# Crafstman 536.881800 running rough, mixture issue?



## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Hello,

My Crafstman 536.881800 has started giving me trouble. I used it today with a few inches of moderately heavy snow and it kept trying to stall out. It would get rough and almost backfire, particularly when I had the impeller running. It also seemed to run worse when I was on an incline.

I change the oil every year. Before I put it away in the spring, I run it as dry as I can and then put some gumout and both green and red stabilizer in the tank for storage. I also put stabilizer in the gas can, though I try to not reuse it. I changed the spark plug about two years ago but I have never needed to have the engine serviced. It took longer to get started this year, but it is about 10 years old now and I expect some reduction in performance.

Oddly, the engine seems to need to run on choke after it has been running for a while. This just means that it starts to sputter and switching back to choke is the only thing that keeps it running. This really doesn't make any sense at all so I am wondering if the mixture needs to be adjusted. On my old Ariens, there was a screw to adjust the mixture and that needed to be tweaked from time to time. There is nothing similar visible on this engine (Briggs & Stratton) , so if it has an adjustment, it must be under the plastic cover.

Anyway, are there any suggestions as to what the issue might be? Does this sound like a carburetor, bad gas, gas tank sediment, plugged fuel line, fuel filter, or something different?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,

*LMHmedchem*
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...6-crafstman-536-881800-change-spark-plug.html


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

The carb is most likley getting clogged up. You can try some fuel system cleaner, like Sea Foam or Berryman's B12. And if that doesn't work. Try cleaning the carb. The carb for that machine is no longer available. But Briggs & Stratton has a replacement kit. You kind of need to know what your doing, as the governor spring has to be changed. The kit comes with a selection of springs. I recently put a kit on, and found I had to use the heaviest spring in the kit. And then fine adjust the rpm's with my tach.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> The carb is most likley getting clogged up. You can try some fuel system cleaner, like Sea Foam or Berryman's B12. And if that doesn't work. Try cleaning the carb. The carb for that machine is no longer available. But Briggs & Stratton has a replacement kit. You kind of need to know what your doing, as the governor spring has to be changed. The kit comes with a selection of springs. I recently put a kit on, and found I had to use the heaviest spring in the kit. And then fine adjust the rpm's with my tach.


The carb replacement sound more like something I would need to have someone else do. I don't mind at all doing engine work, but I don't have a garage and it's pretty hard to do that kind of thing outside when it's as cold as it is around here. That's something I could have done in the summer. I guess I could take it apart and get it down the basement if I had to.

Just for my information, what would that kit run and where would you get it? How much should that repair cost in my local small engine shop? I don't really like this snowblower all that much, so I'm not sure how much I would put into it as opposed to replacing it. If I got a new one, I could rebuild the carb next summer and then sell it.

Which would you suggest for the cleaner, SeaFoam or Berryman's B12. I have used SeaFoam before but not the other. I would probably pull the spark plug and pour some cleaner in the cylinder and leave it overnight. Then I would drain allot of the gas and add the rest of the cleaner to the tank and run it out. Does that make sense?

*LMHmedchem *


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

Here's the link for the carb. Believe it or not Sears had the best price, even cheaper than on Ebay. I'm not sure how much a shop would charge you, maybe an hour? But they may not like you bringing your own parts, you'd have to ask on that. As far as cleaner either one is good. Berryman's is cheaper.

Lawn & Garden Equipment Engine Carburetor | Part Number 594014 | Sears PartsDirect


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Well, my situation has not improved.

I emptied the gas tank and cleaned it out with some gumout. Then I put in some seafoam and fresh gas and ran it for a minute or so. Then I shut it down, turned off the power switch, primed it a few times, and turned over the engine with the pull rope a few times. The intent was to get the seafoam into the carb and leave it there. I left it overnight. 

