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You don’t have enough load on the engine. Why anyone would take the good line head off and install one where you have to constantly stop and add more line is beyond me. You have to have the trimmer line all the way out for correct load, and let it rip. 2-strokes love full throttle.

Sounds like choke is hanging up momentarily, then recovering and running right.

Every engine starts differently, period. Some love no choke most of the time. Some love it to blip the choke if it 100 degrees outside. Has nothing to do with how the current state of the engine is (running right vs running rough). It is just the way it is after starting hundreds and hundreds of...

Heet allows the fuel and water to mix so that a tiny amount of water can be burned with the gas. Heet will not overcome large amounts of water. The label says one once of Heet per gallon. I would say your mower with 30 hours on it has either older gas, or gas with water in it, and possibly...

Most days I feel good, good attitude, and good energy level. I can still outwork guys in their 20’s and 30’s. If you don’t have physical and mental health it makes everything much worse. I know we are talking about small engines specifically on this forum, and this thread is addressing running...

I appreciate hearing from you guys, and your life experience and mechanic experience. I am 59 and this is my fourth career (small engines), so don’t have the many years of experience some mechanics have. Turning a wrench correctly is one thing, however, running a shop, and all the different...

A big box store will refer you to a local shop and it will cost to fix. A good dealer will make it right for no charge (where you bought it).

Not worth the time and money normally to replace bent crankshaft on a Honda Gcv160 or 190. Do your best to straighten it if possible.

It is hard to beat a Scag.

Very rarely do Welch plugs fall out. Replace, slightly peen, and hit it with fingernail polish and you are set.

Swapping decks is usually not that easy. You won’t know until you try.

Are you able to correctly adjust valves? I ask because you asked what is spec on valves for this engine. It is simply a matter of looking it up. Intake: .004” Exhaust: .006” Good luck.

Honda makes a great self-propelled mower. Honda got out of gas push and self-propelled mower business 2 plus years ago, so this mower is new old stock.

The brush cutters aren’t a gimmick. Your trimmer needs more that a carburetor adjustment. Adjusting a carburetor correctly takes experience and practice. Take it in to the shop if you can’t figure it out.

I would NOT recommend any mulch kit on any zero turn. Open up the chute and let it fly! Some mowers will throw grass 8-10 feet. Evenly distributed grass is healthy for the lawn, looks better, and easier on the mower. Raise your plastic exit chute if you are leaving it all the way down.

I have seen Amsoil at trade shows over the years. Even had a guy that came by my house about 25 years ago selling Amsoil. I realize it is a “premium “ product. I wonder what percentage of the 2-stroke oil market Amsoil has? I bet it isn’t much. I wouldn’t mix gold at 100:1.

Manual chute blockers in general are really helpful. Especially if you mow commercially and need to open and close it consistently. I run Gator blades year round and am very pleased with them. Some people don’t like them.

Anyone that runs 100:1 in anything, old or new, is crazy. I read about it all the time online, and am not disputing that people do it. I am just saying as inexpensive as oil is, why?

I recommend no mulch plate. Raise the plastic exit at a 45 degree angle and let the grass fly as far as possible. Remember to lower chute around people, windows, or cars for possible rocks to fly out.

If it takes you 2 hours to mow with a self-propelled mower, you should strongly consider getting another mower. Rebuilding this engine, unless you really want the experience, is not worth it. Before replacing the engine with a similar one, be sure everything will work. Honda can be tricky to...

“Oppy” means opposed twin. People cannot get the correct parts at their local small engine shop without a model number of the mower or engine, depending upon application. However, getting upset face to face versus on the internet are two different things. You see this scenario play out over and...

Bad Boy already prices their mowers aggressively low. I wonder how they could offer a 25% military discount? I am sure they don’t have much more gross profit in it to begin with. Go price out similar featured mowers of the competition if you want some real sticker shock. A loaded out EFI Scag...

The adjustment rod normally has threads that end, therefore you can’t keep tightening the nut. By putting a spacer, shim, washer, bushing onto the rod, you are able to keep raising the deck slightly.

Enlarge the pilot jet as a last resort if no air leaks, etc.

If the deck is actually leveled correctly, and tire pressure is correct, and you still need to raise deck a bit, try this. Put some type of bushing on the adjustment rod after removing the bolt. Adjust as needed. The bushing should raise deck more.

A tired, worn engine. Keep the oil topped off every time you use it, and run it.

I bet you won’t get 40 years out of this new electric mower like the one from the 70’s. I assume by electric you mean battery now. You will be lucky to get 4 years before you have to replace the battery.

