Engine 1986 Craftsman LT12 38" trouble starting

tomekkplk

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Jan 22, 2018
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So I'm fairly new to riding lawn mowers and bought my first one for $100 last spring, it was a 1986 Craftsman LT12/38 with a bag and the only thing it needed was a tire and battery. It served me well all year until the start of fall. It had a very tough time starting the last 3 times and started smoking pretty bad. I did change the oil before I used it and used fresh gas too. I'm not sure if the engine is just getting tired or it needs a tune up. (I've had bad luck with tecumseh engines in the past). Anybody experience the same or have an idea?

Also, since I'm fairly new to these I'm not quite sure how to raise the deck. The lever is at the highest position but it still cuts the grass a little too short.

It also gets stuck in gears whether 1-5 or even reverse. I have to press and release the clutch slowly a few times to get it to move, sometimes it needs some persuading to get moving.
 

hrdman2luv

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Aug 23, 2014
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So I'm fairly new to riding lawn mowers and bought my first one for $100 last spring, it was a 1986 Craftsman LT12/38 with a bag and the only thing it needed was a tire and battery. It served me well all year until the start of fall. It had a very tough time starting the last 3 times and started smoking pretty bad. I did change the oil before I used it and used fresh gas too. I'm not sure if the engine is just getting tired or it needs a tune up. (I've had bad luck with tecumseh engines in the past). Anybody experience the same or have an idea?

Also, since I'm fairly new to these I'm not quite sure how to raise the deck. The lever is at the highest position but it still cuts the grass a little too short.

It also gets stuck in gears whether 1-5 or even reverse. I have to press and release the clutch slowly a few times to get it to move, sometimes it needs some persuading to get moving.

Smoking can be a few things. Is it white or black smoke? What does the spark plug look like?

The deck may have something loose on it. Check to make sure all the lift mechanism are still attached.

If you have a compressor, you might trying blowing out any grass & dirt build up around the clutch lever, springs, and anything else you can find under the mower. It could be out of adjustment.
 
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