I have a Yard Man Model 449 self-propelled mower with a Briggs & Stratton 125K02-0281-E1 engine. For much of this grass cutting season, the engine has been surging to a small extent, but it had recently begun getting worse.
Now, though, the engine won't start at all.
What I've done so far:
-Replaced the spark plug
-Replaced the air filter
-Drained the fuel tank and replaced with fresh fuel
-Checked the oil
-Cleaned the carburetor bowl and nozzle and checked the float for proper operation (I replaced the carburetor a couple of years ago)
None of these things have resulted in any change.
I currently have the ignition coil off to test it. However, I have a question about testing. I have an older multimeter that only has x1k and x10 ohm settings. All of the videos I've found for testing an ignition coil indicate that you should use a 20k setting. Currently, when I test the ignition coil at the 1k and 10 settings, I get a reading of just a little over 2. Since I'm getting a reading in this range, does this indicate the ignition coil is good, even though I'm not using the 20k setting?
If the ignition coil is not the problem, another potential issue I've noticed is that the choke lever is not fully closed when the engine is cold. The governor lever can move to a position that would close the choke lever, but its default position has the choke lever maybe half-closed. Is this normal operation for this engine, or does this indicate a problem?
From what I've written so far, is one of the two issues I listed above the likely culprit, or is there something else at play?
If you need any further information, please let me know. I'm definitely inexperienced when it comes to small engine repair, so I don't know exactly what's helpful to include. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Now, though, the engine won't start at all.
What I've done so far:
-Replaced the spark plug
-Replaced the air filter
-Drained the fuel tank and replaced with fresh fuel
-Checked the oil
-Cleaned the carburetor bowl and nozzle and checked the float for proper operation (I replaced the carburetor a couple of years ago)
None of these things have resulted in any change.
I currently have the ignition coil off to test it. However, I have a question about testing. I have an older multimeter that only has x1k and x10 ohm settings. All of the videos I've found for testing an ignition coil indicate that you should use a 20k setting. Currently, when I test the ignition coil at the 1k and 10 settings, I get a reading of just a little over 2. Since I'm getting a reading in this range, does this indicate the ignition coil is good, even though I'm not using the 20k setting?
If the ignition coil is not the problem, another potential issue I've noticed is that the choke lever is not fully closed when the engine is cold. The governor lever can move to a position that would close the choke lever, but its default position has the choke lever maybe half-closed. Is this normal operation for this engine, or does this indicate a problem?
From what I've written so far, is one of the two issues I listed above the likely culprit, or is there something else at play?
If you need any further information, please let me know. I'm definitely inexperienced when it comes to small engine repair, so I don't know exactly what's helpful to include. Thanks in advance for any assistance.