Hello everybody,
New to forum, and was browsing for some tips on a Craftsman rider w/42" deck. Neighbor had it for 3 seasons and it just stopped on him. No popping, backfires or anything, but would not restart. He played with it and had it running once late last fall for about 5 minutes: then stopped again. Listening to him try to start it, it sounded like it was kicking back when starting. It set out all winter covered with a tarp. He offered it to me for $100. I walked over and looked at it and really in the back of my mind I was thinking sheared flywheel key. He had replaced the plugs and put a new pinion gear on the starter, but he put the spring under the gear and totally destroyed it. I took a chance and bought it. Flywheel key was ok. Replaced battery, starter gear, and solenoid, hit starter and it fired right up. Sounded good for about 10 seconds, then shut off. I thought I had it made and only had to trouble shoot the fuel system. Had to quit that night because it was late after I got the starter on. Next 2 days, cold and snow flurries. Yesterday, put just a little gas in carb to prime it. Evidently a big mistake as the engine fired and kicked back hard and fast enough to ruin another starter gear. I have learned on this site that this engine doesn't have adjustments for the valves. But I also learned that this is usually not a problem. Picked up 2 new starter gears this evening and will try again tomorrow. If it ruins another before I can check the fuel system out, I will probably have to give up on it. I think it is a 2000 model. Good looking, solid body and deck, but just like us humans, without the heart we're nothing. Getting too old to bend, :laughing:stoop and squat like I used to.
When wiping dirt off of model and serial no. they wiped off too. I think that would have told me the year made. Anyway, here's the numbers on engine.
Family: YBSXS.7482VE 274846
Model: 461707
Type: 0147-E1
Code: 0103305A
Can't afford a heart transplant on SS.:laughing:
Well, I am not a pro , but I do know that a visual on a spark outside the engine will not tell you if is ok under compression. You could try a diy spark tester (check this forum) or purchased one. Generally coils are said to last, but some do have transistors /capacitors in them which can fail at hot. There are cold compression specs somewhere in this forum.
Hello everybody,
New to forum, and was browsing for some tips on a Craftsman rider w/42" deck. Neighbor had it for 3 seasons and it just stopped on him. No popping, backfires or anything, but would not restart. He played with it and had it running once late last fall for about 5 minutes: then stopped again. Listening to him try to start it, it sounded like it was kicking back when starting. It set out all winter covered with a tarp. He offered it to me for $100. I walked over and looked at it and really in the back of my mind I was thinking sheared flywheel key. He had replaced the plugs and put a new pinion gear on the starter, but he put the spring under the gear and totally destroyed it. I took a chance and bought it. Flywheel key was ok. Replaced battery, starter gear, and solenoid, hit starter and it fired right up. Sounded good for about 10 seconds, then shut off. I thought I had it made and only had to trouble shoot the fuel system. Had to quit that night because it was late after I got the starter on. Next 2 days, cold and snow flurries. Yesterday, put just a little gas in carb to prime it. Evidently a big mistake as the engine fired and kicked back hard and fast enough to ruin another starter gear. I have learned on this site that this engine doesn't have adjustments for the valves. But I also learned that this is usually not a problem. Picked up 2 new starter gears this evening and will try again tomorrow. If it ruins another before I can check the fuel system out, I will probably have to give up on it. I think it is a 2000 model. Good looking, solid body and deck, but just like us humans, without the heart we're nothing. Getting too old to bend, :laughing:stoop and squat like I used to.
When wiping dirt off of model and serial no. they wiped off too. I think that would have told me the year made. Anyway, here's the numbers on engine.
Family: YBSXS.7482VE 274846
Model: 461707
Type: 0147-E1
Code: 0103305A
Can't afford a heart transplant on SS.:laughing:
The problem with going at it like this, If you replace the coil with a good/new one, it may run briefly, but the new/good coil is soon destroyed....
What destroys these coils/ignitions is when voltage is supplied to the "kill" wire. Also folks here that recommend replacing coils
without finding out why they are destroyed, they should be ignored.....
These ignition systems produce a good running spark with every revolution of the flywheel through the "coil's" field, if the spark is dead, then it is from stray voltage reaching the coil. The small engine we are involved with would keep running/sparking while the
flywheel is rotating, so it stops, if it loses spark, fuel, or compression.
Testing for spark is quite simple, if it doesn't have spark, then something killed the coil.