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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...

If there is a potential defendant with financial resources and there is an injured party, you can be sure that some lawyer will cobble together a legal theory to reach into the deep pockets. The State of Arizona has already sued YouTube for its alleged role in damaging the mental health of...

I’m sure he was worried about litigation, but I think he actually agreed that it was a fire hazard because he removed it from his own mower. I’ve had experience advising clients on when and how to make mea culpa announcements. Never fun, especially if it is being made solely because the...

Leaf duty is my Snapper RER’s primary mission, so it’s still on full alert, but here in NC the end of leaf season is drawing near. When it does go into standby I remove the battery and stand it up on its hind quarters, so no need to put it on blocks. But thanks for the tip, I’ll do that for my...

Can you get two nuts that fit on those threads? If so, you can tighten the nuts against each other and then use an open end wrench on the inner nut to take out the stud.

Once you eliminate fuel, spark and timing, the only cause for nonstarting that I can think of is low or no compression.

I am not a pro so take my thoughts with that in mind. You may indeed have a carb problem, but if that were your only problem then the engine would have started and died when you had spark and used the starter fluid. Only two other causes for a no start when you have fuel and spark. Compression...

I swapped a GCV-160 into an almost new mower that had a GCV-170 with a bent crankshaft. It bolted in very easily using the same bolt holes. The only change was that the pulley on the GCV-170 was a little bigger than the one on the 160. The belt on the 170 was almost new, so I swapped the...

Sounds like you have landed on both feet. Here’s to better days ahead!

On some of the Honda mowers you can buy just the tires and save some money. I did that with an HRB 215 SXA. You need to really heat them up to get them to expand and become more pliable. Tried a propane torch but couldn’t get them hot enough without possibly catching on fire. So I put them...

I had a similar issue with a JD RX75. The difference was that it would die after 20 or 30 minutes and then after a 5 minute break, it would run again for another 4-5 minutes. I finally figured out that it was a fuel flow problem. It was gravity fed and the drop from the tank to the carb was...

Most likely it is the governor linkage. Check the diagram and make sure you connected the linkage correctly. Is there a spring or springs for the governor? Is it connected correctly? Or, are you missing a spring?

I had raccoons raiding my squirrel-proof bird feeder on my back deck. They figured out how to open the metal latch on the lid and eat ALL the sunflower seeds. So I wired the lid shut. They took the feeder off the hook and dropped it on the ground about 20 feet down. They turned the feeder...

Woodcat asked for help with D130 carb linkage a couple of years ago. Search the forums using “D130 linkage“ and “Woodcat” to find it.

Update. Problem solved. I noticed that sometimes when the key would not energize the starter circuit that slightly moving the PTO lever (inconveniently too close to the key) would cure the problem. That got me thinking about the viability of the safety switch for the PTO, (which is actually a...

There are a lot of people in this country with so much money that they don’t bother asking “how much?”. These folks aren’t interested in fixing their own lawn equipment, so they are not typically on this site. But have to admit that it is possible that because they sell so few Cub Cadet...

Laziness and ignorance.

Oil production in the US has been far higher in the current administration than in the previous one. We have been the world leader in 2023 and 2024. The difference is that demand is also at an all time high as the world economies recovered from the pandemic and Russia invaded Ukraine which put...

I just finished renovating an RX75 that had been sitting under a deck for 12 years. Can’t help with the engine since mine has a 9HP Kawasaki. I own the JD maintenance manual and it is worthwhile having. Taryl Fixes All has a video on these John Deere RER’s. Highly recommend viewing it. His...

Remember, the engine you had that ran well until it began to smoke was a used engine and the mower you are installing it in is a used mower, too. And the new Predator will be a used engine as soon as you mow with it. Most mowers get taken out of service because they were left out in the...

Wizard, if I were you I’d keep an eye on Craigslist for someone giving away a mower with a good engine and a rusted out deck or sometimes even a good mower with nothing wrong but a dirty carburetor. Or, visit your local recycling center and see if you can score an engine there. Since your Toro...

