[Old_fart]

I posted my sad tale of woe in the Small Engines category, but thought I might find some Sunstar owners here who are familiar:

Engine running beautifully except for an annoying habit of running FAST when the throttle was shut down to idle after running the tractor for a while. So I had an hour of opportunity to tinker with it, and long-story-short, after zip-tying the leads and spraying some carb cleaner on the gunky top of the Shutdown Solenoid on the carb manifold, the **** thing wouldn't start, and THEN it would only start and run with the throttle in the idle position, whereby the choke had no effect at all, open or closed.

I can only guess that I somehow made the Shutdown Solenoid stop working at that precise moment in time, and it was somehow still getting enough fuel to run at low idle. Is this even possible?

When will I learn to leave well enough alone? Solenoid is grounded, it's getting power, and engine is getting fuel.

 

[no2498]

the solenoid came off, but the plunger stayed in the carb, and it didn't want to pull out. IS THAT NORMAL? I didn't force it out,

fix the plunger

john

 

[Old_fart]

the solenoid came off, but the plunger stayed in the carb, and it didn't want to pull out. IS THAT NORMAL? I didn't force it out,

fix the plunger

john

Yes, John, I deserved that. That's my plan tonight.

 

[Fcubman]

You can eliminate the solenoid and just use a bolt to hold the bowl on. The solenoid is there only to prevent after-firing when you shut the engine down.

 

[Old_fart]

It was indeed the Shutdown solenoid. But after taking it out (plunger came right out this time) and testing it, it worked fine. Put it back in, and the tractor ran fine.

Sorry about the panic, but I tested the electrical connections with the unit installed yesterday, and it didn't work. Maybe it's ready to go? If it does, now I'll know what to recognize.

Thanks, all!

 

[Fcubman]

FYI - sometimes when you test them out of the carb, the plunder won't retract unless you push it in a tad. That's normal; the plunger doesn't usually extend as far when the solenoid is in the carb.

Glad you're up and running now!