Recent content by Oddjob

You have thrown a lot of parts at this. With all those new parts and no spark, best guess is that the kill switch is malfunctioning and is in the “on” position all the time. Try pulling the kill wire off the coil and see if that lets you start. If so, check out the connection where the wire...

I suspect the deck is tilted to one side. Think about it this way. Imagine that the deck is lower on the right and thus leaves the grass cut on the left of the deck higher than on the right. Say the first pass is northbound. The grass on the west side will slant uphill. Then the operator...

I have the RX75, same mower except for a couple bells and whistles. It’s a single blade.

A little puff of smoke on start-up is very typical, at least in my experience with the 6 Hondas I’ve had. The smoke disappears in less than a minute. How bad is it smoking?

Thanks. Added a copy to my saved files.

In my part of North Carolina fescue was the most common type of grass, but we were always right on the edge of being too hot for fescue. Today we have clearly moved onto the warm season grasses like Bermuda or Zoysia. I have stuck with fescue so far but it is a struggle to keep it alive...

I’ve heard that bearing on top of the Briggs recoil starter squeal. I’m betting that Rivets is right. You’ll be singing La donna e mobile before long.

I had this type carb on a 5hp tiller. There was no replacement available for the plastic part with the screen. I improvised with a fuel filter from a two-stroke attached to the brass tube with a piece of plastic fuel line. It worked fine.

Hi Rigoletto. Opera fan? Rivets knows the Pulsajet carb and its issues. Do what he said. If you still have issues after cleaning and rebuilding the carb, consider testing for spark after it runs and dies. A failing coil often works when cold and then fails when it gets hot. Oddjob

Welcome, and thanks for reporting back.

Since the conversation has turned to spark plugs, I had a strange experience a few weeks ago buying an NGK plug for my Stihl leaf blower. The plug was in stock at a local Advance Auto Parts store. They keep the plugs behind the counter so a clerk had to get it for me. I checked the info on...

I think you’re right about oil leaking past valve stems.

Hi John, The kill switch sends the current generated via the coil to ground instead of to the spark plug. So when you hold the bale back, you open the kill circuit and when you release it, you close the circuit and kill the spark to ground. In my experience with that Honda engine the culprit...

I have no experience with your equipment, so take this as general trouble-shooting advice. You may have a vacuum leak letting too much air into the combustion chamber, hence the need for choke. You can take a propane torch (unlit) and open the valve and move it around the carb connections. If...

Tires on small wheels are a royal pain to take off or put on, with or without a tire changer. No matter what you use, heat is your best friend. Leave them in the sun on a hot day. Better yet, put them in a pot of boiling water and simmer for five minutes. Boiling water can’t get hotter than...