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If the plug is sparking but not igniting the starter fluid then you either have low compression or you have jumped time. I had a pressure washer once that sheared the woodruff key every time I stopped the engine. It only did this when the pump was attached, so I guess there was an issue with...

Have you considered that you may have it wrong end to? In my experience the z bend on the spring usually goes into a fitting on the self propel unit and the other end of the cable connects to the handle. The ball on the cable end fits inside the cone that the spring forms.

Here’s an easy issue to rule out or in: do you have an autochoke on this machine? If so, next time the engine dies on you take off the air filter and visually confirm if the choke is open or closed. If it is stuck closed then you have your answer. Taryl Fixes All has a good video on fixing...

I know this is an old thread but in case anyone else is looking for a solution, let me add that in the same video where Jim demonstrates his paint stirrer tool, he mentions another fix for slipping. With the machine sitting on its backside, there is a long spring on the left side that is...

It is gravity. Maybe it would help if you think about objects floating in liquids, rather than being suspended in air, like you do when you attach the blade to your balancer. If you threw a two by four in a pond it would float horizontally, not vertically, unless you attached an even heavier...

I Googled using copper antiseize grease on aluminum and found several sites that say this is not a problem. Not pretending to be a chemist, so can’t explain why there is no galvanic reaction, but apparently there isn’t. Here’s one...

I own an HRC216HXA. It is a beautiful machine but it is very heavy and if you don’t want to bag, you need the mulching kit (plug) which is not available. I always have an assortment of mowers to choose from but I almost always go with my 1983 Toro 20672. If you can get to North Carolina, I can...

Nothing to lose by taking a look inside the engine. Hubba has to remove the engine in any case, so taking a few more bolts out is not adding much work. I would do it with grandson’s participation so he can see what oil starvation does to an engine and so he can see how an engine works. Could...

My Cousin Vinnie had a scene where this concept was explained with great clarity. The slippery substance was southern red clay mud, not frozen precip, but same result. The wheel on the slippery stuff spins and the other just sits there. This was the key piece of evidence that got Vinnie’s...

Sounds like a bad ground to the starter solenoid or a bad solenoid. Without good ground not enough electrical energy flows from the battery to trigger the magnetic switch to give the starter motor its full dose. Some solenoids have a separate grounding wire and some just ground to the chassis...

With the kill wire disconnected you can’t be shorting out the spark, so the most likely culprit for no spark is a defective coil. Could be a bad magnet/flywheel, but that’s got to be pretty rare. I’d bring the coil back to dealer and let him test it. Maybe put it on another machine in stock...

Hard to tell from the pics, but I think you are saying that the long lever hits the short stub to ground the coil when the blade brake engages the flywheel, and also hits the metal backing of the brake when the blade brake is disengaged. I noticed a screw on the fitting for the long lever. Can...

The fact that it got harder and harder to start and now there is no visible spark, would point in the direction of a failing coil. Sometimes it is hard to see a spark when you ground a plug. I prefer to use a spark tester. Less than $10 at Harbor Freight. It is also possible that the...

Got lubricated on Christmas Eve? Thanks for the highly refined comment, Glades Cat, and Merry ChrIstmas to everyone.

Not exactly on point, but worth noting when talking about using synthetic oil: The conventional dinosaur stuff works better for breaking in new rings. Otherwise, I only use synthetic.

I don’t think there is any grass that would thrive with dog urine supplements. It is the heavy concentrations of lactic acid and nitrogen/urea that kills all grasses. The pH actually is not a problem. Dog urine pH is around 6.5 and that just happens to be the sweet spot (no pun intended) for...

All true, but the biggest reason is lack of competition. If the part was interchangeable with other mass produced parts, you’d see much lower prices. I just forked over $800 for a Honeywell thermostat for my Trane heat pump. No other thermostat is compatible with this unit and no one but...

I have found twice now that the autochoke lever that is thermostatically controlled gets lazy or stuck if the mower hasn’t been used in a while. Moving it back and forth until it frees up has solved the issue for me. The spring should move that lever fully back and close the choke after the...

I would try to rule out a fuel issue first. Next time it is cold, try squirting carb cleaner into carb before pulling starter rope. If it starts right up, you have a problem with getting fuel to the carb on startup. Does this have a primer bulb or a choke? If it has the autochoke system...

So Grounded, it appears to me that you have a perfectly operating mower with a kill switch that works when you release the brake/bail lever. Is that right? If so, this isn’t a problem, it is you pondering why your kill switch is working. I suggest you google “how does a kill switch work on a...

You have a fuel problem. Cleaning the carb is never a bad idea but after reading from your original post, I see that the trouble began with restarting after shutting down a warmed up engine. I looked up the parts diagram for your JD js38 mower and saw that you have a thermostatically...

I would take off the air filter and spray carb cleaner or starting fluid into the carburetor. Then try to start it. If it starts and then quits, you have a fuel delivery problem. If it does not start, then you have either a compression problem or an ignition timing problem. Ignition timing...

A couple of posters have told you that the coil is likely to be the problem. I agree. Coils typically fail initially when they get hot. Over time they fail completely. Rivets gave you the procedure for ruling out a failing coil. When you can’t restart a hot engine, that’s when you test for...

Did you check to see if the fuel supply line isn’t kinked or clogged? Don’t take this wrong, because I have done it myself, but did you forget to open the fuel valve after shutting it down last week after mowing? Fuel filter clogged?

