did I blow it up?

This is for a craftsman LT2000 with the intek 17.5 engine. I was cutting tall grass yesterday and hit a t shirt which of course got wrapped around the blades. Mower died instantly and will not restart. There is gas in the tank. I checked for spark,there is small spark when I ground the spark plug against the frame. I am not sure how big the spark should be for a small engine. It would not be enough to start a gas v8 from what I remember of my gear head days. When I put my finger over the spark plug hole and crank the engine over,I can feel air come out,so there is compression. I know it's a no no but I sprayed a little starting fluid in the carb and tried starting it just to see if it is a fuel problem. It only pops a couple times through the carb but didn't backfire or try to start. Before I start throwing money at it,is there any other troubleshooting things I can do? I have just about zero experience with small engines besides changing oil,air filters and spark plugs. Thanks for any help!!:wink:

This ordinarily doesn't happen to indirect (belt) drive engines but a sudden stoppage of the engine can shear the flywheel key. If the flywheel slips on the crankshaft, the ignition timing is thrown out of whack.

If this is a vertical shaft engine, it shouldn't be too hard to check.

how do i check that and how do i fix it?

I can't give you exact details because I'm not familiar with your engine. In generic terms, you need to remove anything that obstructs your access to the flywheel/crankshaft junction. That is usually the blower housing which may have other things attached to it. Once there, you will see a keyway in both the flywheel and crankshaft. These keyways are held in alignment with a 'key', usually a Woodruff key. They must line up exactly, as this is what controls the ignition timing of the engine.

Not a particularly difficult job if you have the tools and know how to use them. But definitely more involved than, say, replacing blades or changing oil.

Good advice with the key and the most likely culprit. You know when you blow one up. My 16h.p. intek grenaded on my LT 1000 2 weeks back. Loud pop splash of oil on the muffler puff of smoke then the rest of the oil on the ground.

Txbiker said:

Good advice with the key and the most likely culprit. You know when you blow one up. My 16h.p. intek grenaded on my LT 1000 2 weeks back. Loud pop splash of oil on the muffler puff of smoke then the rest of the oil on the ground.

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Ok. finally had time to work on it some today. The crankshaft and keyway in the flywheel are still lined up and haven't moved. The key is still there and not broken. What else could I check? How strong is the spark supposed to be? Obviously not a fuel problem or it should have fired off with the starting fluid. Just need other ideas of what to check.

As the engine was running at the time:

1. The spark was adequate to run the engine just prior to taking on the t-shirt. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

2. Fuel was being delivered in a combustible ratio prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

3. There was adequate compression prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

4. The ignition timing was correct prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

I'm pretty sure the answer to the first two is "Nothing."

Since you still have compression, the answer to #3 is "Nothing."

That only leaves #4. A sudden stop can do plenty to change that, BUT...it usually doesn't happen to belt drive mowers. Unlike mowers that have the blade attached directly to the crankshaft, there is a cushioning effect caused by slippage of the belts.

Did you remove the flywheel and examine the key? That would be my next step because I can't see any reason to pursue #1, 2 or 3.

Of course, I could be wrong.

cpurvis said:

As the engine was running at the time:

1. The spark was adequate to run the engine just prior to taking on the t-shirt. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

2. Fuel was being delivered in a combustible ratio prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

3. There was adequate compression prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

4. The ignition timing was correct prior to the sudden stop. What could a sudden stop do to change that?

I'm pretty sure the answer to the first two is "Nothing."

Since you still have compression, the answer to #3 is "Nothing."

That only leaves #4. A sudden stop can do plenty to change that, BUT...it usually doesn't happen to belt drive mowers. Unlike mowers that have the blade attached directly to the crankshaft, there is a cushioning effect caused by slippage of the belts.

Did you remove the flywheel and examine the key? That would be my next step because I can't see any reason to pursue #1, 2 or 3.

Of course, I could be wrong.

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Here is something I forgot I did when I hit the shirt: Like a dummy I tried to start it right after I hit the shirt. The engine turned over real slow of course because the shirt was wrapped around the blades. Could this have caused a problem? I think I have a compression gauge from my shade tree mechanic days. Would that work for a mower engine? Is there any fuses I could have blown trying to start it under stress? I will take the flywheel off and check the keyway to be sure,but it doesn't look like it has been moved at all. Thanks for your help so far!!

I'm not sure how you could have cranked the engine with the blades engaged. That isn't supposed to happen, but if it did, you didn't hurt anything.

A compression gage just measures pressure; it doesn't know what kind of engine it's attached to. I don't think that's an issue but go ahead and check it if you like.

If the starter spins the engine, I don't think you have a fuse problem. Unless I'm mistaken, the Briggs engine needs no external source of electricity to run. All it needs is electricity to spin the engine.

What does "won't restart" mean?
Does it crank?
Is there a click when you push the button or turn the key?
Or, when you attempt to start does it do nothing? Meaning it does nothing there is no audio sound? It does not crank or make any sound?

You'll need to forget the tshirt and act like its a brand new problem.

So 1st determine whether it is a gas issue or an electrical issue? Then troubleshoot from there.
But change the spark plug 1st and shoot some gas or starter fluid into the carburetor and see if it starts.

Look for the obvious first.
Is the connection to the battery alright?
Does it have gas in the tank?
Is your PTO engaged?
Do you have to sit on the seat to start?
Is the spark plug wire fully seated?
Does it require that your clutch/brake is depressed fully?

Eliminate all obvious and operational errors 1st.
I don't think you blew it up. I don't think you did anything to it other than running over the tee shirt and binding the blade to stop the engine. I think the problem is a very simple and obvious one that's hiding right in front of you.

Good luck!