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Breaker bar, cheater pipe, and PB Blaster.

I stand corrected, again…

I would say it is worth the effort to get the Kohler engine running and keep for back up, reinstall on the equipment, or sell.

Blow with a compressor air gun all around carburetor and fuel lies. Remove air cleaner and start trimmer and check for fuel leaks.

I didn’t realize you were retired. Enjoy your time!

The Kawasaki FH series engine has been discontinued and is a great engine. If the bushing is bad and the crankshaft is scored heavily, what condition is the pistons, rings, cylinders, and cam? Was the engine run low on oil at some point and or infrequent oil changes?

So what is your plan to bring business back to normal? We are going into the slow season coming up in November through February. Business for me has been strong and steady all year. Being more selective on what I repair has really paid off this year with less headaches and stress.

I play Call of Duty on PS3 and PS5. So you say business has been slow this year because a new shop has opened close by. How much percentage wise has it impacted you? What have you done to try to attract new customers? Have you made some calls on customers you have repaired equipment on in the...

Good to see you back StarTech. So it uses grease and I stand corrected. Happy Friday.

Yes, that is why it is not uncommon for me to work on mowers that are 20,25,30 years and sometimes older all the time.

There is nothing to be impressed with when it comes to MTD and Cub Cadet. Some are good, some are bad, and most are just “OK.” Using a quart an hour is crazy when it probably only holds 1.75 quarts of oil. She has got to be smoking pretty bad and fouling plugs.

Briggs and Stratton declared bankruptcy about three years ago and another company bought them, read about it. Kohler engines rebranded to Rehlko will hopefully be a smooth transition. When the big companies that have been in business for decades are making major changes, you know things are...

Nobody replied because how/why would you repair a twisted mower frame on an old Wheel Horse mower probably 30-40 years old?

Also get as close to perfect on specs when adjusting valves. I have found many people do not even know the valves need to be adjusted.

Many of these transaxles are considered “unserviceable.” That doesn’t mean the oil cannot be changed. The manufacturers realize that few people will work on them and scrap the mower when it goes out. Also because it is usually cost prohibitive to work on them. Also because few shops will...

John Deere 108 riding mower was built from 1979-1985. Has a Peerless 801 transaxle in it. Holds a bit over one quart of oil. I looked it up on line. Would need to remove breather cap and extract oil, or remove transaxle from mower, turn upside down, and then refill. This is the general...

Hopefully StarTech reconsiders and comes back on this forum. Knowledge is power. When I make mistakes I learn from it, admit it, make a concerted effort not to repeat the mistake, and move on. People need help, and people need people.

Before saying 100% for sure the compression release is the issue, I would strongly suggest the following be done: 1) charge and load test battery 2) clean all wire terminals and check for excessive voltage drop 3) check or recheck valves for proper clearance 4) check starter for proper...

Check on Amazon or EBay. Many people on here say how bad the parts are, in particular the carburetors. I buy many parts, and in particular carburetors, and have great success and results and no come backs. Do your research, don’t order the first carburetor you see, and check the reviews.

This same sort of thing happens on another forum I am on, Lawnsite. Being a know it all, snarky, sarcastic, a smartass, etc. may feel good in that moment, but it does nothing to help the original poster or the forum in general. Remember, your words on the internet are on there forever, or at...

This has apparently been going on trying to fix the problem for six months. Time to throw in the towel and take it to a shop in my opinion.

So you have a pulsa jet older carburetor and these can be a pain to get going. I would recommend keeping the OEM carburetor , cleaning thoroughly, and replacing needed diaphragm, etc. If there is rust and debris in tank, it will clog up the fuel pick up tube that has a screen on it on the...

Have you checked gas flow out of fuel line going directly into carburetor? Set up a separate nurse fuel tank if necessary to see if engine will run on it.

So 18 foot pounds of torque in this case. Make sure to gradually tighten bolts in a sequence. Also, lap valves and remove carbon as needed. I always use copper spray on head gaskets.

The electric parking brake would be the first thing to check. Second would be to check if there is a relay(s) that could be at fault. Side note: Having to bypass the OEM wiring and safety switches to keep a mower running as Jack Vines has stated, is not only normally unneeded but also not safe.

