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I once sold a used 6 hp string mower to a woman. I told her to check the oil and add whatever every time she fueled it. It came back blown up. She said look, it is full of oil. I pulled the dip stick and indeed it was full with clean oil except for bottom quarter inch that was black.

I am with the upside-down blade or a loose blade

so they can sell you more wheels.

In the old cars and tractors with point ignitions the capacitor was in the distributor with the points. The coil was separate. We used to charge the capacitor and leave it lying on the bench for unsuspecting curious visitor to grab. One guy picked it up and got shocked and I said, "bit ya...

The crack or pin hole in the supply fuel line seems noteworthy. Fill the tank and see if it runs OK. If the problem only occurs after the fuel level drops it is probably a cracked fuel pickup line. Air is sucked into the crack and the engine falters.

Why all this concern over non-alcohol fuel. I have been using 10% alcohol fuel ever since it came out. Never had a problem. The alcohol will absorb any moisture or water and solves that problem. I mean gas line anti-freeze is alcohol. The Briggs and Stratton manual says 10% alcohol gasoline is...

Cleaning all the fuel lines and taking apart the carb and cleaning the inside including metering jets is good too. But one thing not mentioned is cleaning the gas tank vent. A plugged gas cap vent will do exacting what you are describing. The gas tank cap vent allows air into the tank as the...

Craftsman, Husqvarna and most of the others are all made by MTD. Just painted different colors and have different hoods and decalcomania. I had a Craftsman and the governor gear exploded - junk! I had a Craftsman grass catcher on it that cost me over $500 so I wanted another Craftsman so the...

If the plates only show a little add distilled water, but make sure the low electro level was not the result of a spill. If it doesn't hold a charge and you can't buy a new battery, use a trickle charger going all the time to start it if you have one. I remember back in the early 1950s batteries...

Doesn't your generator have a constant trickle charge from your house current, mine does.

My MTD push mower with a B&S engine has a drain on the bottom, but then I bought it new in 1990. I keep it inside out of the weather with annual maintenance, and it starts first or second pull every spring. I think if I hjad a new one with the drain covered, I would remove the engine once to...

If you don't have the money for new tires, put a wood block under the axle so the tire doesn't crease when it goes down. Then inflate to lift the mower off the block. I had old neighbor on social security that could afford a new tire right then, but the block trick kept her going for a few...

Yes, many small engines, Briggs I am familiar with, have a compression release for easy starting. I had one that wouldn't turn over with the starter motor but started fine after adjusting the valves. The cam has an extra lobe before TDC that opens the exhaust valve to releave the compression a...

Oil is the magic elixir. In the old days (1950s), I have seen people slam their pickup doors hard enough to break the windows rather than lube the latches. I would check the pivot points for damage or debris first, then oil and work the pivots to get the lube where it needs to go. I have one of...

Oil is the magic elixir. In the old days ( have seen people slam their pickup doors hard enough to break the windows rather than

Buy Stihl 2 cycle oil and mix your own. I bought a measuring syringe that has graduations so you can accurately make small fuel batches down to a pint. That way you mix what you need and old fuel is less of a problem. Stabil breaks down to 1 cc or ml per pint of fuel. One ml is 15 drops, more or...

It sounds like the starter solenoid is getting power from the "on" power source. What happens when you turn the ignition switch to on without going to start. Does the starter run?. If it does, the starter switch is bad or the on and start wires are connecting somewhere. Just a thought!

Can you turn the blade by hand with the engine off? Just in case the bearings are froze. If they turn, then the belt is worn and too loose or the linkage is out of adjustment. Cable housing clamp may be loose and slipped, or maybe the engagement cable broke.

When the horse is dead, it is time to dismount!

Snow blowers have no air filter because, as said above, the swirling snow can ice over the filter blocking air flow. Also, snow is not dirty. You can drain the fuel tank by closing the shut-off valve, disconnecting the fuel line from the carb, get something to catch the fuel and open the...

If you have a throttle cable, the screw and clamp that holds the outside cable housing may have slipped. Disconnect the cable wire from the throttle plate lever and determine if the throttle wire is sliding easily in the housing when the throttel lever is moved. If not, the cable is rusted...

An inner tuibe is also a good choice for cracked sidewalls.

How old is the tire? Are the sidewalls cracked. Has it setting around a while in a flat condition. That can cause cracks in the side wall. The bathtub is good if you can't a small wash tub or minnow tank. Use the bath tib when your wife is gone but clean it after and do a good job. Try an...

I am assuming this problem started quickly and not gradually. If you look at the parts diagram at the brake pedal shaft (Item 4) you will notice 2 levers attached to the shaft. The slotted one at the distal end and another lever with 2 holes near the #65 on the diagram at the proximal end near...

