502254210 Craftsman Lawn Tractor

With a 12-in-one nut screwdriver I removed the two bolts holding the breather cover and air filter. Then I used about a 9/16 deep socket ratchet to remove the nuts holding the breather housing to the carburetor assembly studs. A pair of needle nose pliers was used to disconnect the throttle then I wriggled the breather cover away from t ... Read more he carburetor so I could get to the fuel line. I managed to pull the fuel line off the carburetor and from the shut-off valve at the tank. The carburetor slid freely and easily off the carburetor studs and I was careful not to damage the carburetor gasket since none came with the new carburetor. I used a single edge razor blade to free the gasket from the old carburetor. A very small amount of silicone lube was used on the gasket and then I sandwiched the old gasket between the carburetor intake and the new carburetor and attached the throttle connection. Before beginning the reassembly I unscrewed the shut-off valve from the tank and used a funnel to drain the very old fuel into a 5-gallon bucket. I made sure the valve was clean by spraying carburetor cleaner through it and did the same with the old fuel line, making sure everything was clear of any obstruction. Then replace the breather assembly back over the carburetor studs, snugged the nuts back on and then replaced the air filter and cover. I re-attached the fuel line to the fuel valve and the carburetor, added a half gallon of clean fresh fuel and was ready for a smoke check. Pulled the starter rope three times with the choke full on, then turned to half-choke and the puppy started right off. I then turned the choke completely off and the engined purred along. I then exercised the generator by plugging in and running a number of power tools for about 15 minutes. Followed standard shut off procedures and the generator is ready for use. Saving the old carburetor to be cleaned and held on reserve for the future. Might want to have another gasket handy or some gasket material should it have to be replaced in the future.