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Is it possible your muffler got filled with mud dauber buildings? They will find semi protected spots and start to add mud if not disturbed. That could cause exhaust gas backup/back pressure that would make the engine able to run for a while and then ... not. Had that happen on a SYM Super 9...

Good luck with the new carburetor. The results seem mixed for new imports. Some brands work right out of the box, and others become another problem area. Most(not all) will get the engine to start and run, which would be a good thing. Be prepared for the float to be sticky when you first...

You might be concerned that the throttle will be wide open when the engine is at rest. That is normal, as the governor will close the throttle to control rpm once the engine has started. The manual engine speed control just adjusts spring tension set to open the throttle which is matched by...

Look for scored surfaces. Those are the bits that leak and reduce performance. If you cannot get a very smooth surface using abrasive paper and a flat surface, it likely may disappoint. Don't be afraid to spend a bit more on the parts you find questionable. Pistons and cylinder that are...

Run and stall sure sounds like a fuel flow problem to me. Ima few years behind you but still able to do a lot of things I expect will be more limited in a few years. I would remove the fuel tank, and check the outlet fitting for debris that can get drawn to the outlet by fuel flow and...

All the mowers I have used did not vibrate excessively. If the vibration is happening once the deck is engaged, I would suggest removing the blades and checking their balance. You can balance on a screwdriver through the hub, and the blade should stay pretty level when allowed to move. Remove...

Price based on what you have invested in material, parts and labor. I assume you are not donating your time, and want to be paid for your efforts. I do not think price should be related to a percentage of new. I think it all depends on the machine(brand/mfg), its condition, and the local...

Just my opinion, but I would look for a used AYP(craftsman, poulan pro, and others) and do a bit of refurbishment to make it usable and reliable. I also tend to want a Kohler CV single as the engine. I have a 6 speed geared, but would like a hyrdo sometime in the future. I know very little...

You could have a worn out starter relay. The relay has internal contacts that get a good spark every time the starter is engaged. The contacts arc and get a pitted surface that may become less conductive, and limit current fed to the starter motor. You can jumper across the two large...

Depending on vintage, you may have a safety lockout that kills the ignition whenever it wants. Older models had a black plastic capsule/cylinder with several wires that grounded the magneto when certain switches were open/ closed. It fails in a miserable way, causing misfire intermittently...

Honda engines command a good price when they are offered for resale. If you don't get the crankshaft straightened, you could use a HF vertical mower engine to replace the Honda. Good places to look for a used engine seem to be Facebook and Craigs list web sites. Likely you can find a new...

Have you removed the intake valve guide seal to compare guide heights? One other thing that can help cause guide migration is having clippings and critter nests above the cooling fins on the cylinder and head. The detritus blocks cooling air and causes overheating, which can allow the guides...

The only way to bend a valve is for the piston to collide with a valve that is not on the seat. A sticky valve can cause the valve to remain off the seat. The bent pushrod can be caused by too much clearance allowing the push rod to fall out of the rocker arm and get tangled with the mechanism...

I would take a look at the deck belt mechanism. If you cannot move it far enough to engage fully, so that the blade brake releases completely, then there is something wrong with the mechanism. Many times clippings can build up on the deck, and either start to jam the mechanism, or keep it from...

I think those are kept in the hen's teeth drawer of the parts bin. Never had to find one. I did not look closely at the posted image, but some carb<>governor links use a thin long spring to keep tension on both ends. If that spring is missing or broken, slop on either pivot point can get the...

Your geometry is correct as far as I can think it through. I'm 77 now, hoping to increase as time goes on, and find the 33" I have getting harder to lift as time passes. I do lock the rear wheels by setting the parking brake and putting it in gear, one or the other, or both. You might think...

So far everyone says sayanora to this B&S. OTOH, it does not have the head gasket failure so common to the brand. The valves themself seem to have a lot of meat left on the seating area, and could be ground or lapped to improve compression. Need a picture of the valve seats built into the...