Looks like a variety of pig weed. I second Mechanic Mark’s suggestion, or contact the UMass extension office nearest to you.

You need to figure out if you have a spark issue or a fuel issue. Coils develop internal cracks that open wider when hot and then the spark is shorted out. An inline spark tester is less than $10 and well worth it. But you can also test for spark by taking the plug out and reconnecting the...

Swamp Fox, do you have an autochoke on this mower? If you have spark but it won’t restart when hot, it could that your choke is closed. See the thread titled Briggs auto choke, Tiger Small Engine gives a great explanation of the system and offers some advice about dealing with the hot restart...

Might be hydrolocked. Check oil level. If it is way too high and smells like gasoline, you may have stuck needle valve in the carb and the excess fuel is leaking into the crankcase. The excess fluid will prevent the piston from moving, ie: hydrolock the engine.

I noticed that it is easy to over tighten the screw that the vane swivels on and this results in an impingement on the vane’s movement. Now when I work on one of these auto choke Briggs I always make sure the vane is moving freely.

I have the same issue. The only one I’ve ever seen was on Ebay and the asking price was $150.00. My guess is that so few of these mowers were sold that there is not enough demand for Honda or other companies to make mulch plugs. Jacks Small Engines sells OEM Honda plugs for the more common...

Just when you think that you are at the end of your rope….you are!

I have seen this with a pressure washer I owned. The pressure relief valve on the pump was stuck closed. Try connecting the wand and pulling the trigger to relieve pressure on the pump. Then try starting engine.

Was given this mower. I don’t have the owners manual (not available from John Deere as free pdf) and am not enthusiastic about buying one. If anyone has the manual, could you tell me what it says about shifting the transmission? Do you use the clutch after putting it in first gear?

Thanks. Should have mentioned that I already took the fuel cap off. The fins are clean. Since it starts and runs with a spray of carb cleaner, I am thinking there is something going wrong in the carb.

This rear engine mower has a 9HP Kawasaki. It starts easily and runs smoothly until it gets hot. I replaced the igniter and still have the issue. I have driven it with a spark tester attached and it does have spark right after it quits. I also sprayed carb cleaner into the carb right after...

Let us know when you get it figured out. If it turns out to be ignition timing due to sheared off key, you’ll need to determine why it sheared. You can’t hit an immoveable object with a pressure washer, so the prime suspect has to be the pump locking up the drive shaft.

If the plug is sparking but not igniting the starter fluid then you either have low compression or you have jumped time. I had a pressure washer once that sheared the woodruff key every time I stopped the engine. It only did this when the pump was attached, so I guess there was an issue with...

Have you considered that you may have it wrong end to? In my experience the z bend on the spring usually goes into a fitting on the self propel unit and the other end of the cable connects to the handle. The ball on the cable end fits inside the cone that the spring forms.

Here’s an easy issue to rule out or in: do you have an autochoke on this machine? If so, next time the engine dies on you take off the air filter and visually confirm if the choke is open or closed. If it is stuck closed then you have your answer. Taryl Fixes All has a good video on fixing...

I know this is an old thread but in case anyone else is looking for a solution, let me add that in the same video where Jim demonstrates his paint stirrer tool, he mentions another fix for slipping. With the machine sitting on its backside, there is a long spring on the left side that is...

It is gravity. Maybe it would help if you think about objects floating in liquids, rather than being suspended in air, like you do when you attach the blade to your balancer. If you threw a two by four in a pond it would float horizontally, not vertically, unless you attached an even heavier...

I Googled using copper antiseize grease on aluminum and found several sites that say this is not a problem. Not pretending to be a chemist, so can’t explain why there is no galvanic reaction, but apparently there isn’t. Here’s one...

I own an HRC216HXA. It is a beautiful machine but it is very heavy and if you don’t want to bag, you need the mulching kit (plug) which is not available. I always have an assortment of mowers to choose from but I almost always go with my 1983 Toro 20672. If you can get to North Carolina, I can...