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The solution is pretty simple. Put on some good clothes, layer up and go out and fix your snowblower. I work in the cold everyday . Takes a while for my wood stove to start putting out any real heat. Replace fuel line, install fuel shut off valve (if it doesn’t have one now), take carburetor...

Honda is very proprietary on their equipment. I have attempted changing engines on different self propelled mowers and was unable. Be aware of this.

Have seen a Spartan zero turn that needed a complete new wiring harness. I troubleshot it and customer ended up taking it to dealer for repair. I couldn’t figure it out and pinpoint the wiring harness as the issue.

Remember that a dedicated piece of equipment (snowblower) versus an add on (snowblower attachment) almost always works better. See if you can add a bracket to firm it up.

We miss him. Was just thinking the same thing the other day.

If i If you pushed a valve guide, you can’t simply tap it back down. It will work its way back out. Valve guides that have moved is usually caused by engine that overheated. Engine overheating is usually caused by cylinder head cooling fins and top of engine caked in dirt, oil, and grass. Long...

56 posts on a subject is a lot… If you have never done something (a particular task), then you have nothing to base your assessment on, other than what you read and what people tell you. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Scoring on the piston, rings, and cylinder on a four stroke: Being able to tell if the compression is too low due to excessive scoring takes experience. There is no set “go, no go level.” You can only see the condition of cylinder, without removing the head and taking the piston off of the...

Or simply drill a small hole in rod and install a hitch pin clip or cotter pin.

I have found some oil drain plugs on mowers are very tight. Probably because the last one to tighten it over tightened it. To install the oil filter I always put oil on the seal and use two hands and a grunt to tighten it. More oil filters are too loose rather than too tight when removing them...

Lots of scams via email and phone these days. A “representative from Google” called me a couple of months ago trying to upsell me on the free Google business site. I told her to put it in writing and mail it to me and never heard from them again.

I still have leaves to tackle. There is no winter storage for my Scag zero turn.

Without some modifications, probably not. Also, with some modifications, probably not. Manufacturers specify certain transaxles so it becomes proprietary and you must replace with same one for a smooth installation and operation. Also remember that there can be dozens of different designs with a...

Good neighbors that you get along with, especially when running a small business, are nice to have.

If compression reading is accurate, then 45 psi is too low for engine to start and run. You need about 60-70 psi minimum for most 4-stroke engines to start and run. The problem is that there is often a compression release involved and it throws off reading. The compression tester may be off on...

Qualified good new employees are hard to find these days. When you know more than the person that is helping you, it is not uncommon. It is better to keep exit chute on and keep it raised while mowing. Lower it around people, vehicles, or windows to keep potential rocks from being thrown.

If you can get the engine opened up, can you show us pictures of what a “melted camshaft “ looks like please? Lobes can be compromised, but never heard of a small engine turning 3600 RPMs, melting a cam.

Don’t pressure wash a generator.

Deck height on riding mowers is often set low from the factory. Often some adjustments can be made. Measure from blade to level concrete with tires inflated correctly to determine actual cutting height.

The zero turn market is highly competitive and saturated. Stihl is obviously banking on their brand name to sell these mowers. I believe it is a good looking mower, however, they are expensive and are very late to be introduced to the market. Time will tell. Yes, they are built on the Ferris...

Regarding the Kohler Courage (single cylinder specifically). I have never seen the “Kohler crack”, or any catastrophic damage due to sump bolts backing out. Plenty of loose sump bolts that I tightened after removing engine shroud. Is it possible your oil leak came from not tightening the oil...

If your belt tension is not adequate, you may need to buy a spring at hardware store that is close enough and will work. In a pinch you can heat up existing spring and cut it shorter to restore good belt tension.

For 600 square feet of lawn, consider buying a manual reel push mower, a battery push mower, or a used robot mower on eBay. That is nothing but a patch of grass.

You need to do a leak down test to pinpoint problem. 15 psi compression is nothing and engine will never start or run. Also, did you visually inspect piston, rings, and cylinder while engine was apart?

Remove carburetor and clean. Inspect and test needle and seat. Install fuel shut valve for added protection if desired. Could be as simple as some debris caught between needle and seat.

