lawn mower

[gregz]

Last year I bought a used riding mower. Pretty good motor, about 14 hp. I was riding it around one day, and it started to slow down. Checked oil. Very low, below Dipstick. Refilling it still goes slow. The crankshaft Seems about the same rotating force by hand. I rotated it many times during the summer, since the starter gears were bad. Had o find the right spot. Is it screwed up? I did find one valve rocker loose. Never blew smoke. I assumed the oil was full when I got it. I'm not convinced the oil broke it. I guess I'll have to give it to someone.

I only paid $300 for the mower, but that was a special price from a friend. I still have another mower.

Greg

[John Carter]

gregz wrote in news: [e-mail]-septemb er.org:

You didn't check it? Most mower manuals say to check oil, gas, etc EVERY time you begin to use it. You didn't see smoke because there was no oil to burn and smoke.

I think you threw $300 away.

I'm not convinced the oil broke it. I

[Stormin Mormon]

Good idea to drain, and change the oil. Then, check and clean the air filter, make sure the gasoline is clean, and new. Take the carb float bowl off, check for water. All the usual tune up repairs.

Might be just a coincidence.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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I only paid $300 for the mower, but that was a special price from a friend. I still have another mower.

Greg

[gregz]

I got it from my brothers friend who buys fixes sells all year. To think he didn't fill the oil would be strange. I used that mower maybe 5 hours. I still should have checked. The other mower was a bit low also after 3 years, probably up to 30 hours.

Just bought a 6000 watt generator at aldi's for $350 . I got to fill it with oil, and run it for several hours, then change oil.

Greg

[Brigg Stratton]

Is that a KingCraft made by Yamaha?

[Hank]

What slowed down? The engine or the speed of riding? You don't specify which.

Hank

[gregz]

Engine rpm. I can't start it until I replace the starter teeth. Dam plastic. 15.5 hp I/c platinum edition.

Greg

[gregz]

It's a kingcraft. Don't know the details. Looks like a japan carb. I got it running. Kept cutting out at first.

Greg

[gregz]

Hmmm $2000 price difference.

Greg

[Mr. Austerity]

Yeah, they do go bad. I think I spend more on my riding lawnmower than I do the car. An 18 inch tire for the thing was like 60 bucks! The starters on the B&S, most just buy the chinese knock offs for 40 bucks but you can get the parts if you want to fix only the gears.

I see the main belt on mine has a big chunk missing that will be another 40 or 50 bucks. A good 12 volt battery for them is more than a car battery. This year the fuel line from the tank was clogged, damn gasoline is hard on the fuel lines. And it cost 15 bucks to fill the thing up now days. An inline fuel cut off is a good investment also. and a battery maintainer and new blades and change the oil, air filter, fuel filter .... check the belts, those will set you back a couple of cases of beer. It's that time of year again.

[Hank]

Still need more info before a correct diagnosis can be made. Could be as simple as throttle linkage cleaning and adjusting, or as serious as rod bearings going out.

Hank

[Jules Richardson]

My local farm supply store sells the plastic starter pinions for B&S engines for a couple of bucks each; it may be worth checking in your area to see what's out there for your engine.

I'm not familiar with that engine, but most mower engines around that size have a mechanical governor - there's a centrifugal actuator in the sump and a linkage (externally) back to the carb which throttles the engine when the RPM gets too high (where the upper limit is set by wherever you put the mower's throttle control). Throttle cables can break, linkgages can jam or bend, debris can foul things up etc. so maybe take a look and see if there's anything obviously wrong (if your engine has that kind of setup).

cheers

Jules

[gregz]

I'll be checking. Also got to change the plastic rack teeth.

Greg