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Adding Sta-bil will do nothing to fix a lean fuel issue. Most likely need to clean the carburetor and also make sure intake gaskets are in good shape and in correct location.

May have to weld nuts on to remove the existing nuts.

If your concern is about 3-4 drops of oil leaking on the floor each night, put a piece of cardboard on the floor and run it. Not uncommon for a hydro pump or drive motor (less common), to leak. Just keep an eye on hydraulic oil and top off as needed.

I successfully clean about 95% of carburetors without having to buy a new one. Then if a new carburetor is needed, aftermarket is the way to go. Good results usually and actually affordable versus OEM. I pressure wash equipment as part of the tune up, otherwise it usually doesn’t get washed...

I buy fuel shut off valves in bulk and have overall good results. If they are going to leak, it is often right after you install them. Not going to pay $6/ each versus $1 and change for the same basic part.

Everything on a mower deck has to be just right for it to operate correctly. A deck belt should literally last for several years if things are correct. I just had to give up on a mower I was going to sell because I couldn’t get the deck right after several hours of attempts. A customer this...

$150 per hour is about $25 to $50 per hour over average. So let’s say you do charge $150/hour and rebuild an engine completely. So maybe $1500 in labor and $400 in parts. Who is going to pay $1900 for a rebuilt engine that can be bought for $3000 new?! The math doesn’t work. Again, I need to...

What needs to be right on a mower deck for it to operate correctly? All pulleys and spindles turn freely and are at correct height. Pulleys are not cocked at incorrect levels. No excessive sag and smooth operation of tensioner pulley. Belt guides in place and correctly set in relation to pulley...

I am all self taught from online watching YouTube, reading service manuals, and forums such as this one. I can, and have rebuilt engines. Being a one person shop, I don’t have the time to focus on rebuilding an engine, because the pace of work is too busy. Also the cost of parts and labor are...

I use the spark tester that lights up with orange light all the time. I also have the other type that jumps the gap. A less technical, yet very effective way to test that both cylinders are firing on twin cylinder engine: Use a spray bottle with water to spray the exhaust pipe and watch how...

Straight swap, no issues 2-3 hours.

I deal with a lot of elderly people also. When I did pick ups and deliveries in the past, it was only for riding mowers and zero turns. One of many things I figured out is that you can only offer certain options for customers based on time, stress level, gross profit, etc. if you say yes, they...

Buy the Scag over the other three mowers, especially the Bobcat. Scag has a large market share, unlike the Bobcat. I have only worked on one Bobcat zero turn over the years, versus dozens and dozens of Scags. Hard to believe you are having this much trouble picking a residential zero turn. One...

No compression release and 80-90 psi on compression is on the low end, not respectable.

So you do pick up and delivery for your customers as a one person shop? I quit that option years ago when I got too busy.

When you say it “barely runs”, what exactly does that mean? Hard to start, doesn’t stay running, low RPMs, etc.? Did you pull the flywheel and visually check that the key is not partially sheared?

Scag is at the top of zero turns, along with Ferris. A $6000 Scag is a residential mower and will fit your needs just fine. Remember, an EFI 61” commercial Scag is $17,000. Scag mowers are reliable and tough and it is hard to beat a Scag. The lawn service price scenario was $60/cut at 4 cuts a...

Probably the solenoid.

At the low end of zero turns starting around $3500 are big box store zero turns. No matter the brand, the quality and features are all pretty close. Then you jump up to mid tier starting around $5000-$6000 and up. Here there are some minor differences in quality, etc. then you jump up to...

Equivalent new mower these days probably around $3200. The GT stands for garden tractor, a little bit heavier built than LT (lawn tractor). Good find. Run it or sell it.

Spartan has experienced lots of issues with these ignition control boards over the years. Dust, dirt, and water eventually mess them up, and need to be replaced. The new ones the last few years or so come with a 3 year warranty. Spartan and Bad Boy are same basic zero turns from business...

It is a Ferris, just worked on one last week doing a tune up. Yep, check mounting bolts on both transaxles. I have seen the lean on the wheels before. Once tightened it makes a whole lot of difference.

Peerless transaxle. You have to purge air out of system completely. Obviously something isn’t right. First keep bypass lever out and press pedal forward/backward. Then put bypass lever in (normal position), and do same. Do some additional research online for more details. Right type of oil...