Today, I can't get it to start at all. It ran for a few seconds and then shut down. I couldn't get it started again. I drained the gas again and filled it with fresh gas without the seafoam but it still won't start. It will start right up with starter fluid, but dies immediately if I don't keep spraying the starter fluid.

It almost acts like it isn't getting any gas and I wonder if the gas line is plugged. the choke position doesn't seem to matter. I took off the gas line and let some gas empty. The flow looks alright, so I guess it's not plugged. I sprayed some gumout into the hose and also into the nipple where the hose attaches to the carb. I took off the bowl of the carb and cleaned that out. It didn't look all that dirty.

I see a little spring loaded screw right next to the choke control. Is this the fine mixture adjust? I have been wondering for a while if this needs to be adjusted some.

Do I take off the carb, bring it in, and try to clean it? Do I just get a new one? I couldn't see the spring you were talking about, is that under the gas tank or somewhere it is hard to get to?

Sorry for all the questions.

*LMHmedchem*


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

The screw with the spring is for the idle adjustment. And yes, the governor spring is under the tank. Out of curiosity, where are you located?


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> The screw with the spring is for the idle adjustment. And yes, the governor spring is under the tank. Out of curiosity, where are you located?


I'm just south of Boston. I have been working on this for the last few days because the weather has been reasonable. Around here that can change at almost any time.

I'm a bit in the weeds as to what to do next. I can order a new carb, but that won't get here until next week at the earliest. I am tempted to take off the carb I have and see if I can clean it and get it working again. Is that a difficult fix?

I work on my truck quite a bit and do maintenance like brakes and suspension work. On the engine, I don't do much other than changing the plugs and removing and cleaning the throttle body.

I can't quite explain why it will run with starter fluid but won't light at all. I would think it would at least sputter a bit.

*LMHmedchem*


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

Its sounds pretty plugged.But you may not get it cleaned enough, as bad as yours sounds. You'l have to make some carb base gaskets, if you pull it off. Just get some gasket material at the auto parts store and if you can get 1 off in 1 piece, you can use it as a pattern. If you have a harbor freight near you , get a gasket punch set. And you will need an xacto knief. The nut that holds the bowl on has tiny holes, they need to be cleaned out.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> Its sounds pretty plugged. But you may not get it cleaned enough, as bad as yours sounds. You'l have to make some carb base gaskets, if you pull it off. Just get some gasket material at the auto parts store and if you can get 1 off in 1 piece, you can use it as a pattern. If you have a harbor freight near you , get a gasket punch set. And you will need an xacto knief. The nut that holds the bowl on has tiny holes, they need to be cleaned out.


If I have time over the weekend I will try to clean the carb and see if I can get it going again. Is there a vid for the procedure out there somewhere? If I can't get it running, I will probably order a new one next week.

The repair is probably more work than the replacement, so normally I wouldn't try both. Since I can't get the part right away I might as well try the repair if I have some time. At any rate, it will be easier to to the replacement if I have had the thing off and back on again recently. Is it absolutely necessary to replace the governor spring when switching to the new carb? The repair would be allot easier if I don't have to remove the gas tank.

Do I need to put any of the blue silicone gasket grease on the replacement gaskets or do they go on dry?

*LMHmedchem*


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## DuffyJr (Oct 15, 2015)

Try searching youtube for your specific engine and watch some videos on cleaning carbs. Look for any by donboy73. I'm not all that mechanical and I did mine just from talking to a parts guy where I picked up the carb kit. This was before we had the internet here at the house.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

GMorning LMH, There's some great advice already, but from the sounds of it, the carb is bad. I have a couple of those machines at my shop now, (just south of Boston), and all of them need carbs. Those carbs aren't very forgiving and difficult to assemble after cleaning, due to the plastic emulsion tube and rather large flimsy gasket that seals it to the body. The fact that you have fuel to the carb, seems as it is probably clogged. But the fact that it won't run on either may suggest a deeper problem. Have you done a compression or Cylinder Leak Down Test? I have one of those engines that has bad valves also. It would be a shame to purchase a new carb or waste time cleaning the old unit if it has engine problems. GLuck, Jay


