Recent content by Oddjob

They can absolutely be patched. But getting a tube in and out of a small tire/wheel is not nearly as easy as a bike tire. Also, beware, the bike patch kits you find at Walmart or the like are junk. Do yourself a favor and buy high quality rubber cement and patches. I always tube my leaking...

Please pardon the long story, I promise to connect back to the topic. I have the 20HP single cylinder Intek. The mower sat for at least 5 years, had no fuel shutoff switch, and there was still a quart of stale gas in the tank, so imagine how much gas had evaporated in the carb bowl over that...

Since it used to be easier to pull, maybe the compression release mechanism has failed. You could try to confirm by using a magnet on a stick and fishing for steel shards via the oil fill tube.

I was recently gifted a Craftsman YS4500 with a 20HP Briggs single cylinder. It had been sitting in a neighbor’s garage for at least 5 years, probably longer, because “it was blowing smoke out of the muffler.” It turned out to be a blown head gasket. Looking at the consumer comments of those...

Challenge accepted. Because it has been about 56 years since my last physics class, I went to the internet and looked it up. Air is compressible, but as I said, there is a lot of room between molecules so it doesn’t compress very easily. Fluids are not incompressible. Even hydraulic fluid...

I have worked on two Briggs with stuck auto-chokes. Still in the anecdotal category of evidence, but for what it’s worth, both of the ones I fixed had the lever on the autochoke stick so the choke was always open. I did all the lubing that Kevin recommended but have to admit that all was well...

It takes a lot of juice to spin the starter motor. A weak battery can easily power lights. Bertrrr is spot on. If you don’t have a multimeter to check voltage, a quick way to rule out the battery is to take a good battery from your vehicle and connect it to the JD. If the starter engages and...

I fixed a neighbor’s almost new Toro last year. To my amazement the engine was made in China. No name. But it was very similar to a Chinese made Kohler on an Ariens that I fixed a year before. The Ariens carb was dirty. A year later, the kid I gave the mower to brought it back. The carb...

Taryl of Taryl Fixes All had a live feed video recently where he described the problems he has had with NGK plugs. Start and die, won’t start and making popping noises. He had a box of ten and they all were junk. He used a Champion and voila, fixed.

I hope you report back after checking the flywheel key. I think that is the most likely culprit. But, if it isn’t, then three thoughts. First, is the kill switch making contact even when the flywheel brake is not on? Second, is the plug you are substituting an exact match for the original...

I would try lightly sanding the squeaking foot to eliminate the friction that is causing the squeak. Put a piece of 150 grit sand paper under the foot, press down lightly on the heating element and pull the sand paper out. Do that a couple of times and see if the squeak has disappeared.

It is easy to get them reversed. Congrats on figuring it out.

Don’t mean to be insulting. Free wheeling forward and locked up when backing is normal if you have the self-propel engaged. Is the drive belt tight?

Here are my thoughts as a non-engineer: Because air compresses too easily. There’s a lot of room between air molecules. When you squeezed the tire with the weight of the tractor, the air molecules just moved into the empty spaces. That’s why if you get air in your brake lines you get a soft...

I collect and use old woodworking tools, so I have some experience bringing back serial numbers and etches on saw blades. I gulped when I read that Yardwork John had used a wire wheel. But have to admit, his finished product is fabulous! I would have used 300 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a flat...