Repeat of Compression Relief Failure Causing Choke-Sputter-Die, or Both?

[Auto Doc's]

When you hit 70 and your eyes start to go south, any tool that helps is worth it. My dad had me grinding vales for him in 1963, so I've been at this a while. I also resurface the heads. After they run them half a season on one cylinder, they aren't too happy when they find out a head gasket isn't part of a tune up... lol
I rarely use sealant because if the heads are true and you follow the torque sequence to factory spec, they shouldn't blow. The ones that never bother to clean the mice condos from under the blower housing are the worst, sealant wont help them. I did 17 this year, double of last year for some reason. I guess it is what it is.

Hi W.,

People are slowly starting to realize the sting of the current economy when a new mower can easily cost more than a used vehicle these days.

In my area it has not picked up for people repairing used stuff much (yet), they still have plenty of credit cards to max out before they hit the desperation point.

Trying to sell used equipment has bottomed out in the past few months, so I quit trying to rebuild a resell a lot of good (low hour) equipment with a lot of life left in it.

Hauling most of the really bad ones to salvage is becoming a twice a year venture for me. I sell what parts I can on eBay, but even that has slowed to a crawl. Shipping has gone through the roof since the pandemic and people expect it to be "free". I've never seen a shipping service actually work for free.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

When you hit 70 and your eyes start to go south, any tool that helps is worth it. My dad had me grinding vales for him in 1963, so I've been at this a while. I also resurface the heads. After they run them half a season on one cylinder, they aren't too happy when they find out a head gasket isn't part of a tune up... lol
I rarely use sealant because if the heads are true and you follow the torque sequence to factory spec, they shouldn't blow. The ones that never bother to clean the mice condos from under the blower housing are the worst, sealant wont help them. I did 17 this year, double of last year for some reason. I guess it is what it is.

The Permatex Right Stuff (what I use), is for the valve cover, not cylinder head gasket. I use the copper spray for head gaskets. I use a pencil for putting in cylinder to find top dead center on compression stroke.

 

[Sears L2000]

The engine now runs choke, fast, medium, slow, & idle properly.

The compression relief system is definitely Kaput! It will not crank with the mower battery, but if a fishing trolling motor battery is jumper cabled to it, the engine cranks and starts.

Things changed:
-New fuel line, filter, and shut off installed even though the old ones seemed OK.
-Fuel drained and refilled with new even though it was OK.
-New carburetor installed and adjusted.
-Valves adjusted, one of which was way off. Now set properly. (UTube video)
-New Spark Plug installed.
-Magneto pickup gizmo removed, cleaned, polished of rust, and reinstalled with a business card thickness gap. (UTube video)

ALL OF WHICH LET THE ENGINE RUN IN 5 SECOND SEGMENTS IF FULLY CHOKED. SEMI-WORSE PROBLEMS THAN IT WAS.

BUT, it was suggested there was a second problem.

FOUND.

The replacement fuel filter and shut off valve refused/refuses/would not through put fuel besides a slow drip/drop.

Summary:

The second problem was the replacement fuel filter.

NOW, it simply won’t start unless jumped because of the compression relief system being Kaput!

I learned a lot.

I appreciate the help and advice.

I have no reason for a bad filter existing, but it sure does.

THANK YOU!

Merry Christmas

 

[Auto Doc's]

The engine now runs choke, fast, medium, slow, & idle properly.

The compression relief system is definitely Kaput! It will not crank with the mower battery, but if a fishing trolling motor battery is jumper cabled to it, the engine cranks and starts.

Things changed:
-New fuel line, filter, and shut off installed even though the old ones seemed OK.
-Fuel drained and refilled with new even though it was OK.
-New carburetor installed and adjusted.
-Valves adjusted, one of which was way off. Now set properly. (UTube video)
-New Spark Plug installed.
-Magneto pickup gizmo removed, cleaned, polished of rust, and reinstalled with a business card thickness gap. (UTube video)

ALL OF WHICH LET THE ENGINE RUN IN 5 SECOND SEGMENTS IF FULLY CHOKED. SEMI-WORSE PROBLEMS THAN IT WAS.

BUT, it was suggested there was a second problem.

FOUND.

The replacement fuel filter and shut off valve refused/refuses/would not through put fuel besides a slow drip/drop.

Summary:

The second problem was the replacement fuel filter.

NOW, it simply won’t start unless jumped because of the compression relief system being Kaput!

I learned a lot.

I appreciate the help and advice.

I have no reason for a bad filter existing, but it sure does.

THANK YOU!

Merry Christmas

Hello S.,

If you are having to use such a high amperage battery to force the starter to overcome the compression relief, the starter will not survive very long. A rider starter is built for higher speed rotation of the engine but not high torque.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

The engine now runs choke, fast, medium, slow, & idle properly.

The compression relief system is definitely Kaput! It will not crank with the mower battery, but if a fishing trolling motor battery is jumper cabled to it, the engine cranks and starts.

Things changed:
-New fuel line, filter, and shut off installed even though the old ones seemed OK.
-Fuel drained and refilled with new even though it was OK.
-New carburetor installed and adjusted.
-Valves adjusted, one of which was way off. Now set properly. (UTube video)
-New Spark Plug installed.
-Magneto pickup gizmo removed, cleaned, polished of rust, and reinstalled with a business card thickness gap. (UTube video)

ALL OF WHICH LET THE ENGINE RUN IN 5 SECOND SEGMENTS IF FULLY CHOKED. SEMI-WORSE PROBLEMS THAN IT WAS.

BUT, it was suggested there was a second problem.

FOUND.

The replacement fuel filter and shut off valve refused/refuses/would not through put fuel besides a slow drip/drop.

Summary:

The second problem was the replacement fuel filter.

NOW, it simply won’t start unless jumped because of the compression relief system being Kaput!

I learned a lot.

I appreciate the help and advice.

I have no reason for a bad filter existing, but it sure does.

THANK YOU!

Merry Christmas

One trick you can do short term to overcome the compression release being broken is this. Rotate the engine on the grass screen by hand until you pass the compression stroke. Start the engine as you normally would with just the engine battery, no additional jump start battery. May take more than one attempt.

 

[Sears L2000]

HoHoHo!

Three steps forward, two backward!

After valves adjusted, using screen to turn engine impossible.

The similar B&S engined mower junked last summer started most of the time using canned starting ether. And then it didn’t.

My wife may be right. I wish she would quit teasing me.\/\/

 

[slomo]

Hello S.,

If you are having to use such a high amperage battery to force the starter to overcome the compression relief, the starter will not survive very long. A rider starter is built for higher speed rotation of the engine but not high torque.

Starter will draw what it wants to eat so to say. Probably start "easier" with good cables and lots of amps ready to flow.

What I read into this is suspect cables, poor ground possibly or maybe a dead cell in the battery.

If the ACR is dead and the valves are spot on, still going to struggle cranking. I don't know. Not in front of his mower. We only can speculate from hundreds of miles away. Some people say potato and some "pototo". Then we have to decipher it all.