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.