SAE 40 has been hard to find for decades. It was specified for use in Midget/Sprite transmissions back in the 1960's, and was almost not anywhere on the shefl. No WEB to search either. I kind of remember getting it as Sears Robuck in their automotive section. That for sure will not work too...

GR:"The 17 hp has over revved and basically blew up! it will start and overrev and blow oil out the breather tube all over." If it will start and run, then the internals have not blown up yet. For both the Briggs and the push mower, check that the governor linkage is still connected and moves...

The governor pulls the normally Wide Open Throttle - WOT- closed to attain idle speed. The throttle will sit at WOT if the governor is not pulling it closed. The run quality might be affected by the fact the engine is being started from cold, and would normally have need for a slight choke for a...

If it revs too high, then the governor did not pull the throttle plate closed as the rpms increased. You can get a full service manual in PDF at Kohler's web site. It covers a lot of the CV series and more. I would look closely at the throttle linkage. The throttle plate normally is pulled...

QUOTE: "The never ending debate with 87 corn gas will never cease." Fuel that has ethanol added does have a more limited shelf life, or actually 'tank life' than plain gasoline. If left in the carburetor, exposed to atmosphere, it will tend to absorb water from the humidity in the air. It...

If you want to know if your fuel is adulterated with ethanol, pour some into a glass jar. Add a glug of water, say 1/8c into a peanut butter jar half full. If there is ETOH in the 'premium' fuel, it will be drawn from the mixture and combine with the water. It should then fall to the bottom...

Given the quality control level present in most factories, it is difficult to predict battery life. I have had the term vary from 2 years to 7 years. Allowing the battery charge to go low when stored will decrease battery life. If nothing else, put a charger on at least once a month during...

You could try several things to help sealing. A cotton swab(Q-tip) dipped in valve grinding compound and twirled around while held against the seat may polish the rough edge enough to allow a good seal. You could attempt to remove the seat and flip it end for end and re-install it. The other...

The 2A setting is for motorcycle batteries and those of similar capacity. If you charge a small battery at a higher rate it will make the battery temperature rise. Many new batteries that are shipped w/o electrolyte will have instructions to charge around 2A. My OLD Sears charger has 8A/2A...

Search for 'tachometer digital' on aliexpress and you will find a good selection. There is one model that wraps around the plug wire for its input. It will register rpms, and also has a resettable hour meter, such as for oil change intervals. One version has a non-replaceable battery, and the...

To get the engine to 'hydrolock' from being tipped on its side/end would take some time UNLESS your rings were pretty well worn out. Hydrolock is the situation where there is liquid in the combustion chamber that prevents the piston from fully traveling to TDC(top dead center) and which may...

The late 1980's Snapper has/had a module that required the shift/gear lever be in neutral in order to enable the ignition. There is no seat occupancy switch, and, it's been over 20 years, it may have had a blade release cutout switch also. It was not powered by the battery. In Neutral and with...

FWIW, Amazon has had a bunch of counterfeit parts on sale recently. Motorcraft spark plugs and filters are a couple I have read about. ebay may also have the same thing. I think I would be careful and inspect closely any auto parts etc from both sites. I have ordered Stens and other parts...

When mowers were $99 each at K-mart, repairs were not even considered. Changing the oil or the air filter? Maybe. The preceptrion is likely still that OPE is cheap, and repairs are expensive. I do not think perception has caught up with reality. Ten years ago the lowest price push mower with...

I have done all the work ever done to my machines. My experiences with 'professional' mechanics has not been something I wish to repeat. Had a camshaft replaced under warranty and the tech forgot he had closed the drain petcock on the radiator, and closed it with a wrench. At least I can make...

If you want to try the spray vs purchasing some silicone oil, I'd spray a bit on a paper towel and wipe it onto the surface. You don't want it wet and oily, but just a sheen. Kind of like using oil on a cookie sheet, just get is barely wetted, wipe with a damp towel, etc. tom

In the back of the owners manual you should find a wiring diagram or schematic. That should have the proper fuse size noted. I think the 'text' portion of the owners manual may be more generic while the schematic will likely be more accurate. An opinion. That said, unless you have things...

