I have a Craftsman 4.0HP push mower, with the Tecumseh engine. It's
around 6 years old.

It's never really started very well. I've always had to push the primer
bulb way more times than I should (10 instead of 5) to get it started.

Anyway, even though it was annoying, it was still usable. But this last
year, it got much worse, requiring more and more pumping of the primer
bulb to get it started. It probably takes between 25-30 pumps now.

I'm no stranger to engines, although mainly with automotive, so I've
taken the entire carb apart, cleaned it up with carb cleaner, blown air
through the passages, replaced the inlet needle and seat, and replaced
the primer bulb. The only thing I couldn't clean very well, because of
their location, were some ports in the throttle body wall near the
throttle plate. Still no good - I still have to pump it many times
before it will fire over.

As I understand it, the primer bulb in this system doesn't pump gas
directly, it pressurizes the float bowl somehow and indirectly pushes gas
into the throttle body. But I'm not too clear on exactly where the gas
comes into the throttle body, which makes it hard to diagnose.

Any ideas or helpful hints?

Thanks,

--
Jason Baugher