by Skywatcher » Thu Mar 24, 2022 12:05 am
Hi Mulch
Here's where giving the serial number of the machine itself is very helpful. I've always known the John Deere 111 lawn tractor to have the red fuel tank under the hood just in front of the dash and a gravity feed to the carburetor. Guess I've only ever seen the machines froe S/N 095001 — 190000. Looks like the 111 from S/N 190001 and up had the fuel tank under the seat, so required a fuel pump. John Deere gives 2 old numbers for this pump, AM38876 and LG494280. Any JD number with an LG prefix is a B&S number, so the part would correlate to a B&S P/N 494280. Have you dismantled the fuel pump to check the condition of the diaphragms in the pump? Some aftermarket suppliers like Stens or Rotary might still carry rebuild kits for these pumps.
A far more common problem with these older B&S engines is the intake valve wears into the seat decreasing valve to tappet clearance, sometimes to the point where the intake valve doesn't actually close. When you crank the engine over with the air filter removed, can you hear air being blown hack through the carburetor, or see fuel spraying back after you've primed the engine? One more question, when you prime the engine through the carburetor, does it keep running once it's fired up, or does it run for a second or so, then die again? If it will keep running after it has fired up, the fuel pump is not your problem. Hope this gives you something to work with,
Sky
A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares.
A person who cares about what he sees and does is a person who's bound to have some characteristics of Quality.
Robert M. Pirsig. (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)