very careful if you smell gas in your oil as it will thin your oil and can wash your bearings and burn the bearings (happened to me). It could also cause a fire in the crankcase. If it has alot of gas in the crankcase I would drain it and add new oil before you run it. A small amount of gas in there shouldn't hurt as it will evaporate pretty quick as it warms up.

[john swenson]

thanks buddy ... i have'nt had any locking problems since i got the choke adjusted correctly . been turning off the gas at nite anyway . no gas in the oil so far and the plugs are looking just fine . i will keep a eye on it since i run it almost every day . j.boy

[ARGOJIM]

Glad you got it sorted John.

[john swenson]

thanks jim ...looking forward to some great riding with you and everyone at busco . been going thru the max replacing some bearings , etc, so maybe no major problems . no matter the conditions we should have a fun time just being together on the trails again . where are you and yours planning on camping ? jboy