If you can set up a Holley 4 barrel, surely you can handle a little mower carburetor. Keep the OEM carburetor if at all possible!

To remove excessive sealant on valve covers: Use a heat gun to soften the sealant, then a couple of small screwdrivers to gently pry valve cover. Then use a wire wheel on a battery drill to remove sealant from valve cover and cylinder head. Scotch bright and carburetor cleaner for the last bits...

Cheap ignition coils are not recommended for long term reliability. I usually order OEM ignition coils for customers. If you already have them, give them a shot and see how they do.

The world’s longest run on sentence, without any punctuation. Thanks for the information though.

If engine is losing power when making turns, or going up a hill, a possibility is there is debris clogging the fuel outlet from fuel tank. Remove fuel hose after fuel filter and blow back into tank with air compressor and blow gun (fuel cap also removed).

Sure, the shaft can be replaced if you can find the part, and want to completely take the transaxle off of the mower, completely take the case off, replace part, reseal, and reinstall. So the short answer is , lots of work.

It is really a 4 cylinder engine?

Make sure the deck is level. Break out the tape measure with all tires at correct air pressure, and on concrete. Often the right side of deck is fixed, and the left side of deck is adjusted to match the right side height. Then the front of deck is pitched 1/4” lower than the rear. Another thing...

To “Soonerfan3107” question. You have to check at battery with multi-meter to determine if battery is charging or not. Then test regulator/rectifier and stator to see which needs replacing.

I recommend the 300 CCA battery for mowers at a minimum. Average battery life on mower is about 3 years without additional charging.

Looks like a Briggs 500E. Even with compression release, 30 psi of compression is too low to start and run. Did you try to spray some carburetor spray into throat of carb to see if it will run for a few seconds?

If you have debris, or more likely water, siphoning “most” of the fuel out won’t work. You may have to remove tank, turn it upside down, and blow it out with air gun to get it all out.

Ruixing is made in China, along with the engine.

Fram declared bankruptcy along with two other sister brands. Do some research for details.

I change grinding discs often due to glazing. I tried flapper discs and they just didn’t work at all. I buy 60 grinding discs at a time and sharpen a lot of blades. Many of the blades from customers are really beat up and require a lot of sharpening.

Yep, debris in fuel can lodge between needle and seat and cause issues. You can install a fuel shut off valve and use it every time you are finished mowing. You can also tap on carburetor bowl with the handle of screwdriver to often get needle and seat to seal.

You have a 1/4 acre lot, which is tiny. A good self-propelled mower is what you need. Otherwise, either the Toro or Gravely would be fine. At that price point of big box store mowers, it doesn’t matter. The low end John Deere is no better or worse than a Cub Cadet.

With a 42” deck and pull button PTO, around $600-$800, everything in working order and good condition.

Two hands and a grunt and a rag so it doesn’t slip, is how I install oil filters. I also write the date and hours on oil filter. No other shop in my area ever writes the date and hours on filter. Helps the customer with tracking tune up and helps me identify that I have worked on mower and when.

The Nikki single barrel carburetors are a pain, however, I can usually bring them back after cleaning and new o-ring set. They are prone to causing the engine to hydro lock when needing attention. If the original Nikki can’t be fixed, the aftermarket ones have worked well for me also.

Average battery life in mower is 3 years give or take. Most people do little to nothing to maintain or charge their batteries additionally from the charging system on mower. The lower and slower the charge when charging any battery is better. You can read for several hours about batteries until...

The surging has nothing to do with valves. Surging is a lean fuel condition primarily caused by dirty carburetor, or sometimes air leaks in intake gaskets, etc. Occasionally after correctly cleaning carburetors, they just don’t come back and run right. Is it surging at all RPMs?

It has Kawasaki FS series engine, you posted FX. FS is a little better air filter system than FR series, versus FX series which is commercial. Depending upon year it is, $4300 sounds about right.

What exactly is “not running right?” Need to be more specific. When you cleaned the OEM carburetor, did you completely take it apart and also replace the metering diaphragm?

Remove and correctly clean carburetor.

The bypass rod is often not that sturdy. Just keep working it back and forth until the transaxle engages again. Follow the rod to where it mounts and make sure it has full travel.

Save your money on buying True Fuel and simply use fresh pump gas that is correctly stored.