As soon as the engine stalls, turn OFF the ignition, remove the air cleaner and look down
into the carburetor. Crank the butterfly valve and see how many times you have to crank it
before the accelerator pump runs dry. You should be able to see the fuel squirt out from
the accelerator pump nozzle. If the fuel bowl is full, you should be able to crank the
butterfly valve 20 to 50 times before you drain the bowl (yes, this will flood your engine
if you drain the whole bowl into it, but it won't hurt it to do it only once). If the bowl
is empty due to a stuck float valve or some other cause, you'll probably only get 0 to 3
or 4 cranks before it runs dry. Anyway, if the bowl was empty, it will narrow the problem
to the fuel system...either the delivery system or the float valve. If the bowl is full,
it will tend to point to the ignition system, although there is still a slight chance of
another carb problem, such as a bad power valve (depending on the carburetor).
If it turns out that the fuel bowl was empty, here is a DANGEROUS, non-recommended
procedure that can burn your house down...and you with it... but it can narrow down the
source of the problem:
You could disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor, aim it into a milk carton, and
crank over the engine. If a good firm stream of fuel pulses out of the fuel line, it bodes
pretty well for the fuel delivery system (though no guarantee), and suggests a stuck float
valve.
As I said, this is a good way to burn your place down if there's a stray spark, so I DO
NOT recommend this latter procedure.
Regards,
Alan
(Salt Lake City, Utah)
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