Valve adjustment has nothing to do with an engine using oil. Need to monitor the amount of oil you are using. How many ounces per hour? You have two choices, run it and keep adding oil, or have it checked out and be prepared to potentially spend a lot of money. Only 200 hours on a Kawasaki that...

That is a very good electrical manual. Thank you for posting. I now have it saved in bookmarks.

Adjusting steering tracking varies from mower to mower. Some are easier than others to adjust. Difficult to give an answer without being in front of mower looking at it. Move the steering arms and study the control linkage that is moving and start there.

Gravely gas zero turn hands down.

StarTech- Information and experience is why we are here to help people. Try not to take this stuff personally and realize that people learn and grow as they are helping. I care nothing about my post count.

The Kawasaki FR series engine is a good strong residential engine. Certain Briggs and Stratton engines are occasionally prone to compression release problems/failure. Never seen any problems in general with compression release mechanisms on any Kawasaki engines. As far as Ryobi tools, handheld...

I was not saying on this particular model engine that using bolts and nuts instead of self tapping bolts would absolutely 100% work. I am on this forum to help people, not get berated by you.

Plan B, use longer bolts with nuts and run bolt through and tighten with nut. Never use an impact in a case like this. Hand tighten with socket wrench and use Loctite with clean bolts.

Divorce and moving are both big steps in life. I hope everything turns out better for you in the long run.

Don’t get so focused on that little bit of oil in the pump motors. Drain everything you can, keep it clean, install a new filter, use the correct oil, bleed the system correctly, and run it.

The OEM battery equipment companies such as Ryobi want you to buy another Ryobi when you can’t get the part and it breaks. The irony of going green and then having to chuck it in the garbage is yet one more reason I don’t mess with battery equipment.

You are removing the mower from the transaxle, rather than removing the transaxle from the mower. Once you get the body off, you still have to remove the transaxle. Maybe you should stop right there, and think this whole thing through again.

Sure. You have to remove engine, take the two engines case halves apart, buy another one, along with a new crankshaft seal and gasket, reassemble and reinstall engine on mower. Cost prohibitive and not worth it on a used self-propelled mower.

You are replacing the hydraulic wheel motors if you are talking about “next to the tire.” I am talking about the hydraulic pumps when describing the charge pumps. It is usually the pump, not the wheel drive pump that goes bad. How did you confirm this?

Pull the spark plug and put a screw driver in the hole and pull recoil rope and see if piston is moving. That was an odd sound when you were pulling the recoil rope.

It could probably be TIG welded if aluminum. Is this on a self-propelled mower? How much oil is leaking? Keep an eye on oil level and run it.

Remove oil filter and remove charge pump covers on bottom of hydraulic pumps and let oil drain.

Unless it is a brand such as Stihl or Husqvarna that a dealer sells and services (battery equipment), the parts availability is only half the issue. The other half is finding a shop that will work on it. The green movement isn’t so green as it first appears when it gets thrown in the trash when...

I don’t take battery powered outdoor power equipment period.

Wrong size pulleys, pulleys are not lined up correctly, sharp edges on pulleys, check all these things.

I eat labor costs all the time. A little here, a little there. After a while you realize that your time, experience, and skills have value. Why should I be giving away my time for free. You can’t get back time. The big shops don’t eat blocks of time and charge for everything. I try to keep all...

It was pure timing. Whether you knew her for 25 years or 25 seconds, it was not your fault. Lots of time, labor and risk involved in a repair like this. Doing the right thing can cause lots of problems in a situation like this. Commendable for you to repair, but I would not have eaten my labor...

I hear the oscillating hum in some of my neighbors mowers when they mow. If everything is smooth and not excessively loud and grinding sounding, I say run it. Grease all fittings if it has them also.

Hopefully you didn’t throw away the original carburetor. MTD doesn’t make engines. What brand of engine and the model number and a picture is what is needed to help you at this point.

I don’t need artificial intelligence to say that it is not uncommon for riding mowers to cut short, even on the highest setting. The best thing to do is raise deck height with adjustments on sides and front. A level surface on concrete and a tape measure and a wrench(s) and it will usually help.