As I have said before, most of my customers claim to run premium, non ethanol fuel. The key to any fuel is how it is stored, and how old it is. Yes, 10% ethanol is hygroscopic ( attracts water), so storage and age of fuel is important. Also remember that fuel, in layman’s terms, whatever the...

The Kawasaki FJ is an older engine. Keep an eye on the oil if it is using oil (light gray smoke). There isn’t much more you can do within reason. Run it.

Fuel filters don’t always fill up with fuel. Make sure fuel tank vent and or gas cap is venting properly.

I am not a big fan fan of John Deere. Overpriced, overrated, parts are higher for OEM, and often more difficult to work on. Kawasaki is a great engine, period. Make sure to adjust valves every 300 hours, and check cooling fins annually, or as needed, per recommendations from Kawasaki.

I enjoy greasing equipment. It gives me a certain sense of satisfaction. When there are not grease zerks where they should be on equipment, I am disappointed.

I run 87 octane, 10% ethanol in everything from a 37 hp Vanguard to a Stihl BG85 blower, and have no problems. Keep the fuel fresh and moving, store the fuel correctly, and it is that simple. Or pay extra for stabilizer and premium fuel for no reason. Small engines are not designed to run 91...

You stored it without any gas, but did you run the fuel completely out of the carburetor as you stored it?

Common sense tells me that grease is good for rapidly spinning parts, and no grease is bad. I think people tend to overthink situations sometimes. I have the original spindles on my 2006 Scag Turf Tiger. Do you think that is because I NEVER greased them?

Most people are not going to remove a bearing in a spindle to pack it, before installing it. Nobody is going to remove the bearing once the spindle is installed to pack it at a later date. Pump the spindle full until it comes out is the only practical way. It can take 100-150 pumps sometimes.

Depending upon the deck hanger set up, sometimes you can put a bushing on the hanger rod to help give the deck more height. The limiting factor is you can only raise deck as much as pulleys and spindles will allow before contacting underside of mower.

Watching my neighbors mow with a zero turn, and really having no idea how to mow is what makes me laugh and cringe at the same time. Mowing the same direction week after week, mowing too low, ringing trees, making weird patterns because they used the house as part of the pattern, not making 3...

So you are saying that all that wear over the years, once combined, adds up to a deck that is actually cutting too low at its highest setting (3”). Makes sense because even when riding mowers are new, the decks are set up too low. Most of the time the best you can do is about 3.5”- 4” from...

The red light was working, but now isn’t. That is a good point about the wiring harness. I have seen and heard about problems with the Spartan mowers and wiring harness issues. Will check into it. Guess there is no way other than to replace harness and see if it solves the problem.

Thank you for this service manual. I do not work on EFI engines because of lack of tools and experience. I am currently having problems with my Ferris zero turn with Vanguard 37 hp EFI on it (only 5 hours on new engine). No click, no crank, nothing. Was running great and now nothing. Have...

If you want to really juice your lawn up, hire a company like Trugreen to come and apply liquid fertilizer. The lawn has to be small enough. typically less than an acre, for this to be affordable. It isn’t cheap period though. Mow your grass in four different directions each week, keep your...

Out of curiosity, how old is the mower and batteries? How much did the new replacement batteries cost?

We are talking about the cost difference of a few bucks a tube of regular cheap grease versus better quality red and tacky grease. I like to save money as much as the next guy, however, when it comes to cents per application and giving the customer better quality, the decision is easy. Plus if I...

Remember, it wasn’t that many years ago that starters, alternators, etc. were rebuilt locally. I mean, some still are but very few. People remove and replace most times. An aftermarket starter price is really reasonable. However, the OEM starters are usually 3 times and up, the cost of aftermarket.

The spring loaded mulch chute keeps the exit chute on. You have to have the correct size and it does a good enough job of keeping the chute in place. Put mechanic wire on it if it is bothering you.

What you are experiencing is usually the beginning of the end of the transaxle.

Apparently you will have to drill holes in bottom plate so you can hold brushes in with a couple of wires. It is a real pain.

Homelite went out of business about 24 years ago. Most shops don’t work on off brand handheld equipment for a variety of reasons. Good that you took the time to try to get it running. Most likely was a carburetor issue or low compression. To go through the carburetor successfully, it takes...

I use Gorilla Glue construction adhesive (white) and comes in a caulking tube. Make sure surfaces are clean, apply, clamp for 24 hours.