My Tecumseh LH195SA is hard to start and to the only way I can start it is to spray starting fluid into the carburetor. Any suggestions. Oh - I replaced the carburetor.

If first start this season, likely no fuel issue (stuck carburetor float). Quick test with starter fluid. Spray a short burst of starter fluid directly into carburetor intake. Promptly attempt to start. It shoul fire and run a few seconds. This means no fuel in carburetor.

If it wont fire with starter fluid then possibly no spark, but still might be a fuel issue (flooded).

Runs until starting fluid is gone means no fuel from carburetor. It also means not even fuel available from the priming cycle is available.... so the carburetor high and low speed circuits are completely plugged.

Suggest you find a "cheap" new carburetor and replace.

pull and overhaul the carby
indicates something under the needle and not controlling fuel flow

Dump out the old gas and put in new.Try a spray of starting fluid into the carb. If it will not fire on the starting fluid there is somthing wrong in the ignition system. Pull out the spark plug and clean it with a wire brush. If it still won't fire the points and condensor need to be replaced.
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Hi knobbe69
Time to "mess" with your carburetor...sounds like that is where the problem lies...
I will include my instructions on the carburetor rebuilding....
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Check to make sure you are getting fire/spark at the plug, if so then do the following:
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one, normally they will be located in the fuel tank.
If the mower/weedeater is over a year old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
Sounds like you will need to clean the carburetor or replace your carburetor internal rubber parts like the diaphgram and O rings.
Be sure to use compressed air to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Keep in mind that the float for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instrucitons you get with the carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their orginal position before you started.
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The carburetor may need to be serviced. You need to find a parts shop that handles Tecumseh parts. You will most likely need a rebuild kit for the carburetor. The carburetor part number is 640303. The rebuild kit is 632809. The Tecumseh engine company shut its' doors 3 years ago. Finding parts is becoming harder and harder. I've heard that someone has bought Tecumseh over the winter but it is unknown when the new parts will hit the market. Best of luck to you.

main jet blocked needs carby service its worth it

sounds like your carburetor is plugged, or has lost its prime. As I need to know more, please state the brand of engine it has; briggs or tecumseh, and if briggs, is it a quantum (5 hp or greater with carb not attached to gas tank) or regular?(has the carburetor on top of the gas tank.)

Fuel Starvation - Float Bowl Carburetor
1) remove air filter assembly
*be cautious of tearing the mounting gasket. If it does tear, you HAVE to replace it. It is part of the priming system
2) remove the float bowl fastener. This is the main jet
3) carefully remove the float bowl, the rubber o-ring/gasket will not be able to be used if it is removed, you WILL have to replace it
4) using a spray 'carb cleaner'
spray up thru the center of the carburetor
spray and clean the main jet with cleaner and 'tag' wire
(tag wire is very thin, and can be used to clean the hole in the center of the main jet)
5) clean any debris from inside the bowl or carb body
6) re-install bowl and center bolt, air filter assembly

*if you need gaskets, your Briggs dealer can supply. The kit is cheaper than individual gaskets, and all the parts needed to finish the above repair are in the kit.

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/rolandw_c013176d62ee17ae