How can I get my Craftsman 5.5 22" lawn mower to stay running?

I would say that your float is stuck. Go buy some carb cleaner (it's only like.... three bucks) and take your carb off, take it apart (remembering how things went...), and then spray it out being careful not to lose peices...

Jessie Morris
November 2007

You said that you have changed the gas so I assume there is no water in the tank. It sound like the engine is not getting fuel fast enough to keep it running. This could be due to several causes. Partically blocked fuel line, The float in the carb is stuck and is not opening to allow enought fuel. The carb jet could be blocked. If you stored your mower over the winter and did not drain the fuel or did not add a winter gas additive, your fuel may have gone bad (turned to sludge) and clogged the carb jets and components, also causing the choke to stick and not function correctly. You would need to remove the carb and clean it out. Also it is possible that the rubber primer button on the carb has developed a crack and is sucking air causing the fuel/air mixture to be incorrect resulting in the engine dying. Over the 10 years I have owned my craftsman 917. self propelled walk behind mower, I have had all of these to cause my mower to crank and then die. I was able to correct the problems and my mower is still running today. april 2007. good luck

jeff
April 2007

The carb most likely needs cleaning or rebuilding.

Rick
May 2006