My mower repair thread

[Vervepipes]

Here is the toe biter with the Tecumseh Vector. The bolts are rounded off and I'm not too sure how to go about trying to remove them to save this powerhouse. Maybe cut them off and try to grasp the remnants with vise grips?...


The little Yard Machines that was cleaned up yesterday is sold. Here is today's project, an MTD rear bagger. I replaced the wheels, replaced the cracked handlebar, cleaned the rust off the muffler, found a good air box cover, re-seated the grass catcher onto it's wire frame, oil change, carb swap from a troublesome Craftsman that has been giving me issues, did a test mow and it's good to go. First pic as I got it.




The Craftsman that I pulled the carb from has had a few engines on it, it's the same deck that had a cracked oil sump. The replacement engine sputtered badly and I thought it was a carb issue, swapping it onto the engine above ruled that out, I now suspect a semi-sheared timing key, I'll try it another time when I have more time on my hands. I got 4 more mowers tonight that I need to sort through tomorrow.

 

[Vervepipes]

So a bunch of no-shows today for the two that are ready to sell. I also got this guy ready. It was missing the discharge cover, engine brake cable and engine brake spring. It cleaned up very nice.




I found an add for a one year old powermore powered self propelled Yardworks that the owner has trouble starting, they want to trade for a good push mower so I'm going to try to trade for it, then sell my other powermore self propelled mower. If the trade doesn't happen, it's listed for sale as well.

The red MTD just sold, I sold it for less than I wanted to so I could make room for better mowers, but in the end it was 100% profit since no new parts went into it, so I can't complain.

 

[Vervepipes]

2 more no shows today. I'm starting to think competitors are emailing me to hold off on selling mowers and sniping customers. In any case, I started working on a basic rear bagging MTD like so many others I've gotten. The deck looked to be in great shape but the engine was a no-start with fuel into the carb. I went through three ignitions from parts engines before finding one that worked. Next on the list, the handle was cracked, replaced it. The engine brake wouldn't disengage completely, I had to force it the rest of the way by hand to get spark, the lever was bent where the cable goes in, so I replaced that with a good one. Alright, on a roll now. Bad shimmy while running, blade was bent. Replaced, check. Raspy exhaust, very rusty muffler. Changed the muffler. Runs well but a high frequency vibration was still there. The very nice looking deck had a bunch of cracks around the engine mounting circle! All that effort and now I have to pick a different deck for it. At least it has no troubleshooting needed for it anymore. I have a decent self propelled deck that it may go onto. It's an odd Murray deck where the belt goes above the deck and the angine is mounted on a large spacer. If I can separate the pulley from the wrecked engine that came on that deck, I'll go ahead and put it on there.

On a side note, it's odd how last year I dealt with almost only B&S engines and this year it's almost all Tecumsehs. If you've read all my pages, I'm sure I mentioned more than once I hate Tecumsehs, but at least I've gotten familiar with them, although there is still a strong dislike for them.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Was that dragged up from the ocean or what? How does a mower even get like that?

 

[Vervepipes]

It was a couple of blocks from the ocean actually. Things get very rusty that close to the water. I'm just surprised nobody got seriously hurt using this, at least, I didn't SEE any blood or pieces of human tissue on it. I really want to salvage that engine though. Maybe if I cut the heads off I can use vice grips and "pull" them up. I could try to drill them out, but I'd be afraid of causing too much damage to the aluminum. Hmm...

 

[hanyoukimura]

Looks like a Tecumseh Vector engine. I've dealt with two of them before. One had a blown connecting rod and looked just like that. The other was on an Ariens. The carburetor was even more annoying than the standard Tecumseh ones, but one I got it running it was strong and smooth and started easy. Turns out that the plastic primer/filter bracket can warp slightly where it mates to the carburetor. That prevents it from making a good seal, and then it won't prime. I ended up doubling up gaskets and that fixed it.

 

[Vervepipes]

Sounds a lot like a typical Briggs Quantum priming issue I run across.

The black craftsman sold, taking the family out to dinner tonight! 2 no shows for the hodgepodge Yardworks/MTD

Today I got this little guy running using a few spare parts. It runs well, but is rusty so I won't sell it for much and I won't make it out to be a supremem mower in it's add. A good camp mower is what it is, or to get by for a few seasons until the deck gets a hole. Runs very well though after some fine tuning.



This one also got a basic treatment of getting it to run, full tune up and all it needs now is a new primer bulb. I swapped the carb on this one, full tune up and better wheels. Rusty deck on this one too but no holes. I don't like doing paint touch ups on mowers I sell, I'd rather sell for a bit less and have the customer see that I'm not holding back any surprises. There are a lot of weary people here from the large amounts of lousy mower repair guys.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Sounds a lot like a typical Briggs Quantum priming issue I run across.

I've had that issue a few times with Quantums as well.

This one also got a basic treatment of getting it to run, full tune up and all it needs now is a new primer bulb. I swapped the carb on this one, full tune up and better wheels. Rusty deck on this one too but no holes. I don't like doing paint touch ups on mowers I sell, I'd rather sell for a bit less and have the customer see that I'm not holding back any surprises. There are a lot of weary people here from the large amounts of lousy mower repair guys.

I'm the opposite. I try to make the mowers I sell look as nice as possible. The reasoning is threefold: they stand out from the crowd of dirty mowers, and I can charge a bit more. Aesthetics count, and I've had at least one person tell me that he selected my mower because it was the nicest looking of the mowers listed. Some mowers I put mower effort into their appearance than others, but I try to make them all look nice. Lastly, I really enjoy the before and after. :biggrin: Some mowers really clean up well.

Naturally, I make sure they are running well too. I try not to sell mowers with any problems, which is why I still have the Ariens.

I've only ever had a couple mowers come back with a problem, and if they recently got it, I'll fix it for them for free.

That said, your reasoning makes sense too. There's several of your mowers that have cleaned up really well though! :thumbsup:

 

[hanyoukimura]

Oh and about the Vector, have you tried soaking the bolts in penetrating oil and then using a bolt extractor? Irwin makes them.

Amazon.com: Irwin Industrial Tools 394001 Bolt-Grip Bolt Extractor Base Set, 5-Piece: Home Improvement

 

[Vervepipes]

That mower is still sending me loads of no-shows, I don't think I've ever had so many tire kickers in my life! On a side note, I picked up a John Deere JS20 for $50, said to not be running. The deck is solid with only minimal surface rust underneath. It was missing some fasteners for the handle, and the bag is missing. When I got it home, I found that the engine brake cable is seized, and I don't have one to match. I zip tied the brake and it started on the first pull, good ol' Briggs Quantum, they seldom have major issues. The self propel works, but not on the lowest speed settings. It could be as easy as an adjustment, the belt looks new and everything else seems pretty clean.





I had been planning on keeping the Chonda self propelled mower with the Craftsman deck for my own use, but I think I'll sell it and keep the Deere, this is a well built mower.