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My mower suddenly stopped while working in the yard. (Grinding noises were heard prior to the stopping) After checking the engine for leaks and cleaning various parts the mower will not turn over now unless the spark plug is removed. I charged up the battery and it is fully charged. Any suggestions as to why it turns over when the spark plug is removed???

Removing the spark plug lowers the resistance to turning over .
At a guess, the grinding noise could have been the starter pawl grinding against the flywheel teeth
So start by taking off the blower housing and watching the starter when you try to crank the engine
The other possability is the ACR on the cam shaft has fallen apart so now there is no decompression .
The starters on mowers are deliberately weak so if there is no decompression most will not be able to crank the engine.
Check for decompression by removing the rocker cover and watching the rockers while turning the engine over by hand.
You should see one of them open slightly then close just before the piston is as far foreward as it goes ( TDC ) .
Each engine maker does this slightly differently so we are just giving general advice till you provide us with the make & model of the engine + its numbers.

See page 9 & adjust valves with engine cold per specs.
Your Sears Operators Manual is posted above.
Check oil level on dipstick should be on full mark.

I really appreciate the help guys....I'll look at the suggestions you have made and report back.

Bertsmobile1...According to the Operators Manual my lawn mower is as follows:

Craftsman Model 917.28851 - Repair Parts Manual says 917.288512
21.0 HP 42" Mower
Electric start
Automatic Transmission.

One thing I should of mentioned is that after the mower stopped working I checked the oil and it was very low. I will complete an oil change before I try to repair it.

I'll let you know.

Again thanks for your help

Thank you.
That is the mower , now what about the engine ?
Briggs
Kohler
Tecumseh
Power more
LCT
Chinese import

according to SPD,

331877-2371-g1​

bertsmobile1 said:

Thank you.
That is the mower , now what about the engine ?
Briggs
Kohler
Tecumseh
Power more
LCT
Chinese import

Click to expand...

Bertsmobile1 - it is a Briggs & Stratton engine

No sense checking valve lash if Grinding noises were heard.
A bearing is gone away somewhere, or other expensive part.

Update:--- I had a mower expert come out and look at my machine. It has a camshaft issue (he thinks the ACR) which needs replacing. He has taken it away for repair. I'll found out the full extent of the repair once he has taken it apart for further inspection. He thinks it will be about $350 (which includes a deck leveling and mower blade sharpening)

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. They have been helpful.

Sounds about right.
The ACR is a weak spot on these engines so don't go beating yourself up about it .

Further update....after extensive inspection the mower mechanic says that the engine has significant damage caused by some internal parts breaking and damaging the cylinder (plus other parts). He suggested that it was not worth repairing as it would be less expensive to get a new mower......bummer eh?.

I've looked on-line for a new/used engine but they seem to be around $1000+ so in his defense I'd rather fork out the extra money to buy a new mower....

Oh well I have had my 10 years worth of use out of it so in the scheme of things it has been money well spent. Luckily I do not have to cut the grass at the moment due to the weather.

Any suggestions as to what mower i should look at??? Don't want to spend more than $2000....(I have a flat 1 - 1.5 acre lot with plenty of trees) (Takes me about 45 mins to cut the grass)

Terry

Strange the Briggs 33S877-0019-G1 which replaces the 331877-2371-G1 only lists for $631.

Hopefully final update.....my mower guy has re-evaluated his assessment of the damage and says he can actually fix it. It appears that the only broken bit was the cam gear. He said he has to replace a push rod that was bent and a new compression part (no sure of technical correct terms).

With all this being said he confirmed that he would charge $350 for the fix.......much better than a new engine cost....He is waiting on parts and should have the mower back to me by Thurs/Fri.....