I really hit a rock. Hard. Mower stopped. 21" cut self proppelled Pull starter. I can now start the engine with aN extra pull, but it kicks or pulls back. And when it fires up, the engine appears to be running wide open. Its a few years old, (6 or 7) but not ancient. Has always started on first pull and ran fantastic. Have some ideas on keys and gov springs, but looking for advice
Any ideas?
Check the crankshaft to see if it is bent by using the following procedure. Remove spark plug and ground spark plug lead. Have an assistant push the handle all the way to the ground and step on it while at the same time holding the bail so the engine brake is released. You should look directly at the center bolt that holds the blade on to the crankshaft and see if it spins in a perfect circle or wobbles as it spins. KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM ALL MOVING PARTS, ESPECIALLY THE BLADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I emphasized the safety part enough.
If the engine has a bent crankshaft, start looking for a new mower of the same kind so you can use your old mower for spare parts.
Flywheel key is next and then governor spring and/or associated parts.
If you're having a problem determining if the crank is bent, you might take a yardstick and stretch it across the deck; sometimes having a fixed piece to use as a reference will help show if something is moving in an elliptical orbit or not. A small awl or similar tool inserted into the machined end of the crank can be used as a reference also, along with the straightedge. Of course, if you've got a dial indicator, that would be cheating...:wink:
