Share Your Small Engine Repair Horror Stories

jet62095

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May 10, 2010
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Bad stories, Large Bills, Faulty Repairs, Violence and what have you.

When I was younger and mechanically inept, My Cub Cadet 125 needed a Carburetor Rebuild, and I didn't have the skills to do it (or so I thought) and my dad didn't have the time. We brought it to a local repair shop and they charged us $150 +/- for a Carb Rebuild and Adjustment on the tractor, and a tune up, which only consisted of an Oil Change (They left my Spark Plug, Points and Air Filter alone!). We got the thing home and it wouldn't even start. It sat as is for 5 years, give or take until I learned the skills I have today to get it up to par. Now it has a rod knock (that I swear it didn't have before I brought it to this guy...) and needs a rebuild. I'll be doing that MY SELF!
 

tugboatphil

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It wasn't a "repair" but when I was young I learned the folly of adding cold motor oil to a hot engine that had been running low on oil. It took about 20 seconds after restarting it for the side of the block to blow out.

A big nightmare recently has been replacing all the rubber hose from ethanol in the gasoline. It seems that the alcohol dissolves the hose. I've begun running high test in all my small engines.
 

monica123

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my husband tried to fix a broken pulley cord on our mower and ended up screwing the whole motor. Now he has 3 lawn mowers and is trying to get one out of it that will run :(
 

KennyV

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my husband tried to fix a broken pulley cord on our mower and ended up screwing the whole motor. Now he has 3 lawn mowers and is trying to get one out of it that will run :(

monica..
Here is one of your fellow Canadians ... with some Lawn Mower repairs...
strange guy, but usually entertaining.
YouTube - how to fix a tecumseh lawnmower part 1
Watch a few of his repairs and if nothing else you should at least get a chuckle or two... :smile:KennyV
 

nfagan

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Aug 22, 2011
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Hi I am Norman and o am pretty new ro rhis site.
Any help wou;d really be appreciated.
I have a 721D Grasshopper mower with a 3 cyl. Kubota engine.
It has been in various shops 5 times and the problem keeps persisting/
My machine is taking in air from somewhere.Air bubbles comimg out of the lines to the tank.
All hoses are replaced tank cleaned,air filter changed heatshield installed, new injector pump,
new fuel pump all lines bled.I am at a loss and i am losing all customers bevause off all the downtime.
It id dtill tking in air.
Thank you all/
 

KennyV

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Hello Norman....
Kubota is a Great engine. If you have an air leak on the fuel supply system, You may be able to find it using a bit of pressure applied to the line from the tank to the lift pump... This should check the dip line in the tank, the lines external to the tank & the filter...if you are using any additional fuel filter/water separators, they are likely prior to the lift pump and may be the source of the air leak...
Anything after the lift pump will have positive pressure and can not be a source for air... :smile:KennyV
 

DaveTN

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I have a "Horror Story In Progress"!! This evil contraption was given to me because the former owner was fed up with this 'Hell On Wheels' log splitter w/ a 14 HP cast iron Kohler side shaft engine. It had been to his mechanic 3 or 4 perhaps more times with little or no success. I had gone up there several times 33 miles one way to work on it for him with little success. What it does is crank right up and run for a couple of minutes, then starts cutting out and dies just like you turned the switch off. It will not start and you can run the battery down trying. Let it sit for an hour and come back and it'll hit and run for about 45 seconds if that much and die again. It has had a switch, points, condenser, coil, carburetor rebuilt, valve job, cleaned and decarbon the head. Carburetor rebuilt, then replaced and that one rebuilt as well!! Had the float and needle replaced and that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there's been more done to it. I have an 11 HP Honda sideshaft that came off a pressure washer I acquired this summer that I am going to re-fit to this log splitter. The splitter is heavy duty and great but the 14 HP Sideshaft Kohler is an evil demon from Lawnmower Hell that has sat out there and leered and sneered at me for two winters, going on three counting this year.
 
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Rivets

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Dave, what are the numbers on that Kohler?
 

Bison

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I have a "Horror Story In Progress"!! This evil contraption was given to me because the former owner was fed up with this 'Hell On Wheels' log splitter w/ a 14 HP cast iron Kohler side shaft engine. It had been to his mechanic 3 or 4 perhaps more times with little or no success. I had gone up there several times 33 miles one way to work on it for him with little success. What it does is crank right up and run for a couple of minutes, then starts cutting out and dies just like you turned the switch off. It will not start and you can run the battery down trying. Let it sit for an hour and come back and it'll hit and run for about 45 seconds if that much and die again. It has had a switch, points, condenser, coil, carburetor rebuilt, valve job, cleaned and decarbon the head. Carburetor rebuilt, then replaced and that one rebuilt as well!! Had the float and needle replaced and that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there's been more done to it. I have an 11 HP Honda sideshaft that came off a pressure washer I acquired this summer that I am going to re-fit to this log splitter. The splitter is healvy duty and great but the 14 HP Sideshaft Kohler is an evil demon from Lawnmower Hell that has sat out there and leered and sneered at me for two winters, going on three counting this year.
IF it don't spark after it cuts out,..suspect the coil,...no matter if it is new.
Could be a bad condenser as well.
 

Rivets

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Yes it could be a bad coil, but depending on the model and spec number, it could also be the points plunger. I'll have to do some research to see if I still have the bulletin from back in the 70's (I think) about this problem.
 
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