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Usually is. Service is what keeps a lot of shops in business. People just don’t give their mowers any consideration for maintenance because it only gets used once a week, maybe. There are a lot of people too where their pay check depends on the mower and they do crappy maintenance as well. Down...

@jz8fenton, what is the serial number of this engine (e/no)? I can call Kawasaki tomorrow and find out if there is any previous history on this engine.

The cylinder being overheated, leading to metal fatigue is what causes this failure. The valve broke where the valve head is welded to the stem.

FX730VFS12S. The starter is a shift type (heavy duty) as opposed to the bendix type. If your FR starter is good, you could just swap the starter from the FR to the FX. If you use the FX starter, there will need to be a simple wiring modification. Other than that it would be identical unless your...

Yes, that is the correct replacement. Currently FR730VJS00S. It will be money well spent to go with an FX model for a few hundred more. If you stay with FR, make sure you keep tabs on your air filter. It may need more attention besides flipping up the cover and saying it looks good.

Pull the rubber tube for the air filter off from the intake pipe (before the carburetor). If you live in the south, the engine is possibly dirt ingested due to inadequate air filter maintenance. Sorry to say but I see a lot of it. Valve guides are not the issue.

Kawasaki published a bulletin in 2016 listing all of the available welch plugs. If you only paid a $16 freight charge, that is a deal as the rest of us pay $25 for an order under $200.

LOL

The part number for the crankcase cover is 14041-7009, still available from Kawasaki. See your local Kawasaki Engine dealer. If it is not exclusive to Deere, they should be able to order. This engine was built in 2004.

Proper welch plug replacement does not flatten the dome but rather is peened around the edge. Harbor Freight sells a leather punch set. Get one of these for less than $10. There is one that fits the larger welch plug perfectly. Grind the sharp edge off of the punch, install the welch plug and...

Yes. I would check continuity. If there isn’t any, it is a Hi Auto Docs, The coil is actually two separate windings (see attached). Each winding creates full-wave AC. The AC then goes through a diode and gets converted to half-wave pulsating DC. These two half-waves then come together as a...

Its job is to put out to operate the load for as long as needed.

What you have is called a clutch coil. It generates AC voltage but then goes through a pair of diodes that convert the AC to DC to power the clutch. The DC voltage is then “regulated” by the load applied. So, the red wire, unregulated, should read 30+ VDC normally. If not, either the coil is...

👏🏻 nicely done sir!

An engine with 1200 hours that doesn’t smoke or burn oil, has likely been well taken care of. I wouldn’t suspect is as being worn out. Based on your comments, there could be a restriction in the muffler. Or, my attention would turn to the governor. It may have some wear to a component...

The carburetor shaft being worn would likely cause enough of an air leak for the need to apply full choke to enrichen the air/fuel mixture.

First of all, it is normal to have to choke an engine, even hot, with a carburetor that has a fuel solenoid. Has this engine ever had any valve maintenance? Meaning, cleaning the valves, reaming the guides, decarboning, etc.

Yes, the governor spring can stay installed while adjusting. The governor isn't pulling back; it is pushing out. It is the governor spring that is pulling back against the centrifugal force of the governor. If the spring is too strong, this will reduce the RPMs. If the engine is steady at 3450...

A weak governor spring, damaged linkage or control panel, something in the wrong location. If it’s none of that, live with 3550. Governed engine don’t maintain a consistent rpm anyway, 50 rpm isn’t even noticeable.

Don’t waste your time. If the engine otherwise runs smoothly, valve lash will not increase rpm.

Exceeding 3600 rpm will not cause internal engine damage. You can run the engine without the governor and will float the valves at around 4200. Ask anyone racing lawnmowers. They modify the valve train and are running 6000-7000rpm easily with stock internal components. These engines are very...

The high idle spec for this engine is 3600 +/- 100. I am thinking that when you are adjusting the governor, you are using the throttle control lever to achieve WOT. Try this: Loosen the black left-hand bolt in the center of the governor link Have someone hold the throttle shaft in the WOT...

What is the spec code of your FS651V? It may have a lower governed high idle spec. Having the throttle at the rabbit position is not WOT. The only time a governed engine achieves WOT is when the engine is under full load.

It means that there is a failed diode in one coil. If for example, the number one coil has a failed diode, coil number 2 will not have spark. The diode, being a one-way check valve, if failed will allow the opposite coil to find a path to ground through the failed diode. In your example, if...

Sorry, this is false. A failed diode on one coil would cause the opposite coil to show as failed. Two failed diodes would cause the coils to not be able to be grounded through the key switch.

It is not likely to loose both ignition coils at once. If one is lost the engine would continue to run unless potentially it is under heavy load. My thought is either losing power to the fuel solenoid or it is something in the safety system on the mower. Still, the surge when disengaging the PTO...

When the engine is surging, slowly apply the choke. If the engine begins to smooth out then I would start with cleaning the card. There is likely no reason to replace the carb if the engine otherwise runs well.

Use a tachometer to see what rpm the engine is running at high idle. Toro’s spec is 3800 rpm. What do the rpm’s jump to when it increases for 10-15 seconds? If it is above the high idle rpm, it is possible that the engine was overheated and the heat damaged the ball guide if the governor assembly.

The NGK and Champion plugs listed are not the same. Physically, yes. Performance, no. Research it. It is always best to stick with what the manufacturer recommends.

Agree with @Auto Doc's, replace them if you are in question.

No, these plugs look typical for the most part. Overheated, if anything, not rich. Rich running would be dark black soot (unburned fuel), all over the porcelain and threads, that could be wiped off.

This would be the case for all engine models except FR, FS, and FX. Kits are available for these models only.

Kawasaki does offer kits for current engine models FX, FS and FR models. The part number you would need for FS is 11028-6316.

I read that the video was not your mower. I apologize for assuming that you were having a similar issue.

The governor bolt was stripped because it has left-handed thread. The person who tried to loosen it turned it the wrong way. Very common error. The governor's ball guide is likely damaged, which is why the RPMs are creeping. Two pins on the back of the guide keep the guide at the same speed as...

The gaskets are installed dry from the factory. No need for sealant,

No igniter.

FD731VAS09 was actually on Bad Boy mowers

I appreciate that, sir.

Absolutely sure. This unneeded element is inside the crankcase. Its purpose was to help separate air and oil droplets, keeping the oil in the engine while letting the air out of the crankcase. Has nothing to do with the engines outside environment.

Can a coil fail? Sure. It is common for both coils to fail, not likely. That is why I suggested removing the ground wire from both coils to see if either has spark.

The coils are best tested for spark while on the engine. You can use a running (lightbulb) spark tester easily to see if the coils are doing anything. A gap-type tester (pictured) is best for loading the coil. The SE line is for "small engine" or about 1/4" gap. Don't hook the ground wire to the...

Glad I could help.

The black oil may be temporarily ok as long as the oil level is not over full. You may smell fuel out the exhaust as at operating temp, some of those hydrocarbons will burn off.

The only thing I do know about aftermarket carburetors is that usually they don't work well. What is the problem with the original carburetor? The Nikki carburetor has transition ports that provide enough fuel during the transition from low to high idle. Maybe the aftermarket carburetor does not...

So at high idle under load is sounds good? WOT on a governed engine is when the engine is under heavy load and losing RPM. If the engine runs fine with the PTO engaged, then the idle jet likely is incorrect for this engine or debris in the idle circuit. The engine has no purpose at mid-throttle...

When it is surging, if you slowly apply the choke, does it tend to want to smooth out? How does it run at full throttle?

Great job finding that. I have heard of those pests causing issues before. Glad you got it fixed up. Thank you for reporting back.