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I purchased a used Toro Recycler 22" Self Propelled mower last year. It has the Tecumseh engine, 6.5 hp, 195 cc, Model LV195XA.
It has always bogged down too easily. I've tried replacing air filter, new gas, adjusting idle speeds, etc. But nothing so far has solved the problem.
Other than bogging down (on not very high grass) I like this mower. It completes the job, just have to go slow when it bogs down.

Set the rpm's to 3600. Sharpen the blade. Clean the air filter. Adjust the valves. Problem solved.

slomo

Thanks. New blade and air filter last year, but haven't tried adjusting valves. I'll give it a try.

NTexian said:

Thanks. New blade and air filter last year, but haven't tried adjusting valves. I'll give it a try.

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Is the blade sharp NOW? Is the air filter clean now? Put a tach on the plug wire and see what revs you are sitting at.

slomo

Yearly mower maintenance.
1.Adjust valves
2.Sharpen and balance the blade.
3.Use fuel stabilizer year round.
4.Use 100% real gas if you can get it.
5.Install and use a fuel shut-off valve and a good paper fuel filter.
6.Remove the blower shroud and CLEAN all the grass, dirt and oil from the cooling fins. If you neglect this, you are asking for engine damage.
7.Lower the handlebar and dump the oil out. Fill with fresh 30w oil. Walmart sells Supertech in a 2 gallon jug for $19.50.
8.Get a foam pre-filter for your air filter if possilble.
9.Every 100 hours I think it is, pull the head and remove the carbon buildup. Check your manual on that spec.

slomo

Yes the blade is sharp and filter clean. The engine ran the same (bogged down) after new filter and blade.
Don't have a tach.

Does it sound like its at full revs? Jump on ebay, tachs are like 10 buck I think??

slomo

Yes it sounds good at low load. I've tried increasing idle and it still bogs down. So I set it back to normal sound at low load.

Spotted that this was a used mower. I would get a new carb off ebay for like 20-25 bucks delivered. Push mower carbs are cheap. Not even worth cleaning a dirty one these days. You got strong spark?

slomo

Does that motor have a plastic camshaft?

slomo

Don't know about spark. Runs fine at idle. Don't know about cam-shaft.

Download your mower and engine manuals. Start checking your stuff out LOL. Let us know what you find.

Bogging is a bad slash dirty carb or flat camshaft. Other things too but these are the most common I would think. Check your flywheel key to see if someone hit a chain in the grass and got your timing off a touch.

slomo

Well, in the last few days I changed the carburetor, spark plug, and air filter. Mowed the yard today and the mower still has the same problem: Still bogs down too easily.
Next part to replace: cylinder head gasket. I took the head off while doing the carburetor work and the gasket was in pretty bad shape. Got one on order to install in the next week or so.

Alas, Tecumseh, the co., has been dead for some 10 years. I acquired a Toro that came with that engine, & even though it started easily & sounded good at the right rpm, it tended to bog. Not only does the engine have at least a decade or more of wear & tear, I don't think it ever had the guts of a Briggs or Honda. Another option is do what I did; replace the Tecumseh with a Briggs. Easy to do. I was given a used 7.25 Briggs Quantum in good shape but the co. below sells them new for around $169. Toro's are great mowers. If the deck & tranny are ok, they are worth some investment to keep going,


BTW, adjusting valves on a flathead is no picnic.

Tecumseh may have gone under, but it is still very easy to get parts for their engines.. nothing to worry about there. From your description I would check and adjust the governor. If you need a manual on that engine, post back with model numbers and I’ll locate one for you.

The old blind squirrel may have found an acorn.
Replaced the head gasket this morning. When cleaning the head before installing new gasket I could see a small black area on the piston side where exhaust was leaking through the old gasket.
Mowed the yard after putting everything back together and it did much better and did not bog down as in the past!

NTexian said:

I purchased a used Toro Recycler 22" Self Propelled mower last year. It has the Tecumseh engine, 6.5 hp, 195 cc, Model LV195XA.
It has always bogged down too easily. I've tried replacing air filter, new gas, adjusting idle speeds, etc. But nothing so far has solved the problem.
Other than bogging down (on not very high grass) I like this mower. It completes the job, just have to go slow when it bogs down.

Click to expand...

May be due to accelerator pump. When governor throws throttle open, you should get a squirt of fuel at same time. If not, then may be accelerator pump is bad, or linkage to it has fallen off. Another thing that can cause this is an air leak on intake system. Minor leak can cause bog down in heavier grass, then seems to go away in lighter cutting. Float level too law can cause it too.

There is no accelerator pump on this engine.

Rivets said:

There is no accelerator pump on this engine.

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One less thing to go wrong then. Fewer places to look is always a good thing.