craftsman tiller w/ 4hp briggs wont start

Sorry no one got back to you.

You still having a problem?

BG

Hi leo1254

If you get continuous backfiring through the carb, the problem can be either a stuck intake valve, the engine maybe running too lean, or the the flywheel key has sheared off throwing off the timing.

Someone told me to try "sea foam". they think it is varnish- maybe. But when I use starting fluid, it dosent start. When I poured a little gas into the sparkplug hole, it dosent start. I would think it would run long enough to burn the starting fluid or gas up, then die out. The sparkplug sparks a little blue spark.

The next time I work on it, I want to inspect the key, but I am not sure how to remove the part with fins which is behind the pull-start shroud.

To inspect the key and remove the flywheel you will need a puller that looks something like this it's not expensive: http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-50600/Detail.