Have you checked to see if Autozone has a gear puller that would work in their free lending program?

Maybe OP did use a spark tester. I always use mine to check for spark before buying a new coil, but I also check to see if the coil is being inadvertently grounded. If the kill switch is not being opened when you pull back the bale, the spark will be grounded and your tester will show a no...

I suspect that your mower is permanently grounded by corrosion closing the circuit at the kill switch. Pull the bale as if you were going to start the mower. Tie a string around it and the handle to keep it up. Now trace the cable housing down to the side of the engine and make sure there is...

I do a lot of work on bicycles. Got started at age 8 when my father got tired of fixing all the flats in the neighborhood and fobbed the job off on me. Step one is to put a dab of spit on the valve stem and see if it bubbles. If so, tighten valve stem or replace and job done. Step two is...

I have no experience with this wheel set up. Can you get the bolt out? Your picture shows the wheel and tire with no bolt. If you can get the bolt out then maybe try a gear puller. Buy a longer bolt with the same threads and put a dimple in the middle of the head for the puller’s bolt tip to...

I just replaced the tires on my HRB215SXA. I tried heating with a heat gun, then tried putting the tire in a bucket and pouring boiling water over it, then finally cracked the code by boiling the tires for five minutes and quickly wrestling them onto the wheels before they cooled off. No need...

If you have no primer bulb, then does the mower have an autochoke? If so, I would check to see if the choke is closed on startup.

I have a 32 year old Toro with a 4 stroke Suzuki engine. The deck is heavy duty aluminum. Works perfectly and is a joy to use. The self propel works great and has never given me a problem. It is set up as a mulcher only. I also have a 40 year old Toro with a Tecumseh engine that has BBC. I...

I do not claim great expertise, but here are my thoughts. You didn’t mention air. How is the filter? Try starting it without the filter. If you have gas, spark, compression, timing and air, then it must start. So, something doesn’t compute and you have to go back and reevaluate your...

I had similar experience with an autochoke Briggs on a lawnmower. If spark is strong then I suspect that the hot engine is evaporating the fuel before it can ignite and a little choke would solve it. But the autochoke won’t let you apply light choke. The thermostatic controlled lever is...

Thanks. I did visually see the plug spark but it wasn’t easy. The sparkplug lead is so short that I couldn’t ground the tip of the plug without using a jumper wire. I did see a spark but just to make sure, I bought a new plug. Just went out to the shop and tried the finger test and only felt...

This is a 4 stroke engine with overhead valves. The coil is good, per my spark tester. I shot starting fluid into the carb and got no ignition. Shot some carb cleaner directly into spark plug hole. No ignition. Pulled the flywheel and the woodruff key is intact. Checked the valves and...

Did I miss where you checked the air filter? Mice like to nest in resting equipment.

Here are two thoughts from an amateur. First:Have you run over something, like a stump? If so, you may have a timing issue. I have seen motors where the flywheel has moved but not completely sheared the woodruff key. Second thought: I had that same engine and the plug was sparking, so...

The gcv160 has a plastic camshaft pulley and a rubber belt to time the valves. You would have seen it when you adjusted the valves. Take a good look at that pulley and see if it is damaged. I think it also controls the compression release function. That might answer both the poor engine...

Since no knowledgeable person is responding, looks like you are stuck with me. Is this Briggs equipped with their auto-choke? If so, has the thermostatic switch gotten stuck with the choke open after you ran it out of gas? Taryl Fixes All has a good video on this choke. Google it. Stuck...

When I suggested tightening the belt, I was using shorthand. I really meant to tighten the cable for the self-propel. This would in turn pull harder on the belt when you pull the bale back and act to tighten the belt. The cable could have stretched a little or maybe slipped. Or the belt may...

Re screeching noise: suspect you have a slipping belt. When the tall grass puts an extra load on the blade the belt powering the selfpropel slips. Try tightening the belt. If the belt is old or glazed, you may need to replace it.

The rpm’s are due to the governor adjusting to the load you are putting on the engine. I wouldn’t worry about it. The locked up wheels are due to the pawl in the driven axle being stuck, probably needs lubrication. Very common on Hondas. You need to take rear wheels off and disassemble the...

Glad you like your new mower. Just one comment: I think that flap is there to protect you from debris that might get flung back at you, like rocks, sticks, pine cones. I would replace it if I were you. I have two Toros, one is a 1984 20672, the other is a 1991 20320 with the Suzuki 4 cycle...

From my experience, I suspect that you have a failing coil. When they start to fail they will work when cold but as they heat up, they fail. If you get a spark tester you will be able to confirm that it’s the coil. Or, after the engine quits you can spray starter fluid through the carb and...

Thanks. I’ll try that. I had a vague recollection about the old Briggs engines and their kill tabs on the plug.

I have a Bolens 410 tiller. It has a 2 stroke motor. It starts easily but won’t shutoff using the on/off switch. I have tested the switch and the two wires going to the coil. The switch is good and the wires are sound. So, I think the problem is in the coil. But the part is no longer...

Thanks. I think you are right. I went to the parts diagrams on Jacks Small Engines website and saw that they put 4573 diagrams next to and on the same page as 8673 as well as the 8673 AE and S models. All had the same body. I had to look up what AE meant. If there are others who also don’t...

Thanks. That gives me engine type and approximate year, but that one is self propelled and mine is a push model. Anyone know what the push model version of an 8673 would be?