Export thread

Ok looks like the riding mower I have is from 1996 and 42828x8B.

I got a new battery, new gas and a new fuel line in and she started right up the first time with starter fluid blast in the air filter. It will start with choke on but die when I do not use starter fluid and pull out of the choke position. I assume I will need a carb or a rebuild. I drove it around and tried to lower the deck and it shut off. Tried 2 more times and as soon as I engage the deck the motor shuts off. Did some looking around and dropped the deck to look for binding. Found one of the guard that shield the operator from the pulleys was bent and touching the pulley. I straightened that out and cleaned it off a bit made sure everything turned by hand and put it back on the mower. But had the same result. Did some more research and looked at the kill switch on the seat so I by passed the switch and still same problem.

I am thinking I will drop the lower deck again and take a closer look at the pulleys. When I had it down before I did not like the center pulley or tensioner position or how loose it was. Is there an alignment procedure or how it should sit? I am thinking it should be inline with the drive pulley or close. I will attach a picture of the side view, look how high the center pulley is sitting compared to the blade pulleys. Also how loose should the belts be?

Am I missing something? what else can o look at?

First off, the mower won't cut worth a damn if the engine is'nt reaching full power, however WITH THE ENGINE NOT RUNNING........ raise the mower front ......... using a jack , hoist or lift, high enough to check under the deck for anything blocking the blades or anything wrapped around the spindle shafts, if OK , put machine back on ground, blade engage lever in off position....... rotate all 3 pulleys to check for rotation ( blades NOT in engaged position ) check for wobble or rough feeling movement, check belt tension with blades still DISengaged, should be fairly loose, but not ready to fall of pulleys... move blade engage lever to engage position ( ENGINE NOT RUNNING ) now recheck tension..... check if belt is excessively tight it should have a VERY slight slack ( could be a wrong belt or tension rod adjustment ) Murray & MTD products should use OEM belts,........ lets see what this tells us ...... I will try to find the procedure to check the belt tension rod .... have to search through my manuals....... Boobala

Jmoxie
check these items I'm sending .... does THIS deck and controls match what you have ..??? If so ..I found an OWNERS Manual that you can use. Let me know by using a PM (personal message) or in THIS new forum you started..... Boobala





Also click on this carb cleaning info............http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/tecumseh_series7_carb.asp

Thanks for the reply. The previous owner dropped by the original operator and parts book yesterday! I was close with the model number it turns out the model is 42828x8A.

Boobala- the picture of the mower is right on except for the shift lever mine is not like that. The rest of the steering column looks like that. I pulled the lower deck off again last night. Flipped it over and looked at the blades. They will need to be sharpened but there is no obstruction and they spin. Turned it back over and lubricated everything. The only thing that looks bad to me is the idler pulley mechanism. It sits really weird like 1" higher than the rest of the pulleys and the movement of it in the bracket is very loose. If I have the deck in the highest position the idler pulley is nearly touching the upper frame. I am thinking maybe something is bent? anyone have a picture of a lower deck in the engage position with the height of the idler pulley? Here is another picture of how high it is. Maybe its normal but it just looks wrong.

Yes the bracket looks like it has been bent a little forward, which would raise the pulley.
The tensioning pulley sits a bit higher than the spindle pulleys to counter the out of alignment that happens when the deck is raised or lowered but the bottom of the tensioning pulley should be in line with the bottom of the two blade pulleys.
The pivot hole on the tensioning arm will be flogged out oval which might be allowing the tensioning pulley to foul on something on the deck or under the mower.
Double ditto on belts.
Must be either genuine Murray or OEM aftermarket.
Stick an in line spark tester on the plug and watch what happens when you engage the blades.
If the spark stops right away, then you have a problem with the safety switch and in particular the PTO switch, seat switch or the wiring between them.
If the engine stumbles and stops then you have a problem either with the carb or the govenor.
Locate the throttle linkage from the govenor to the carby,
Open up the throttle.
If the engine faulters & dies you have a fuel problem.
If the engine runs cleanly then you have a govenor problem.
However the govenor SLOWS DOWN the engine so most govenor failures cause the engine to race.

I would agree with Trevor (bertsmobile1) it appears to me from your pictures that the idler pulley bracket (s) may be bent , check the tops of all the pulleys for shiny spots due to rubbing against something , the idler pulley should rotate freely but NOT wobble around (could be a worn pulley or shaft it rides on ) also when deck is lowered or removed look for shiny/rubbed places. if found ..... I would bend (easily) the bracket that appears to be the problem . BUT first get that engine kickin butt !

My murray 42" ( 42516x92B ) is a rail frame model .....very different from yours , so I can only go by the parts breakdown and pics you post, glad you got the owners guide, I CANNOT find it anywhere online . it has all the adjustments Murray provided, sadly not enough. Did you get ALL my previous posts about the carb. AND finally you never said where in Fl. you're located ....... Keep us up to date ....... Boobala

PS forgot to mention ...use that camera when workin on your project...... take pictures of everything you do BEFORE & AFTER ......will save you a great many head-scratching sessions , trust me !

Thanks for the replies guys, gives me something to do the next few nights!

Boobala - I am in Port St Lucie, FL.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Ok guys here is an update.

I rebuilt the carb, replaced the fuel lines and filter and added a cut off switch in the line. I cleaned the fuel tank and added non ethanol fuel. Replaced spark plug. Engine started right up and was smooth in idle and fast speed.

Next I went after the lower deck cutting out engine when engaging. I replaced the main drive and lower deck belts, both were shot. I replaced the drive pulley it to was shot. I lubricated and went over the operation of the deck. Replaced blades. Hooked it all back up and still same problem. So I went after the PTO switch because the engine was cutting out as soon as went to switch the lever. I jumped one side of the switch and she is working like a charm. I will order the switch.

Cut the grass for the first time today. Runs great and cuts great. Thanks for all the help!

Ox

Jmoxie:
first , thanks for the up-date , THAT makes a lot of us happy to know your final outcome and what things you've done to solve the issue, it may help others in the future.
I did'nt realize you had an electric PTO, I thought you had a hand lever to engage the deck belt.... sorry bout that. Anyway glad you have it up and running, visit again soon , and how about some pics . I think I stated I live in the Ocala National Forest ..about 26 miles East of Ocala , Originally from Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale area. Later good buddy.... Boobala

It does have a hand lever at the steering column to engage the lower deck. But that handle is attached to a rod that goes down behind the steering column and engages a red double throw switch that the parts manual calls a PTO switch. The switch when pushed in opens one side and closes the other and then visa versa when the handle is engaged.

Cut my grass again and she is working awesome! Now all I need is a cup holder!

Thanks

WE see this quite often, mechanical failure is thought to be the culprit when the PTO is engaged and the engine dies. This is a common thought because the pulleys, belts and mechanical parts are then attempting to move so one of those must be the culprit. There is a quick way to separate mechanical or electrical as the problem.

In the case described above, if the magneto ground ( kill ) wire on the side of the engine had been temporarily disconnected the engine would have run when the PTO was engaged, which would have told us the problem is electric. Then it's a matter of finding which switch ( safety ) is not behaving correctly.

CUP HOLDER !! ????

The only use I get from my cup holder is to park some small items in it , if workin on the machine , but never a drink , unless ........
you're using a toddlers sippy cup !! .......(LOL) :laughing:..:laughing:..:laughing: ........:thumbsup: ...... I do keep my oil check rag in there though .