Mower had no power and burns oil.
Took valve cover off to check valve clearance...
and found one of the valve pushrods clear off of rocker arm and just laying there. Adjusting nut is tight.
The push rod was slightly bent. I straightened it, best I could to trouble shoot further.
When I put it in the same position as the other it does not seem to contact the camshaft.
What could be the problem?
The mower had 430 hrs. I got it at a city auction.
I worked on a big single cylinder B&S on a John Deere rider that had a similar problem. What happened was the push rod was loose, and the rocker arm was dangling. The stainless steel lifter that rides on the cam, and contacts the push rod was stuck in the bore! Try removing the push rod, tap down in the hole with a wooden dowel or something flat on the end and see if you can dislodge the lifter. It's either that or the cam lobe is worn down to a nub! Hope the tap helps it. If that frees it up, you'll have to re-set the valves. Otherwise you will be taking the engine apart to inspect. Good Luck with it.
