oldgrouch
May 24, 2011, 03:18 PM
Assuming that the air filter is clean, plug is good & properly gapped, and there's gas in the tank, try this first. Give the carb a SMALL shot of starting fluid (small is the operative word) and immediately crank the engine. If it starts and then quickly dies, try cranking again with full choke. Pull the plug and see if it's wet with gas by by looking & smelling. If it is, then it's highly possible ( probable?) that the ignition module had died. It's a little 1" square thing with 2 or 3 wires running from the bottom of it and it's usually attached to the outside of the fan shroud. If it dies, You'll see a weak spark when grounding the plug, but it's not enough to ignite gas, only ether. The modules are available on line and pretty much a universal part. Just make sure you get 2 or 3 wire version according to what's on your engine. I bought mine at a local small engine parts supplier for $15, but watch out if you go to a mower dealer The local J.D. dealer wanted $65 for his. I guess it was made of gold. Best aftermarket brand is Stens.