As suggested, you may be running on one cylinder. If both are functional, holding a hand NEAR the exhaust and comparing one exhaust to the other may indicate readily that one is colder than the other. They both should start to heat up within seconds. That would indicate either a coil/magneto...

I think a wipe of silicone oil on the sealing surface may make the RTV release easier. I know it works when using filled epoxy such as where you have damaged threads on the brake retainer bolts on a rider transaxle. There were some threads, but not quite enough to feel secure. Once the epoxy...

Getting closer to 80 every day, I find that I make more mistakes than I think! I did in the past. I have come close to swapping the red and the black... but luckily took a second look. Not seeing the car stopped in the lane ahead as I glanced over at a intersting roadside attraction, but...

It would not hurt to check that the spring that the idler uses to tension the belt is not weakened. If the belt does not have enough tension, the belt will slip, get hot, get hotter, and finally start to smoke. It would take some time for the belt to get hot. I am not sure whether you have...

Yabbut. If you had a 21" mower, any brand, with a B&S engine on it, would you invest in replacing the piston and rings? Rings alone? A connecting rod? Or actually in most buyers' case, having a shop do any of those jobs? I do not think it will be done by most purchasers of OPE. Commercial...

The shoes I arced would have been for mid-1950s cars. I think they had asbestos as part of their friction material. Long after, I heard of the potential problems. I think most mesothelioma patients were exposed over a long time, regularly. At least I hope so, not to wish it upon anyone.

If you search for 'how much exposure to asbestos is dangerous' or similar, you will find that a one-time exposure is not considered dangerous. Of course it is best to avoid the dust, and every effort should be made within reason to avoid any exposure. I can attest to having been exposed to...

I would be more concerned with a leakdown test and a oil pressure reading. If you have minimal leakdown, both rings and valves should be in reasonable condition, and would have a remaining working lifespan related to how well they currently seal. The oil pressure should give an indication of...

Given how lightly the blade brakes are used, never going downhill on the I-55 with a trailer full of firewood... They should last a long time and the glue used likely does not have to be rated for high temperature. I would get some epoxy or some filled-epoxy such as JB Weld and use that. Make...

Obviously my comment was directed at the US market for pickup trucks. The premium paid for better fuel economy and low end torque, especially useful for towing, extends the payback time such that most original purchasers will have sold the vehicle long before. I realize that many countries use...

The increased purchase price of diesel engines in pickup trucks made them uneconomical unless the miles driven annually were high. Those who bought thinking they were going to save money may have realized the increased investment had a pretty long payback time before actually costing less than...

If you are a bit lazy, and want to check for fin blockage, you may be able to slide a hand under the cylinder, between cylinder and chassis, and feel for good airflow being blown from the flywheel blower down past the finnage and onto the top of the chassis. If the flow feels good and strong...

Has anyone checked the oil level in the sump? Remove the filler neck cap, wipe clean, place cap on the filler. Remove cap and inspect oil level. If no oil showing, odds are not in your favor of a pleasant surprise outcome. Removing the cooling shrouds will make access to the flywheel easier...

If your are using machines that have cork seals in their carburetors, you likely can make your own ETOH free fuel and have adequate octane for use without worry. I do not think I have anything newer than 1990 that has cork seals. anywhere that I know of. I have a Craftsman(AYP) push mower with...

Tell me the compression ratio of these OPE engines. My bet is none of them would even note the difference in octane with or without the ETOH being present. Most are pretty low stressed designs, and likely could work fine with lowered octane. I will not tell anyone to buy a particular grade...

Make you own ethanol-free fuel. If you add enough water to a container of E-10, it will combine with the ETOH and being denser, will fall to the bottom of the container. Above the layer of water is fuel without any ETOH mixed in. If you can decant successfully, you can leave the water at the...