Bad stator and or voltage regulator/rectifier depending on what test reveals. I normally replace both. Remove and replace stator and voltage regulator or, continue charging your battery every time you mow. There is the answer.

We owe 36 trillion in debt. The southern border is open to millions of illegals coming in our country. There are two wars going on that we are at least financially involved in. Over 100,000 deaths annually from Fentanyl. 850,000 abortions per year. ** Let’s worry about a homeowner using their...

I would buy a good used riding mower and call it good. Why buy a used mower for the engine, put that engine in your riding mower with the bad engine? Just check it out thoroughly before buying.

People grabbing the steering arms to get out of the seat puts stress on them, and over time they get bent or break.

For around $1000 (mower purchase plus new engine) plus your labor, you can buy two good used riding mowers.

Are the police going to come to your house in that particular city in California and give you a ticket for using a gas leaf blower because it is banned? I think not. These bans are more structured towards new sales rather than existing equipment. There are literally millions of pieces of gas...

When it comes to handheld equipment and what brand to buy: Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, and Redmax. Buy the cheap Troy Bilt, Ryobi, Craftsman, etc. and you will not be as happy, have the longevity, or often a shop that will work on it. Silver (synthetic) Stihl premix is the way to go. Or any other...

There are safety switches on each steering arm.

Check under seat for starters. This style of mower the plastic fender needs to be removed or loosened to work on the engine. Not that hard but don’t have more specifics.

That means one of the steering arm safety switches is bad.

Champion is designed in the good old USA, and built in China. I have a Champion generator. The Honda knockoff engines (Chonda) are just fine from what I have seen. Overall, there is nothing great or terribly bad about either Champion, or Honda clone engines.

Did the problem happen gradually with loss of power when backing up, or all of a sudden? Look hard at the linkage, pedal, and point where linkage hooks onto the transaxle.

Yes, the compression release will affect a compression test reading. You are looking for at least 60-70 psi on a twin cylinder with compression release. You are also looking for 10% or less differential between the two cylinders. I sometimes do a leak down test also, depending upon the situation.

Torque specs for this engine can be found online. Always look up correct specs for important parts such as head gaskets, and use a torque wrench. Gradually tightening head bolts in a pattern to correct torque is the right way. Reusing bolts will be no problem. Did you do a leak down test to...

Is it a gravity fed fuel tank? Does it have a fuel pump? Did it have a red fuel filter on it initially?

Intake and exhaust valves for this engine specs: .005” for both. Make sure to set valves to correct specs after testing.

How many hours on mower? Did the backing up problem occur gradually or all at once? Take a flashlight and look closely at transaxle for build up of grass and debris and clean.

Always do visual inspection, lap valves, de-carbon valves, cylinder head, and piston head, and check head for level with feeler gauge on glass. Don’t worry about other cylinder unless it is a problem. Perform compression test to compare two cylinders once work is complete.

Remove Zama carburetor, take apart, clean, replace metering diaphragm, install. I have a 90-95% success rate after doing this with two stroke carburetors.

It is called an anti-afterfire carburetor solenoid. It has zero to do with carburetor filling up cylinder and hydro locking the engine (like some people believe). The pintle on the end of solenoid gets sticky over time. This stops the fuel to the main jet in carburetor. If this solenoid got...

Technically, by the service manual, the mower shroud is supposed to be removed once a year and the engine and cooling fins checked for debris, to avoid overheating. Paying $450-$550 to remove and replace a cylinder head, head gasket, decarbon, and set valves, etc. on a mower that is worth...

I don’t do this repair this way either for a customer. It is a new cylinder head, clean top of engine of debris, etc.

Not several years worth if paying a lawn service to mow, trim, and blow 4 acres, more like 2.5 years. It is a good solid mower (Bad Boy) for the price. 15 years ago Bad Boy was a low quality zero turn, but things have changed. Remember that Bad Boy and Spartan are close to the same mower...

If it is under warranty, take it to the dealer.

Pull spark plug, pull recoil rope several times and make sure it is not spitting out oil. Clean plug and see if it will fire up.