AboutEric A. Jones Expertise Lawnmower Repair . Certified Master Service Technician from B&S. Have 13 years experience on B&S, Lawn Chief, Weed Eater, Echo, Peerless, Wheel Horse, Snapper, Atlas, MTD, McCulloch, Homelite and many other numerous brands. Specialize in electrical repair.
Experience Born and raised in the midwest. Started tinkering with engines when I was about 14 on my Suzuki RM-80. I began lawn mower repair at a small hardware store. I knew absolutely nothing. I read lots of repair manuals and met an older fellow who taught me many lessons. I continued working on small engines through high school and paid my way through college working on mowers at the same hardware store. Decided to get away from the midwest and mower repair so I joined the Air Force. I repaired air traffic control electronic equipment and ended up in Hawaii where I got a part time job at Small Engine Clinic. I gained a lot of experience from the Small Engine Clinic and had a blast repairing small engines. I then took the Briggs and Stratton Master Service Technician test and earned my MST. I then traveled to Wisconsin where I attended the factory update training seminar and received formal training. I received a scholarship from the Air Force and am currently pursuing another degree.
Question Hi, i was just givin an older model Craftsman 11hp lawn tractor model #045960411 it has a 400cc briggs and stratton engine. just tryin to figure out if its worth fixin up, i got it for free. the machine was said to be "running fine about 3 months before i received it. When you go to start it, it fires right up and sounds strong for about 3 seconds then immediately dies out. if you put it to choke, then right back to "rabbit speed" it'll give you another quick burst of power then die again.I checked the plug it seems ok...i drained the fuel and replaced it wehn i first got it...i also took the fuel filter off and checked it, it had a bunch of gunk in it that i banged out and it seems clean(i can see through it) any help you can offer would be awesome...thanks again
Kevin.
Answer Is there a digit or two missing in the model number? The number looks odd and could not find the model in the parts list.
First place to start is to remove the carburetor, dis-assemble and clean with compressed air from an air compressor and carb cleaner.
Since it starts, odds are the ignition, compression and timing are all good.
