# TRS22 Not starting



## davis911s

I just picked up a John Deere TRS22. It had no gas in it when I got it. I filled it with gas, checked the oil and tried to pull start. NO LUCK

I have;
- key in and turned on
- fuel cut off is open
- in 1st gear
- throttle set to high
- choke on
- primed 5 times

nothing when I try to pull start it (no electric start)

Am I missing something?
It is very cold here tonight -22c, there is a little gas "leaking" out of a cover on the left side (from the rear, opposite side of engine the the fuel cut off is on)

Any ideas???


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## 43128

clean the bowl nut and check that float is level. if the engine runs, pull the carb for a more thorough cleaning and replace the gaskets


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## Grunt

Hello and welcome to the forum davis. Have you checked for spark or tried a NEW spark plug? You said you have it in first gear when trying to start it. Most two stage snow blowers have safety switches that kill the ignition if not in NEUTRAL when starting the motor. Here is a link to the engine service manual I "think" you need. Let us know what you find.

http://www.barrettsmallengine.com/manual/tecumsehlheadmanual.pdf

The fuel leaking could be a carb problem, but may actually be the primed fuel dripping from the carb throat and is normal.


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## davis911s

Thanks so far guys.

The fuel is for sure leaking. I left to play hockey and there is a puddle now, so I will trace that leak tomorrow. 

I will also check so spark, but there is no "neutral" that I can find. Anyone help with that?


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## davis911s

Today
- New spark plug properly gapped, spark check, and yes I have spark.
- I removed fuel bowl, It has a layer of frozen green "sludge" in it. I cleaned that all out, removed and cleaned the jet and ensured both small holes were clear.
- new gas

Still does not start????

The spark plug is wet, so fuel is getting into the chamber. Also the float bowl has fuel (It has the drain plug and I used it to check)

It does not even try to start, compression feels good but I have not checked it with a gauge. 

I am stumped

My brother in law gave me this machine. He said it started last year, but did not throw the snow very far. I planned on fixing that once I got it running. Ideas???


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## HJames

I would check the valve clearance. I'm guessing the engine is an hmsk50, I wouldn't be surprised if the exhaust valve isn't seating fully or opening prematurely.


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## davis911s

How do I check that?
I just took the carb completely off, cleaned the heck out of it so it is all good.

Its dark out, so I did another spark test. Weird thing....I am getting spark pattern no matter if key is on "run" position or "off" position when I pull the cord. It is not a great spark, but it is there. I was surprised because I would have assumed the key off would have stopped the spark???

STARTER FLUID!!! I tried with a few squirts of starter fluid and started up. Ran good.


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## Shryp

You should get no spark with the key off. Either the switch is bad or the wiring is not making a good connection somewhere.


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## Grunt

davis911s said:


> STARTER FLUID!!! I tried with a few squirts of starter fluid and started up. Ran good.


 Did it keep running after the starter fluid burned off ? If not, you still have a fuel delivery problem in the carb or fuel line.


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## Ryan

You should only need to prime it twice. Even when you prime it twice, you'll get some fuel that leaks/squirts out of the carb so don't be worried about that, that is normal. Go over that carb good. Given that you have a TRS (Murray Built) you'll want to treat this thing as nicely as you can. I have 4 TRS-27s that I work on and all are a major pain in the rear and don't handle abuse well. Common issues are fuel hose/line rot both the fuel line from the tank to the engine and the primer line into the carb. I'm betting you may have a stuck float valve in the carb as well if it continues to leak fuel.


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