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Can you post a pic of the engine? Is it a Powerbilt, Intek? I know you've been finking around with it for a while, but try draining gas from the tank, through the line that attaches to the carb into a glass jar. I use a regular mason jar. Just let it drain off maybe a 1/2 a cup and then swish it around and look for little black flecks. This will tell you the interior of your fuel line is going away. I always start from the source flow to downstream before cleaning a carb. You can end up claning a carb perfectly and then have the shiitty fuel line run crap right back into it. Briggs fuel lines are kinda of a pain because they are formed and best replaced with OEM so as not to get kinks, but they aren't cheap:roll3yes:. As Jayz mentioned, you may be chasing the carb when it's a valve issue. My experience with Briggs OHV engines is they always benefit from valve adjustments. Don't know why it is, but they frequently lose tolerance.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

jtclays said:


> Can you post a pic of the engine? Is it a Powerbilt, Intek? I know you've been finking around with it for a while, but try draining gas from the tank, through the line that attaches to the carb into a glass jar. I use a regular mason jar. Just let it drain off maybe a 1/2 a cup and then swish it around and look for little black flecks. This will tell you the interior of your fuel line is going away. I always start from the source flow to downstream before cleaning a carb. You can end up claning a carb perfectly and then have the shiitty fuel line run crap right back into it. Briggs fuel lines are kinda of a pain because they are formed and best replaced with OEM so as not to get kinks, but they aren't cheap. As Jayz mentioned, you may be chasing the carb when it's a valve issue. My experience with Briggs OHV engines is they always benefit from valve adjustments. Don't know why it is, but they frequently lose tolerance.


The engine is a Briggs and Stratton. I can post a few pics if I get a chance to work on it tomorrow. It's dark out now. I have drained quite a bit of gas through the supply line but I didn't check it. I just put it in the haz waste with my old oil to get rid of at the next collection. I will check as you suggest the next time I have it out.

If I replace the carb, the B&S replacement kit comes with a new supply line.
Carburetor 594014 ($59)

How would I go about doing a valve adjustment?

This machine is ~10 years old. That's not very old compared to my Ariens which lasted for close to 30 years, but it's still not new. I don't like this machine that much, so I'm not sure how much I want to put into it. I don't mind spending $50-$100 on parts and spending a little time, but I'm not sure I want to take it in somewhere and end up paying a couple of hundred dollars that I would rather put into a new one.

*LMHmedchem*


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

G Afternoon LMH, That's a fair price for that carb, as I've bought those for machines that I sell. Some Valve adjustments are toughr than others. Can you post the engine numbers? If it's the OHV design, fairly simple, but still a little time consuming if you've never done it before. Where about in Boston are you? I'm 20 mins south, on Rt 28 and can give you a hand if you want to bring it by the shop. But if you shoot me the numbers, I can look up the specs and see how much is involved with it. GLuck, J


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

JayzAuto1 said:


> G Afternoon LMH, That's a fair price for that carb, as I've bought those for machines that I sell.


Sorry for my being dense, but do you mean "fair" as in a good price, or "fair" as in a high price? It seems like the first time I went to the link posted by MotorCity the price was around $40 but the next time the price was $58. Maybe I was hallucinating.



JayzAuto1 said:


> Some Valve adjustments are toughr than others. Can you post the engine numbers? If it's the OHV design, fairly simple, but still a little time consuming if you've never done it before.


I believe it's the OHV but I will have a look a bit later today.



JayzAuto1 said:


> Where about in Boston are you? I'm 20 mins south, on Rt 28 and can give you a hand if you want to bring it by the shop. But if you shoot me the numbers, I can look up the specs and see how much is involved with it. GLuck, J


I live in Quincy and I am literally about 3/4 of a mile south of Boston. I know 28 runs all the way down to Lakeville. I will post some pics and the engine serial numbers later today.

