Engine Stalling

[ReeseJ]

I just replaced the carburetor, now I find that the engine stalls and quits whenever I thottle down to shift. The engine starts right up and runs fine otherwise. Could this be a fuel mixture problem? How would I know for sure (PS: the carb is very close to the wall of the engine compartment making it difficult to reach the adjusting screw without removing the carb). Jeff

[jhwelch]

At what RPM does the engine stall?

If it will only run near your cruising speed your fuel float may
be stuck and not shutting off the flow of gas into the carb.

-jonathan

[Don Moyer]

Jeff,

You could indeed have a slightly lean idle mixture.

Sometimes it's easier to claw your way to the idle mixture screw on top of the carburetor with the engine not running (and cool). If this is your situation, you could take a small screwdriver and turn the mixture screw in (clockwise) approximately 1/4 turn with the engine not running, and then see if the engine runs a bit stronger the next time you're using it while warmed up. You can continue making 1/4 turn adjustments until the engine either runs stronger or runs worse, in which case you should back the adjusting screw out 1/4 turn.

Don

[ReeseJ]

Although it was hard to reach, I managed to get a screwdriver on the mixture screw and gave it a 1/4 turn in a clockwise direction, as you suggested. I then fired up the engine and was delighted to find that the engine now ran very smoothly and without a hint of stalling when I throttled down to shift! GREAT!!! I was amazed that such a small adjustment could make such a big difference. Once again, Don, your sound advice has saved the day! :-)