Mower won't shut off

[gkamieneski]

I have a Toro Super Recycler with the B&S 6hp GTS5 engine that I have seen discussed here before. My problem is not starting the engine, rather stopping it. Mine is the push model and when I let go of the handle, the engine and more seriously, the blade, continue to run. If I reach down to the right side and "squeeze" the linkage together, I can kill the engine.

I have removed and lubed the cable but that is not the problem as there is no tension at all when the handle is released. Is there some limiter screw I neeed to adjust to get this engine killed?

[Joey]

The cable controlled the kill switch so just trace the cable down to find that switch. It is spring tensioned.

J

[mm]

No, but if you look at the whole thing, you may figure it out.

You could make something like they used to have, a piece of metal that shorted out the sparkplug. It would stop then. I think they had some that just touched the top of the plug, but I also think there is a way to short out the primary of the coil. Forget the details. This is what I've been planning to do for the one in the next paragraph.

I have one that I can stop by turning it up so that the right two wheels go off the ground. Fortunately there's never anyone around when I mow my lawn, and I suppose if there were, nothing would fly off and hit anyone (beause the blade is no longer close to the earth. It's spinning like a fan), but I can see him not liking it.

Once in high school, I turned the engine off (which was just past the lowest speed on the throttle) and headed in to get some water to drink. I heard a noise and turned back and the mower was half way to the street. It wasn't a really busy street, and drivers should have been looking at the road, so it probably would have made it to the ditch on the other side, and gotten stuck there. If not, there was a thick row of bushes to stop it. But I caught it before then.

[Brian]

Cable or switch. See if switch is closed.

[John Lawrence]

When you release the handle on a push mower, two things are supposed to happen. (1) The ign. wire is purposely shorted out and the motor dies. (2) The brake on the flywheel is applied. My experience has shown that changes to adjustments, very rarely occur all of a sudden, rather the are the result of someone changing the settings. The most likely culprit is the mechanism at the end of you cable that is supposed to do both of the above. Check to see that there is no rust or corrosion on the flywheel brake and that the shut-off switch is closing all the way when the handle is released. The contacts of the shut-off switch should also be cleaned to insure good connection.

[m Ransley]

You might contact Toro it is a saftey issue and might get you a free fix even if out of warranty.

[gkamieneski]

Maybe it will help if I refer to the drawing,

Part No. 923 has two ears, one attached to the brake handle cable the other is spring tensioned. When I release the brake handle the cable definitely slackens and releases it's ear sufficiently, but I have to reach down and manually squeeze these two ears together to kill the engine. Must be something obstructing the opposite side of the ear inside the engine.

[gkamieneski]

Thanks everyone, cleaning the linkage and bending the armature a little bit restored the contact so that now it kills the engine.

[Steve B]

And if that don't work, just reach down and pull the spark plug wire off the end of the plug. That works every time.

Steve

[~^Johnny^~]

Your sarcasm has me shocked.