Fortunately, it doesn't look like we will be getting any major snow any time soon. It is going to be reasonably warm this week, so I hope I can get this repair done before it gets nasty again.

*LMHmedchem*


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

The engine is a B&S PowerBuilt OHV

The model number off of the gas tank is:
5BSXS 2051HF 276034

I took off the carb and cleaned it. It really looked almost new inside. I didn't find any residue or anything that was plugged. I made two new gaskets and reinstalled the carb.

Nothing has changed. If I spritz the air filter with starter fluid it will start. If I keep spritzing with starter fluid, it will keep running. The moment I stop, the engine stops. It doesn't even keep sputtering or anything. I acts like I killed the power switch. It's acting like it's not getting any gas from the tank at all, but I get free flow though the supply line. I tried a number of positions for the idle spring adjust, but that didn't make any difference.

I used this about a week ago and it ran for a couple of hours. It was finicky and difficult to keep going. It kept wanting to die out when under load and I had to run it on choke allot of the time. It was annoying, but it was running.

Now I can't get it to start at all. At the moment, I'm not of a mind to order a new carb given that the current one looks in good shape.

Any suggestions on what to do next?

*LMHmedchem*


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

When you mean the idle spring, do you mean the governor spring under the gas tank? If so I hope you marked the original hole it was in.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> When you mean the idle spring, do you mean the governor spring under the gas tank? If so I hope you marked the original hole it was in.


I mean the spring loaded screw that is just above the choke knob. I though that was the idle adjust. It is just a Phillips screw with a spring around it. I presume this sets the mixture at idle. I haven't taken off the gas tank yet so I didn't touch where governor spring is attached. I just disconnected the linkage at the carb when I took it off to clean it.

Do you think I should try a valve adjustment next?

Is there some way I can confirm that the carb is getting gas? The primer pump seems a bit funny. Usually, I prime a few times and you can feel that you have sucked up some gas. The pump button doesn't come back up very much, etc. That doesn't seem to be happening now.

There have been several requests for pictures, but I'm not sure what to post. Would a picture of the engine really be helpful? I can post a picture of the spring screw I am taking about if it is still not clear.

*LMHmedchem*


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

Is the needle valve stuck? Pop the bowl off the carb and make sure you have a flow of gas coming from the needle and seat.


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

Cranman has a good point. I usually check the needle & seat when I reassemble a carb I blow air into the fuel inlet, with the carb in the upright position, to check that there is flow. The turn the carb over, to make sure the needle & seat seal. Did you clean the bowl nut good? That is basically the carb jet. And is its plugged, no fuel will flow. Also, your where play with the idle screw, just wanted to check, in my previous post.

Hate to say it, but you've been screwing with this thing so much, with no progress, time to consider buying the carb kit.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

cranman said:


> Is the needle valve stuck? Pop the bowl off the carb and make sure you have a flow of gas coming from the needle and seat.


So I should take off the bowl, put something under to catch the gas, and turn it over a few times to see if there is gas coming in where the bowl was? Should I have the power switch on or off?

I took the needle out with the float when I cleaned it. I also sprayed carb cleaner into the hole where the needle goes. The seat felt soft, so I was afraid to go in there with a wire or anything like that to make sure the opening is not obstructed. Should I do that differently?



Motor City said:


> Cranman has a good point. I usually check the needle & seat when I reassemble a carb I blow air into the fuel inlet, with the carb in the upright position, to check that there is flow. The turn the carb over, to make sure the needle & seat seal.


I didn't blow into the fuel inlet, so that is something I can try. It really looked clean inside the carb so the issue must be a small obstruction somewhere I missed.



Motor City said:


> Did you clean the bowl nut good? That is basically the carb jet. And is its plugged, no fuel will flow. Also, your where play with the idle screw, just wanted to check, in my previous post.


