Did I total my mower?

[Amateurhour]

I have a 2006 195cc 6.5 HP Toro (LEV120 - 361541B) self propelled stand behind mower that I purchased from the original owner who ran it using 2 cycle tru-fuel (which I continue to use per his recommendation).

I'm a first time mower owner and I have been running it for a year and a half with no maintenance other than topping off the oil. The neighbor borrowed the mower and when they returned it it would still start but not stay on. That's when I began googling and realized that I should have been changing filter etc. So I bought a maintenance package off of Amazon that includes my model and specification number (Amazon product title: Hayskill 640350 Carburetor Replace for Tecumseh 640350 640303 640271 for Toro Recycler 640271 640303 LV195EA LEV100 LEV105 LEV120 20016 20017 20018 6.75 HP).

I cleaned up the mower and motor, changed out the oil, replaced the carborator and hoses, replaced fuel filter and spark plugs, removed and sharpened blade. Put it all back together as it appeared before. When I started it up it made a very loud clanking noise (no normal mower noises) for a second or two then turned off. Now if I try to start it it feels like its trying to pull the cord out of my hand at times and doesn't attempt to start up. Waited 30 mins and tried again.

Tried putting old spark plug back in and start it up. No change.

I Had noticed before installing the carb that the choke plate wasnt closed entirely like the original carb when at rest. Instead of unscrewing the screw that controls that, I determined how many turns would close the plate, then set it back to where it was incase it was supposed to be that way. Tried releasing the screw after starting it the first time, also made no difference.

I tried to figure out where I went wrong but everything about my install and maintenance looks right and nothing on the mower that I can see looks broke. where did I go wrong? What can I do to find out what went wrong?

 

[Rivets]

Here are two manuals which will help you understand how the carb works. Maybe they will help you.

https://www.barrettsmallengine.com/manual/tecumsehlheadmanual.pdf

http://www.tecumsehcarburetorguide.com/how-to-guide/

 

[Born2Mow]

It could be something as simple as your neighbor hit an obstacle in his yard, and didn't think it was "important". (Nothing is "important" when you don't need to personally maintain the equipment. Hint, hint.)

Unplug the spark plug. Turn the mower onto it's side and make sure the idiot neighbor didn't bend the baffles, blade or deck so that the blade strikes a bit of metal on every revolution. You'll need to manually spin the blade very slowly to check.

• The blade should miss the everything under the deck at EVERY point by at least 3/8 inch (10mm).
• The blade should also spin flat and true. Measure the height of the cutting edge from the floor; both tips should be equal.
• The tips of the blade may have a little "wing" to lift the clippings. Both wings should be equal in size and shape.
• The cutting edges don't need to be "razor sharp", but neither should either tip have dings and gouges larger than 5/32 inch (4mm).
• Blades are typically replaced every 2-5 years anyway.

If you find such a problem, then you'll need to buy a new blade. Take you about 15 min to fit. (Again with the spark plug disconnected.) Typically one-bolt installation.

If you find such a problem, then ask to borrow your neighbor's car and back it into a fire hydrant. No need to report it. It's not important.

 

[cpurvis]

Now if I try to start it it feels like its trying to pull the cord out of my hand at times and doesn't attempt to start up.

That sounds to me like your neighbor hit something that stopped the engine suddenly. It may have sheared or partially sheared the Woodruff key which locates the flywheel on the crankshaft, thus establishing the timing of the ignition.

 

[Amateurhour]

Rivets: thank you for the reading material. I checked the numbers on the carborators and checked the screws and components of the new carborator and everything seems to be in order. The spark plug was a bit wet when I removed it, but I'm sure some adjusting could fix that if I could get the motor running.

Born2mow: I checked and the blade runs freely. It had some dings in it when I was sharpening but nothing major. It is a bit tough to rotate, but I'm not sure that its not normally like that.

cpurvis: It doesn't have a key, instead it has a "starter cup" and recoil pull starter. I did remove the starter cup during maintenance just to check it out. Perhaps I reinstalled it wrong?



(starter cup: https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...oECAIQAg&biw=412&bih=693#imgrc=Cj4eDI0QTDHUEM)

(recoil pull starter: https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...oECAIQAg&biw=412&bih=693#imgrc=77idP4iCNIDPhM)

 

[cpurvis]

This is a Woodruff "key". It's what "times" the flywheel to the crankshaft. It's made of relatively soft steel and does not like for the engine to stop suddenly.


The crankshaft has magnets built in to its outer rim. When the engine rotates, the magnets pass by a coil. This generates voltage which is what fires the spark plug when the piston has reached a specific spot near the end of its movement toward the combustion chamber. This key can get damaged, say, from the sudden stop of the blade by hitting an obstacle. The flywheel's angular momentum tries to keep it spinning and the only thing trying to stop it is the Woodruff key and the Woodruff key generally loses, allowing the alignment of the crankshaft and flywheel to get out of whack and that messes up the ignition timing. Depending on how far off the ignition timing gets, the engine either runs poorly or won't run at all.

The flywheel has to come off for you to see it.

 

[Amateurhour]

This is a Woodruff "key". It's what "times" the flywheel to the crankshaft. It's made of relatively soft steel and does not like for the engine to stop suddenly.
View attachment 56978

The crankshaft has magnets built in to its outer rim. When the engine rotates, the magnets pass by a coil. This generates voltage which is what fires the spark plug when the piston has reached a specific spot near the end of its movement toward the combustion chamber. This key can get damaged, say, from the sudden stop of the blade by hitting an obstacle. The flywheel's angular momentum tries to keep it spinning and the only thing trying to stop it is the Woodruff key and the Woodruff key generally loses, allowing the alignment of the crankshaft and flywheel to get out of whack and that messes up the ignition timing. Depending on how far off the ignition timing gets, the engine either runs poorly or won't run at all.

The flywheel has to come off for you to see it.

Oh, I see. Looks like I'll be attempting to remove the flywheel next. I'll report back when I've had a look

 

[Amateurhour]

It's completely sheered off.. I have a feeling the clanking noise that I was hearing was said chunk of metal flying around while the flywheel attempted to spin without it. Just need to find the part and figure out how to replace it and maybe we'll be up and running!

I was a day away from buying an electric and putting the toro away for a pet project when I have time. But thanks to you, maybe this will save it.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

here;s what the tecumseh key looks like https://www.jackssmallengines.com/jacks-parts-lookup/part/tecumseh/611004

 

[cpurvis]

It sounds like it really took a hit.

You may need to have a mechanic look it over to see if any internal parts such as crankshaft or connecting rod got damaged.