Recent content by cruzenmike

I had an ELS that stayed quite cool but of course I kept the shroud clean, kept up on maintenance and never beat it up. My 18hp Vanguard ran a bit hot but it was running at 3650rpm and powering two hydro pumps and a 3 blade deck. Even with all that it still ran smooth and quiet. Hopefully...

I don't believe that a governor would typically just go "out of adjustment" on its own. It is more likely that a governor spring is weak or broken or that the governor itself is bad. I had a similar issue years ago with my Briggs V-Twin and every time I started the mower it would literally rev...

Bert, My specific engine does not use a gasket and instead uses that same Loctite SI 5900 RTV that is used on the oil pan to seal the valve cover to the cylinder head. With that being said, so long as I follow he same cleanup and prep procedure for removing and applying the new RTV, would I...

Well, I finally got the engine put back together. A couple of things to note: I read and followed all of the information in the Kohler Service Manual and on the service bulletin but for whatever reason I still ended up having a lot of RTV squeeze out of the side of the oil pan. I assume that a...

Up north for the weekend and my cousin's Craftsman LT1000 won't start without starting fluid. Had to spray fluid directly into the carb repeatedly for about a minute before it ran on its own. After it started running on its own it was surging really bad. If I pulled the choke about half way out...

Jose, You will need to consult your operators manual to check and level the deck. There could certainly be damaged that would cause it to cut uneven like a Bent blade or bent hanging bracket, but most of the time it is because the deck is simply out of adjustment. typically all you will need is...

One last question, when replacing the crank seal, would you recommend doing installing while the oil pan is off or waiting until the engine is reassembled. I want to say that the last time I did it the latter, but it would be so much easier with the shaft not in the way and then I can see the...

Oh my gosh, that is so much better. Now I can clearly see where this stuff is supposed to go!! Would Lacquer Thinner for old sealant removal and Acetone for final cleaning be okay to use prior to applying the sealant? Is use of a brass brush absolutely necessary? The two pieces look quite...

Thank you so much. I just wanted to make sure that I do this job correctly. The last bottom end I reassembled (Briggs 24 ELS) used a paper gasket. The service manual for this engine makes reference to a point A and point B which it might get a double bead of sealant. The only issue is that the...

I just wanted to give an update on the oil leak. with the help of my thirteen-year-old daughter I pulled the motor out of the LT155 and started disassembling the bottom end. there was actually quite a bit of oil that was sitting underneath the engine even though it only ran for about an hour and...

When I purchased an emergency generator for my house a couple years back I opted for a Briggs Storm Responder. I use a generator power inlet to transfer power into my main panel. The inlet is wired through a 30 amp breaker so theoretically I can only get about 7500 watts of power through it...

Thank you for the tips. I was going to do this when I had the engine out earlier this week, but I was hopefully optimistic that the one loose bolt was my problem and that torquing it, and the rest down would fix it. I guess that's what I get for not doing the work when I had the engine out...

So is safe to say that the RTV that was applied at the factory has subsequently failed and that cleaning and replacing of the sealant should resolve my issue?

Hello all. So, I am in the process of doing some fixing up on my new (to me) John Deere LT155 and I am trying to solve an oil leak that the engine is experiencing. When I pulled the engine out of the mower, I went ahead and replaced the oil drain valve and dipstick seal, and then checked and...

This really is sad news especially if it might eventually lead to products like the Vanguard engine or the the generator line going away. Obviously nobody knows he long term ramifications of this filing but let's hope that in the end Briggs comes out of this with a more simplified portfolio of...

Tom, I reached out to Tuff Torq and they said that I could either use 10w-30, John Deere J20C or 5w-50 synthetic so I opted for the Mobil 1 which was on sale for $5.99 a quart. My plan was to buy some cheap 30w oil and use it to flush out the old stuff and then do a good drain before I fill up...

I had a 2019 Radius E and I had troubles with it tracking straight. I needed up sending mine to the dealer. It ended up being something with the adjustment on one of the control levers. It wasn't the allen set screw, rather it was something to do with the connection between the lever and the...

Using my push mower, it would be incredibly hard to accurately quantify the difference in run time between E10 and E0. As for my vehicles, on this very day E0 costs 37% more than E10 in my area, and I do not think that any newer vehicle would achieve 37% better fuel economy by using that E0. I...

I am certainly not trying to get into the internals of the transmission, just replace the fluid. Currently, the trans seems to have good pedal feel and is responsive. The only reason why I am even venturing into this is that the transmission is 22 years old and never had the fluid changed. I...

I have a John Deere LT155 that I am in the process of servicing. I know that the K51A transmission in the mower is not "serviceable" but I have seen many threads on the internet where owners have simply drained and replaced the fluid. I have done this same thing to the Hyrdo Gear 310-0510 in...