Does the hole in the bottom of the bowl nut come out somewhere? There was a hole that went all the way through the nut from one side to the other and a bigger hole on the bottom/end that didn't seem to go anywhere. Again, I didn't want to be too forceful with a wire without knowing what the anatomy looked like.



Motor City said:


> Hate to say it, but you've been screwing with this thing so much, with no progress, time to consider buying the carb kit.


I have no issue getting a new part and I probably would have ordered it already if it hadn't been a holiday weekend by the time I got around to it. I thought I might as well try to clean it while I had a few days. Today is the first day that anyone would have processed the order anyway.

Does it make sense to try to adjust the values? Are there specs somewhere for the valve lash height on this motor? Are both sides the same?

*LMHmedchem*


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

Don't worry about damaging the bowel nut. Spray it with carb cleaner, and I use welding tip cleaners to run thru the holes on the nut. There is the center hole and 2 holes on the side. This is where the gas comes thru, to run the engine, Its the main jet. But if you can find a wire that fits, clean it out good. As for the valve clearances, You'll have to google it. But I just don't think this is your main issue. The exhaust gap is usually larger than the intake.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> Don't worry about damaging the bowel nut. Spray it with carb cleaner, and I use welding tip cleaners to run thru the holes on the nut. There is the center hole and 2 holes on the side. This is where the gas comes thru, to run the engine, Its the main jet. But if you can find a wire that fits, clean it out good. As for the valve clearances, You'll have to google it. But I just don't think this is your main issue. The exhaust gap is usually larger than the intake.


I got a wire into all the holes of the bowel nut and used a bright light to confirm there is no obstruction. I also cleaned it out again with more carb cleaner. When I took the bowel off, allot of gas came out and kept coming out until I tipped it on its side. I guess that means I am getting plenty of gas from the tank. I did the valve adjustment but it still won't start.

I am guessing that that problem is at the seat of the pin but it's hard to say. I will probably order a carb kit unless someone else has another suggestion. This is what I would order unless someone can point me to a place to get it cheaper.
Carburetor 594014 ($59)

I guess it's a bit cheaper on Amazon but it's back ordered there,
Briggs and Stratton 594014 Carburetor ($57)

I seem to recall this being more in the $40 range. Am I wrong about that?

*LMHmedchem*


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

You just use the gaskets dry..... no silicone required. You can re-use them sometimes - just depends on if it sticks/tears. There are good video's on cleaning the carbs up. Worth a shot for a cheap fix. Replacing them is the next best thing..... be sure to note what goes where before you pull it - take a pic.


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## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

Just in case, check for spark. Make sure the on/off switch is on and pull the plug. Put it into the plug wire, and ground the plug on something metal, on the machine, and pull it over. Unless you know it runs on starting fluid.


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Motor City said:


> Just in case, check for spark. Make sure the on/off switch is on and pull the plug. Put it into the plug wire, and ground the plug on something metal, on the machine, and pull it over. Unless you know it runs on starting fluid.


It does run on starter fluid, so I think it is getting a spark.

*LMHmedchem*


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

:icon-deadhorse:........might be time to consider a repower .


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## LMHmedchem (Feb 5, 2014)

Well I used my snowblower on Saturday night after a decent snowstorm and it worked well. The engine ran well with the new carburetor. I didn't have any stalls and it never ran rough.

I used to start it on choke and run it for a while. After a while it would start to sputter a bit and I would move the choke over one notch. I would generally run it on that setting the whole time. Now, it starts to sputter immediately after starting and I have to move it over one notch. It runs best two notches over from from full choke which is different than before. I'm still not sure about how I have the idle screw set. Is this difference because the carb is a bit different or do I have something not set quite right?

Nice to have it working again before we got slammed here and nice to save $1100 it would have cost for a new one. Thanks for all the advice here.

*LMHmedchem*


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