April 19, 2023

Tiller: Why does my tiller's engine run roughly or misfire?

If your tiller engine isn't running smoothly, cleaning or replacing the carburetor, tuning up the engine or replacing bad gas may fix the problem.

If you left gas in the tank during the winter without adding fuel stabilizer, drain the tank and fill it with fresh gas. Add fuel stabilizer to gas to keep it fresh during the off-season.

Stale fuel can clog the carburetor, so clean and rebuild the carburetor if the tiller continues to run rough or misfire after replacing the gas in the fuel tank. Replace the carburetor if it's too clogged to clean.

Tune up the tiller engine by replacing the spark plug and oil. A dirty spark plug won't ignite the fuel properly. Old oil won't lubricate engine parts well so the engine idles roughly because the piston or pistons won't move smoothly through the cylinder.

tiller

THESE REPAIRS MAY HELP SOLVE YOUR TILLER PROBLEM

JC-TIL-Clean-and-rebuild-the-tiller-carburetor

Clean and rebuild the tiller carburetor

Rebuild kits are available for most carburetors. The kit contains the essential components such as jets, pins, seals and gaskets to overhaul the carburetor. You can sometimes fix a fuel supply problem by disassembling and cleaning a carburetor. Use the rebuild kit to rebuild the carburetor after cleaning it.

Clean and rebuild the tiller carburetor

Find the required part specific to your product.

JC-TIL-Replace-the-tiller-carburetor

Replace the tiller carburetor

Over time, varnish from stale gasoline builds up in the carburetor, decreasing the amount of air/fuel mixture reaching the engine. Replace the carburetor if it's severely clogged with varnish or if the orifices are clogged with debris and can't be cleared using carburetor cleaner and compressed air.

Tiller carburetor

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JC-TIL-Tune-up-the-tiller-engine

Tune up the tiller engine

A tune-up restores the tiller engine to its peak operating condition. A tune-up includes changing the oil, cleaning the engine, replacing the air filter, checking the ignition system, inspecting the carburetor, adjusting the throttle and choke controls, and adjusting and lubricating all moving parts.

Tune up the tiller engine

Find the required part specific to your product.

Most common symptoms to help you fix your tillers

Choose a symptom to see related tiller repairs.

Main causes: clutch cable problems, faulty transmission…

Main causes: damaged tines, broken clevis pins, worn drive belt, faulty transmission, clutch cable problems, improper de…

Main causes: worn or broken drive belts, bad transmission, clutch cable problems…

Main causes: leaky engine head gasket, damaged sump gasket, damaged oil drain plug seal, loose or cracked fuel line, lea…

Main causes: broken shaft clevis pins, transmission failure…

Main causes: dirty carburetor, engine needs tune up, stale gas…

Main causes: carburetor failure, bad gasoline, dirty spark plug, broken recoil starter…

Most common repair guides to help fix your tillers

These step-by-step repair guides will help you safely fix what’s broken on your tiller.

How to replace a tiller recoil starter

How to replace a tiller recoil starter

The recoil starter spins the engine when you pull the starter rope, and the rope retracts when released. If the recoil s…

Repair difficulty
Time required
 15 minutes or less

Effective articles & videos to help repair your tillers

Use the advice and tips in these articles and videos to get the most out of your tiller.

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Find the right carburetor assembly for a Craftsman snowblower, tiller or log splitter

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