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Check belt tension between the two longest points between pulleys.

The solution is buy a gas mower.

Also check for any burrs, sharp spots on pulleys and file smooth as needed. Use washers to get pulleys as close to level as possible, and or a pry bar slowly. Tensioner pulley arm probably has lots of slop in it too that needs to be addressed. Make sure you have good belt tension and increase it...

If you are getting good, steady fuel flow to carburetor, then the carburetor needs attention and be cleaned.

Safety switches on mowers are like safeties on a firearm. They are there to protect the manufacturer, the owner, and other people. When using a ratchet strap to mount a tire on bead, use a hammer to hit the handle to release the load to avoid injury. Common sense and experience go a long way...

One aftermarket carburetor that didn’t work as an example, is not exactly like having a hundred aftermarket carburetors that didn’t work for you, one after another. I am not trying to stir the pot, just saying that my experience, and many others online that I have read, has been good with cheap...

I would not call that a small engine. We both know you have to remove engine from mower (or equipment), crack the case open, remove connecting rod end cap, and tap out piston and connecting rod. Then take off rings and insert into cylinder and check with feeler gauge to determine ring end gap.

Let’s see it.

Mulching never works better than letting the grass fly out of exit chute. Preferably with the plastic grass shield up so the grass can fly out as far as possible. Put shield down when around cars, windows, or people for safety.

I obviously know the difference between an L-head engine and an OHV engine. I said that early in the thread when he was describing things.

In order to check the ring end gap with a feeler gauge, you have to dismantle the entire engine. A bit impractical wouldn’t you say, unless you are rebuilding it?!

This is an L-head engine, not an overhead valve engine.

Cylinder is scored. Check compression with tester.

Just know that as soon as you hit a nail, stob, etc. and pop the tire, you will be back to square one and have to remove and replace inner tube.

Gaskets are normally really reasonably priced. I use Permatex The Right Stuff which is ready in 90 minutes. Have had excellent results. Make sure both the valve cover and cylinder head are completely clean of all gasket material, sealant, oil.

Stihl or Echo all day long!

Clean the carburetor thoroughly.

Push the mower forward with the handle as you pull the rope at the same time. Use momentum to your advantage to start engine.

Check choke operation and make sure the choke plate is fully closed.

I think a lot of shops don’t install fuel shut off valves so the customer has to bring it back in to have another carburetor installed or cleaned in the future.

I put cheap Chinese carburetors on all the time. They are usually plug and play. I also don’t get comebacks as a result.

I see very few fuel shut off valves on equipment that comes in my shop for the first time. I install them mainly so the customer can run the fuel mostly out of carburetor so it won’t gum up, and need to be cleaned after storage. Which is why they often come to me in the first place, because the...

You can buy the o-ring kits for Nikki carburetors in 5 packs.

When an OEM carburetor is sometimes 5 to 10 times the cost of an aftermarket carburetor, it may just be worth the gamble…

I see this all the time across several different brands of mowers. The manufacturer decided to design the mower with a very short path of fuel to carburetor. There is nothing that can be done to add fuel shut off valve in this case.

Worldlawn is cheap outdoor power equipment. Parts and dealer network is not established. I do not recommend at all. Worldlawn bought Encore years ago and cheapened a decent mower.

Briggs 17.5 to 21 HP single cylinder engines are more prone to blow head gaskets, then comes the twin cylinder Briggs. However, it is not a common occurrence as stated above. If you replaced OEM carburetor with aftermarket carburetor and engine is hunting and surging, obviously it is running...

I will bet it is a Nikki carburetor. Add fuel shut off valve. Read and use the above information.

Let the market decide, on all products and services. Laissez-fare.

The Stihl synthetic 2-stroke oil does NOT contain fuel stabilizer. Just read it on their site. Just like I recommend to my customers, Stihl says 30-60 days on shelf life for handheld equipment. Keep it fresh and moving, because 2-stroke and 4-mix equipment love fresh fuel.

An hour meter means a lot as far as value on a mower. It is like an odometer on a car. Yes, an hour meter can be defective or tampered with, however, for the most part, it is one of the first things that should be checked. If the condition of equipment an hours on meter don’t add up, that is...

The type of engine, the type of hydro transaxles, and the overall build structure of the zero turn. Too many subtleties to go into. Going online and doing research is another good way to determine. In the $3500-$5500 big box store zero turn price range, you aren’t getting anything except a...

Motomix, Tru Fuel, in other words, canned pre-mix, is both expensive, and not the way to go for 2-stroke engines. It is another somewhat controversial topic. You can do the research if interested. Mix one gallon at a time of gas and 2-stroke oil and you will be fine.

Belts wear on the sides and top to bottom, more than they stretch. Next time you see a worn belt that is say 1/2” wide, measure it and it will be more narrow than 1/2”. Take that difference and combine it over the length of the belt and it adds up to excessive wear.

Go get fresh gas from the pump, five month old pre-mix is not fresh. Remove spark plug, pour a tiny bit of gas into cylinder, and start it.

Debris (grass)is possibly built up under the mower frame. Follow the forward and reverse pedal linkage back and see how it looks.

Also, make sure engine brake/kill lever cable is pulling the switch far enough to allow and kill spark. Put a clamp, pliers, channel lock on it to test if needed.

Blowing off equipment with a blower is better than hosing it off. If done consistently enough, grass won’t build up all over the machine. However, if you never grease the zerk fittings, it is doubtful you blow off equipment .

87 ethanol fuel that I run all year, every year with zero problems. Or pay extra money for premium, your call.

Some of the decks on top, and bottom that get serviced by me are absolutely packed. To the point where I charge extra. To the point where it should be embarrassing to the customer, but it isn’t.

Two separate issues. Mower stalling on slopes and turns is normally crap in fuel tank/metal elbow/fuel shut off valve. Check tank for debris with flashlight, blow out line, etc. and remove if needed. Engine hunting and surging yet smoothing out at WOT and under load, is normally a dirty...

Repair and service is definitely busier this spring than last few years. My customers rarely complain about cost of parts or labor, and I am at $80/hour book rate time. Parts are marked up 30% most of the time. Many people hold on to equipment for 20,25,30 years and it is still running and...

Four points I want to make from the previous posts in this thread: 1) How far out a shop is on repairs: 1-2 weeks out is good, a month or more is not uncommon. When it comes to mowing grass for example, raise the deck, go slower, mow it twice. It is not the end of the world. 2) Pick up and...

The “mower guy” is a bit premature in his diagnosis. Very rarely do transaxles go out on riding mowers if operated under normal circumstances.

Anti-afterfire solenoid on carburetor shuts off the fuel to main jet in carburetor. Its purpose is to prevent backfiring, not as a fuel shut off valve. If you turn key one click (not two clicks to crank engine), you should hear and feel (put fingers on it) the solenoid clicking as it opens and...

Remember, there is no need to remove Welch plug in carburetor. Use a tiny wire and carburetor cleaner and compressor blow gun, and 95% plus of the time it will be good.

It is most likely either the cheap recoil mechanism hanging up and dragging, or really bad connecting rod knock indicating engine wear and slop. Hard to say without being there in person.

Is the new ignition coil OEM or aftermarket? Compare the two coils with multimeter. Is the choke/run/stop lever working properly? Have you tried different spark plugs? How are you checking spark? Have you tried with and without kill wire attached to coil?

Yep, probably a choke issue.

22 psi front and 12 psi rear sounds good. Visually look for grease zerks on spindles, front yoke, striping rollers, etc.