Store in a closed structure if possible. The air is drier and it keeps moisture out. Damp air outside with large temp changes will cause condensation in the gas tank and carb. Stabil helps if added in the fall. Run some through the carb by running the engine. On riders remove the battery and...

Just make sure there no kids or pets around that can get hit with thrown rocks and debris. Thats why the deflectors are there. You hold them up with a bungee cord.

Probably a small crack in the plastic fuel line and it sucks air. The crack could be in the fuel tank. I had one that ran good with a full tank and went to hell when the fuel level dropped enough to expose the crack and suck air.

Battery is weak. You said it was marginal. I think the new battery fixed it!

Probably over torqued if you broke them. On these little engines you set the torque in your elbow. Usually around 225 inch Lbs. Divide that by 12 to get ft lbs or 18.75 ft lbs. That becomes 18.75 lbs on a 12 inch lever. That is not much! estimate by picking up 2 1/2 gallons of water in a...

Confusion, Can you turn the engine over multiple times with the spark plug out while turning it by hand? If you can, install the spark plug and try cranking with the starter. If the starter turns but stops at full compression, or turns really hard, you have an exhaust valve adjustment problem...

One more thing to try is after the penetrating oil, is to put the puller on the pulley with just enough pull to keep from bending the pulley. FIRST thread a bolt into the shaft, one long enough to hit bottom to protect the threads. The tap the bolt head with a hammer. The bolt will protect the...

When the seat price goes over $100 you may check with a small local re-upholsterer. May get it done for less. When I I I did my airplane seats a few years ago, the aircraft re-upholsterer want over $400 for just the two front seats. Since airplanes require fire resistant fabrics I bought the...

No mention of the air cleaner. It could be partially plugged choking the engine. Remove the air cleaner and try again. Shooting in the dark here.

Most modern mowers recommend 10% alcohol regular fuel. True alcohol attracts water, and if you leave your equipment out in the weather and it rains, water will get in the fuel tank. The alcohol will absorb some water just like the fuel dryer you used to put in your gas tank in the car to...

Carb cleaner????? Use starting fluid. If is runs for a bit, clean the carb by taking it off and taking it apart. Clean all the jets with pressure can carb cleaner.

The first check is to clean the battery terminals og corrosion. Take them off and clean the inside and posts.

Might be a crack or pin hole in the fuel line letting in air. Happened to me. Ran great with a full fuel tank, crack submerged, but once the fuel level went down it started sucking air.

Stabil works to keep moisture from creating gunk in your carbs during winter storage, especially if stored outside. Failure to start in the spring is usually the result of crude in the cab. Requires carb removal and cleaning. Stabil will prevent that. Been using Stabil about 40 years.

You say it won't start, but does it turn over? In the past, did the starter struggle to turn the engine over? Does it try to turn over, but doesn't seem to have the power to do it? If this is happening, pull the spark plug. If it cranks Ok now, the problem could be that the valves need...

Dry black carbon on the spark plug is the result of a rich mixture. Excess oil will make the black carbon have a oily, wet appearance.

There is no "psuedo-compression" release. The exhaust valve cam is made to hold the exhaust valve slightly open to release some pressure as the piston comes up making the engine easier to crank. The valve closed just before combustion to provide full power. If the valve lash is too much the...

ILENGINE hit on it. The governor on a generator is critical to maintain AC frequency, i.e. cycles. Home AC runs on 60 cycles. As an example it is what keeps your clock on time. If the cycles are off, your plug-in AC clocks will run fast or slow. All electronics depends on the cycles being...

In my 70+ years of driving and repairing I've seen this many times. The battery posts are corroded. The voltage gets to the solenoid, but not the amps, i.e. the solenoid closes and clicks, but the starter doesn't turn. To understand electricity, think of it in terms of water. Voltage is the...

I wrote a reply. Why isn't it shown???

Chose the higher cranking amps for the extra power. By the way, if you own a single engine general aviation airplane or know someone who does, you can use a used airplane battery that is no longer adequate for the airplane. Most of these airplanes use 100 to 180 hp engines and require a...

When you checked for corrosion were you looking at the solenoid connections or the battery posts. This sounds like corrosion on the battery posts. Remove the battery cables and clean away all corrosion. Use baking soda in water (tablespoon in a half cup and dissolve) to immerse the battery...

Shut off the mower blades, push down the brake pedal, set the park brake handle and get off. the engine will continue running and the tractor is safe.

The grass you are cutting doesn't seem that tall but try it on shorter grass first. If the stripe is still there, it appears that the center blade is not cutting, i.e., the center blade is not turning. You did say you replaced 3 blades, right? Is the center spindle stuck? Make sure the blade...